Hot Dipped Faber HP100

[Still Kicking]

If i was in the tank market and couldn't find any used HDG for sale locally, I would not hesitate to buy a new painted Faber.

The epoxy coat and galvanized undercoat holds up really well even when abused. I see a lot of tanks and even when the paint gets scratched, I have not seen one rust issue with them.

XS did have some matt black epoxy tanks recently that looked pretty cool but I'm not sure if they will be a regular item.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

If i was in the tank market and couldn't find any used HDG for sale locally, I would not hesitate to buy a new painted Faber.

The epoxy coat and galvanized undercoat holds up really well even when abused. I see a lot of tanks and weven when the paint gets scratched, I have not seen one rust issue with them.

XS did have some matt black epoxy tanks recently that looked pretty cool but I'm not sure if they will be a regular item.

Good to know! I hope to never have to test that myself.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Does anybody know WHY there is a galvanized tank shortage?
Is there an environmental reason or is this all economics?

 

[Still Kicking]

Does anybody know WHY there is a galvanized tank shortage?
Is there an environmental reason or is this all economics?

Environmental restrictions, I heard.

 

[Badger7]

Does anybody know WHY there is a galvanized tank shortage?
Is there an environmental reason or is this all economics?

Likely both, but ultimately its an issue of outsourcing. Faber does their cold spray galvanize coating topped with epoxy paint finish in-house. Evidently they were outsourcing the hot dip galvanized finishing to a third party in Italy and that relationship no longer exists. I don't think anyone has definitively shared why, and other than curiousity, not sure it matters. The only way hot dipped galvanized tanks are going to be available again is if Faber brings HDG in-house (extremely unlikely, I imagine both the startup and operational costs would be prohibitive), or finds a new partner for doing the hot-dipped galvanization process for them (slightly more likely, but I'm still skeptical).

I keep hearing people citing "environmental issues", but I've always taken that with a grain of salt. Hot dip galvanizing isn't going anywhere, the construction trade ensures that (fasteners, brackets, etc). Compartively, scuba tanks are magnitudes smaller in volume, and I really wonder whether its going to be worth any organizations time and investment to do that finishing for Faber. If you're already performing hot dip galvanizing, you're already managing the environmental considerations, but is it worth the liabilty of working out the process for coating pressure vessels in small volumes? You would need reasonable revenues and/or higher margins to support that new venture.

I bet most people reading this thread would gladly pay an extra $50-100 per tank for hot dipped zinc versus epoxy paint. Would you pay double? Not sure I would.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Likely both, but ultimately its an issue of outsourcing. Faber does their cold spray galvanize coating topped with epoxy paint finish in-house. Evidently they were outsourcing the hot dip galvanized finishing to a third party in Italy and that relationship no longer exists. I don't think anyone has definitively shared why, and other than curiousity, not sure it matters. The only way hot dipped galvanized tanks are going to be available again is if Faber brings HDG in-house (extremely unlikely, I imagine both the startup and operational costs would be prohibitive), or finds a new partner for doing the hot-dipped galvanization process for them (slightly more likely, but I'm still skeptical).

I keep hearing people citing "environmental issues", but I've always taken that with a grain of salt. Hot dip galvanizing isn't going anywhere, the construction trade ensures that (fasteners, brackets, etc). Compartively, scuba tanks are magnitudes smaller in volume, and I really wonder whether its going to be worth any organizations time and investment to do that finishing for Faber. If you're already performing hot dip galvanizing, you're already managing the environmental considerations, but is it worth the liabilty of working out the process for coating pressure vessels in small volumes? You would need reasonable revenues and/or higher margins to support that new venture.

I bet most people reading this thread would gladly pay an extra $50-100 per tank for hot dipped zinc versus epoxy paint. Would you pay double? Not sure I would.

it's my understanding that HDG is fairly environmentally safe.
I'll bet it's purely economic.

 

[greeniguana]

it's my understanding that HDG is fairly environmentally safe.

As long as the caustic and acid dipping vats don't spring leaks. And you can capture and treat the rinsewater....

 

[Still Kicking]

I bet most people reading this thread would gladly pay an extra $50-100 per tank for hot dipped zinc versus epoxy paint. Would you pay double? Not sure I would.

I worked in a shop which used to sell both styles of Fabers. Customers asked for HDG but balked when they found they cost $50 more ... painted outsold HDG by at least 4:1. Most divers are cheap. Most SB members are not typical divers.

 

[Badger7]

I worked in a shop which used to sell both styles of Fabers. Customers asked for HDG but balked when they found they cost $50 more ... painted outsold HDG by at least 4:1. Most divers are cheap. Most SB members are not typical divers.

100% and many/most divers in general aren't buying their own tanks either. I'd bet globally its easily 20:1 people diving AL80 tanks on vacation versus people buying steel tanks for local use. Your point stands, steel galvanized tanks are a very small market, and while the (at least temporary) lack of HDG finished tanks is a real shame for those who want a tank that lasts the next 30 years, Faber will just substitute painted and it really won't affect their bottom line.

The good news is HDG cylinders can last longer than many diver's interest, so for every newly minted diver buying gear to go explore shipwrecks with their local dive club, there is a tech going full CCR or an old salt looking to sell some tanks down to the next generation. Until we hear otherwise, I guess used is the only option for HDG.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

100% and many/most divers in general aren't buying their own tanks either. I'd bet globally its easily 20:1 people diving AL80 tanks on vacation versus people buying steel tanks for local use.

+1

To take that even further. In South Florida where I do all of my diving, I am on the boats with a number of casual, vacationing divers pretty much every trip. Most of them have no clue what tank they are diving ... aluminum or steel. Most seem to have no clue there are even two different materials tanks are made out of, different capacities of cylinder, and that the buoyancy characteristics of the tank influences how much lead they will need.

The market for personal cylinders is really for local divers and those that frequently drive-to-dive vs. primarily fly-to-dive. That is a very small group compared to the number of certified divers that occasionally dive while on vacation.