DIR- Generic HELP DECIDE - Steel HP133

[elgoog]

@great_white With your height, you will benefit from the additional length of the HP120s. As mentioned above by @lukeb , way easier to trim out for almost everyone and especially if you're 6'4". My dive buddy is 6'5" and is currently borrowing my HP120 doubles as they trim out much better for him than the LP85s that are one of the standards around here.

+1 to what @elan said about HP100 doubles being too short, especially Worthingtons. I think the new Faber ones are the same dimensions as LP85s .i.e. "standard length", so those may be fine for you.

The HP130/LP104s are also "standard length" but larger diameter. I only dived those in caves (and not that many dives compared to HP120s and LP85s which I dive at home). FWIW, I didn't notice any difference in weight on land between HP120 and HP130 with 32% fills. LP85s are noticeably lighter.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

I have double HP 130s and Single 130s and I love them. Im 5'10" 205lbs fit.

 

[Jack Hammer]

I'm unable to tell the difference in water or on land between lp104s and hp130s without looking for the stamp on the neck. The Faber 133s I can tell by sight as the look slightly different and are painted. They also feel a tad heavier when moving around too. In the water the difference between the others is nominal. Overall I prefer the 104s/130s to the 133s, but I'm nitpicking the differences. If I were buying again I'd go with whichever I got the best deal on. (I have all the tanks I'm mentioning)

 

[tbone1004]

I'm unable to tell the difference in water or on land between lp104s and hp130s without looking for the stamp on the neck. The Faber 133s I can tell by sight as the look slightly different and are painted. They also feel a tad heavier when moving around too. In the water the difference between the others is nominal. Overall I prefer the 104s/130s to the 133s, but I'm nitpicking the differences. If I were buying again I'd go with whichever I got the best deal on. (I have all the tanks I'm mentioning)

they make hot dip galvanized 133's now as an FYI

 

[Tracy]

On this same note, don't confuse faber lp108s with 104s/130s/133/s and worthington 108s. The latter are all the same tanks. Faber lp108s are horribly butt light in comparison when ran as doubles.

 

[elan]

@great_white I think the new Faber ones are the same dimensions as LP85s .i.e. "standard length", so those may be fine for you..

I was looking at that option (FX100) as well as I currently dive LP85 set and I was hoping it would be a direct replacement (I wanted to get a second set). Alas they are almost one inch shorter than LP85s.

 

[elan]

On this same note, don't confuse faber lp108s with 104s/130s/133/s and worthington 108s. The latter are all the same tanks. Faber lp108s are horribly butt light in comparison when ran as doubles.

All Fabers seem to be butt light. And they are also I think about 4lb more positive than Worthingtons. This is cured by a 8lb X weight just below the lower band. I am getting tired of explaining people why I use an X weight instead of a more "standard" V weight. But my feel of them being butt light has been confirmed by a measurement where I found that the center of mass of LP85 is located more than one inch closer to the manifold than for Catalina AL80 doubles. That one inch makes quite some difference when trying to trim them.

 

[tbone1004]

On this same note, don't confuse faber lp108s with 104s/130s/133/s and worthington 108s. The latter are all the same tanks. Faber lp108s are horribly butt light in comparison when ran as doubles.

holy shi!t, you're alive again?

 

[SlugLife]

Hi all,

I am in the market to buy a pair of tanks and am looking at the Faber HP133. This will be my first and only owned set of tanks.
I am 6'4", 250 lbs muscular. So the common complaints of difficulty in handling these tanks on surface doesn't dissuade me a whole lot. I dive single tank at the moment but will likely transition to doubles sooner or later.

Any of you have experience diving these? I thought about going with HP100s but figured it wouldn't hurt to have more gas. Also figured, if anybody is to dive these big boys, it would be someone with more mass and strength plus more than average gas consumption. Granted, I wouldn't say I am an air hog and I manage gas fairly well, but with more body mass gas still goes faster than average.

I've asked around and as with most things, some guys LOVE diving these, some advise against them lol.

I'd love to hear what you guys think so please let me know your experience and thoughts.

Thanks so much!

I'm not an expert, but IMO, the weight issues are mostly about strain on your back, knees, or other joints. Most people can carry 50-lbs no problem, it's more an issue of weight-distribution. For example, my problem is usually being on a small boat, with waves pushing me around, and having that weight on my back twisting around.

As far as diving doubles, side-mount might be worth looking into. Steel tanks are great for side-mount, so you'd be somewhat future-proof there. There are downsides to side-mount, mostly that you need a different harness, it takes longer to learn, requires more adjustment, and you'll be slow at first. You'll also probably want training as well, at minimum signing up on sidemounting.com. The up-sides being you usually won't have to manage 2 tanks at once above land, and you get completely redundant air-systems.

 

[tbone1004]

I'm not an expert, but IMO, the weight issues are mostly about strain on your back, knees, or other joints. Most people can carry 50-lbs no problem, it's more an issue of weight-distribution. For example, my problem is usually being on a small boat, with waves pushing me around, and having that weight on my back twisting around.

As far as diving doubles, side-mount might be worth looking into. Steel tanks are great for side-mount, so you'd be somewhat future-proof there. There are downsides to side-mount, mostly that you need a different harness, it takes longer to learn, requires more adjustment, and you'll be slow at first. You'll also probably want training as well, at minimum signing up on sidemounting.com. The up-sides being you usually won't have to manage 2 tanks at once above land, and you get completely redundant air-systems.

we are in the DIR forum, sidemount is not typically recommended in this context