HP or LP ?

[GregV]

I'm going to purchase my first set of tanks and am wondering if I should go with HP's or LP's. I will be diving with them as singles for now but will be wanting to double them up in the future when I go to get more technical training. I thought I read somewhere that tech diver's using trimix prefer LP's over HP's it'll be a while till I get to that level of diving but tanks last a while and are expensive so I would like to make a wise purchase on the front end and not have to purchase tanks because I bought the wrong ones to begin with. I like the HP's because they pack more gas into a smaller package and will be a little easier to double up, but I know on some dive boats you may not get a good fill with HP's, but will with LP's. Also I plan to purchase XS Scuba galvanized tanks because they are manufactured by Worthington, I guess that would be the best place to get them. Any help you all could give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg V

 

[jrockosaurus]

hp tanks:
smaller size and lighter weight relative to their same capacity lp counterparts
lp tanks: great for gas mixing
can overfill to much higher volume when needed
easy to get full fills everywhere

only con is that they are bigger and heavier so if this is an issue for you then buy hp

 

[jrockosaurus]

check this out for reference:
http://www.huronscuba.com/equipment/scubaCylinderSpecification.html

 

[crpntr133]

LP's are no bigger than a AL, for the most part. As far as being heavier, so you take a few pounds of lead off. I went with Worthington LP85. Figured that if I trusted them enough to make propane tanks for a hot air balloon then I can trust them under water.

 

[jeraldjcook]

You could always buy a larger 7.25" HP tank, say a E7-120, and still have the option of underfilling it. It would still give you plenty of air if you get a bad fill and have the option of tons of air if you can get a good one.

 

[ageddiver]

But those HP 120's are typically tall and heavy. If you start with LP 95's (95cu ft at 2650psi), you have some relatively light tanks that have the advantage of mixing at lower pressures to save you money and can be cranked to 3500psi when you need it (125 cu ft).

HP 95's or 100's are the ones that are truly sleeker/smaller than their LP counterparts, and if you don't need the added gas might be worth looking at.

No right answer here for sure, if you can see and lift some of each it might help.

 

[all4scuba05]

depends on a few things....Are you short and finding the taller tanks to be a hassle? Are looking to have mad amounts of air? Would it matter to you if they were DIN vs Yoke? Would you be able to get overfills if you wanted?

 

[divinginn]

getting the overfills can be a problem in alot of places,excluding n. fla of course.I would go with the hp tanks,those hp 100s sure look sweet to me,not much bigger than my 72s,with 30 cf more air,next on my must buy list.

 

[PerroneFord]

By the correct tanks for you now. By the time you start doing techinical diving, chances are you'll have a few sets anyway. And there is always a lively market for tanks so it's not like you'll have to eat the expense of the purchase.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

Perrone is right. I have 1 HP120 and 3 al80's when I dive with my buddies that have 120's I dive the 120. When I dive with my family it's the al 80s. Right tank for the dive.