hp 80 vs. hp 100 steel

[Homunculus]

hi all,
i'm pretty much all set in terms of brand and type of a tank i'm getting. what i'm not sure is the quantity and volume. i'm going to get Faber / OMS high pressure steel tank/s with DIN valve.
since tanks are a bit pricy, i'm not sure if i can afford 2 tanks. So here's my question: if one could only afford 1 tank - what whould that be: 80 or 100?
a bit about myself: i dive in northeast area, recreationally, wearing wetsuit, bp+wings (32 lbs lift); i'm 144 lbs, 5'8" tall. i'm not going to dive with doubles.
i'm not sure if 100 can last for 2 dives - if it did I would definitely get one. 120 is too heavy so i'm not considering that size. 80 and 100 are ok in terms of dryland weight, i can carry either one fine.
Another question: if one can afford 2 tanks - what would be the choice - 2 80s or 80 and 100?

Thank you

 

[xwhitesmokex]

IMO.. personally, 100's are the better buy - short and long run! you need to account for being able to get a full fill on HP tanks which most boats cannot do, which means at 100, you'll probably get about 80.

if you are not thinking about doubles maybe the 119 or 120 would be a good thing, depending your height and ability to carry. if you do look into the new x-series or PST e series (if any are left around). one thing my buddy told me is that you have to account for your " buddy's " air as well.... although great for safety factors, you still have to come back up if your buddy doesn't have air left when you do.

 

[divinginn]

i love my worthington 100,its a tad shorter than my 72s,balances out great and i usually come up with at least a 1000 lbs of air on long dives,and have done 2 short dives twice on 1 fill,wished they were 100 dollars cheaper though,really want another one.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I'd go with one HP100. If you can then eventually get another tank, I'd then get another 100. Not sure why you'd want a 100 and an 80. The 80s are REALLY short and while you're not too tall ... well ... the 80s are just REALLY short! I'm similar in size to you, just a bit heavier. 5'8" and 155. I just recently purchased two HP100s and I love them. Outstanding tank. Also keep in mind that if you can't get a good HP fill, which is harder than you'd think, you still have 87 cf in an HP100 at 3000 psi.

I wouldn't plan on getting two dives on one tank on a regular basis, unless of course they're short or very shallow. You'd really need an X8-119 or X8-130 to realistically be able to regularly do two dives on one tank.

 

[barrmust]

i purchased 3 from this sale going on. they are faber fx100s. $249 each. also free shipping through the 13th of april. they come with the valve installed (din/yoke), air in them (only a little), boot and a vis sticker already on it. so for 499.00 you could have 2 complete fx100s ready to go. all you need to do is go to your lds an have them filled up all the way. this deal was posted here by someone else last week and it really worked out for me. also the hydro dates on mine were 07/06.

http://www.diversdirect.com/scripts...tem=44530&Template=9990000096000999&Group=128

Russ

 

[Teamcasa]

I have the XS Scuba HP100 and a HP80 for my lovely biride. Timing works out perfecct!

Dave

 

[barrmust]

the faber 100s are:

100 cf @3443 psi
89 cf @ 3000psi
77 cf @ 2640 psi.

so you will always have more air than an aluminum 80 even with a "short fill" i would strongly recomend the 100s. they are esentialy the same size and weight as an aluminum 80 and you can take 5 # of weight or so from your weight belt.

Russ

 

[CompuDude]

Get the 100s. Unless you are a tiny person or have some strength limitation where you can't carry an aluminum 80, get the 100.

Best all around tank, period. With an HP80 you will have a tiny tank (which can be good), but not much margin for error. And if you get a short fill ( < 3442 psi) you will have LESS gas than an aluminum 80. You MUST get at least 3300psi with the HP80 to meet or beat an Al.80. With the HP100, you will always have more gas (unless you get a truly terrible fill, worthy of demanding your money back!).

Unless it causes you problems to carry it (I'll note HP100 is the same weight as Al.80) there really is no such thing as too much gas.

 

[LobstaMan]

IMHO, the steel HP100s or a steel LP95 are superior cylinders to an HP80 or AL80. More gas, better buoyancy traits, more weght off your belt, steel will last for a long time, resale value, and, did I say more gas? I've used AL80s, steel 100s and steel 72s and the 100s are my most favorite tanks. I have no personal experience on the LP95s, but I haven't heard a bad word about them and they are of similar gas volume as the 100s. Some divers prefer the LP to the HP tanks. But, I transgress...get two matched 100s(or 95s) and you will be more than satisfied. You'll get two nice long dives with that set-up for sure. I love my PST E7-100s -- run out of NDL before you run out of gas.

LobstaMan

PS Don't bother trying to get two dives out of one tank unless you've got a steel 130 and you're diving in a pool. Some divers might do this and have no problems, but I think the better plan is to always hit the water with a nice, fresh full tank.

 

[SteveFass]

Mikhael,
not criticising, just curious - why have you ruled out the LP85?

Have you talked to your LDS about this? Any problem with HP fills there?

Does your boat do fills between dives?