Heavy AL80 vs hp100 steel

[danieldale]

Looking for new tanks-some are now saying The heavy AL80 are the way to go
Much cheaper.(Diving Drysuit fresh water and salt).So why pay the extra $200 plus per tank? pros cons---Thanks for your Help.

 

[Gombessa]

Looking for new tanks-some are now saying The heavy AL80 are the way to go
Much cheaper.(Diving Drysuit fresh water and salt).So why pay the extra $200 plus per tank? pros cons---Thanks for your Help.

Since you're diving cold, in a drysuit, the HP100 is likely to be the way to go. I assume you're talking about a "Neutral AL80?" If so, that's a strange beast, not very common, and as such you'll probably run into problems getting full fills on it (99% of AL tanks a typical shop will see are rated to 3000psi, and if you fill an N80 to that, you're at less than rated pressure). That's probably the main reason to stay away from the N80.

I think the buoyancy characteristics between the N80 and the HP100 will be roughly similar, and you may be able to take an extra pound or two off with the HP100. Of course, with both filled to rated pressure the HP100 carries more gas than the N80.

Also, N80s are not very extensible. If you outgrow them or move into tech diving, a standard AL80 can be used as a stage (and there's always a healthy market for AL80s for this purpose), whereas an N80 wouldn't be ideal for this purpose.

Steel tanks are pretty much the standard for cold water diving, and you're likely to see and use them quite often. I'd stick with those, and avoid the more "novelty" one-off N80s.

 

[danieldale]

Gombessa great info thanks for your time and help. So you say-suck it up and pay now or pay later.

 

[danieldale]

Ok-HP100 steel it is,any Brand Name and finish you would reccomend?

 

[Gombessa]

Gombessa great info thanks for your time and help. So you say-suck it up and pay now or pay later.

Yeah, I have enough trouble at four out of five shops getting decent already, the hassle of trying to explain repeatedly that "oh, these are AL tanks but they should have been filled to 3300psi" is just not worth it for me.

Ok-HP100 steel it is,any Brand Name and finish you would reccomend?

Faber, Worthington, they all make good tanks. If you're buying used, there are things to pay attention to, but new tanks are mostly fine. I prefer hot-dipped galvanized finish (Worthington, PST, gray colored) to painted (Faber, white colored) but both are tough, corrosion-resistant coatings. Make sure the hydro date is recent, since many shops have steel tanks that sit around for a year or more. If the tanks were hydro'd in 2008 for instance, a shop should be willing to give you a some kind of discount (like, subtracting 2/5 of the price of a hydro from the tank).

 

[a22shady]

My G/F and I both dive the HP 100's they are a great tank. We use the Worthington X-7 HP100. After reserching all the tanks and there spec's for me These seemed like the best they were the lightest out of the 100's I looked at and better buyoncy characteristics for me. And are Ideal for us once we are ready to double them up.

 

[Graeme Tolton]

Being from Alberta, I would recommend that you buy worthington, as they are Made in Canada. Faber is made in Italy. They are both good tanks and will last a long time, however, I prefer to support my own economy. I dive worthington hp119's, doubled. I also prefer the galvanized look. As previously mentioned, the N80 is a rather rare tank and may have resale issues, as much of the resale market of al cylinders is for stage bottles. I don't know of anyone who uses a N80 as a stage. The standard al80 is +2lb at low pressure.. however, one must factor in a valve and 1st stage attached to it. In all reality, it is just a little floaty around 200 psi.

 

[mike_s]

Ok-HP100 steel it is,any Brand Name and finish you would reccomend?

Worthington has set the standard with their finish. the "hot dip galvanized" is in my opinion a little better than Faber's painted finish.

The worthington by default comes with a little better "default valve' than the Faber comes with, but valves ordered differ depending on the shop that ordered them.

With that said, if prices are simliar, go with the Worthington.

However, you can often pick up the Fabers for $100 to $150 less from some of the bigger online shops when they put them on sale. saving $300 on two tanks was enough for me to buy the Fabers.

 

[knowone]

Faber steel tanks are hot dip galvanised with a grey undercoat then top coat.

 

[knowone]

Faber steel tanks are hot dip galvanised with a grey undercoat then top coat. Undercoat and topcoat colours may be subject to change.