I am at a fork in the gear configuration road...

[Eric Sedletzky]

Hi Eric. I have a tall skinny 3500 120 for $125 if you want it. It's a great tank, but I tend to use more air than Merry and was considering replacing it with a 130.

Is it a 3442 200 bar din valve with insert, or a 300 bar deep din true 3500 psi.
Just asking because sometimes people inadvertently call call everything HP 3500.

If it's the former then I'm interested, but meanwhile if you find a buyer go for it. It may be a while before I get down there due to the really slow economy up here.
The reason I am sticking with yolk valves is because I like to use a double hose once in a while and want to be able to use all my tanks.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

And just for the other perspective, I absolutely hate the length of the HP120s. I'm 6'0" and consider them too long (3-4" longer than an AL80). I can't imagine people significantly shorter enjoying them as much as a HP130 (8" dia, same height as an AL80). We often share/loan cylinders among friends here, and so most of us in our group keep HP130s to make that easier for divers of all sizes. The HP130s also seem to have better resale value, and are a more manageable height for those ever looking to double them up. Oh, and they hold a bit more gas.

I see your point. I'm 6'4" so there's the extra 4" to cover the length.

 

[Jorgy]

"I actually can't think of a worse cylinder choice for SoCal than an AL63"

Ouch.......

My thoughts........

I dive LP-95's myself as my local tank, but most of the dives are boat dives, with easy access and I have no issues climbing the ladder with the tank and weights on.......

Steel tanks do allow for less weight on the belt, but that is because the tanks weigh more, another advantage is that they stay negatively buoyant throughout the dive (at least most do, turns out LP72's are 1 lb buoyant when empty)....

The disadvantage to steel tanks is the weight is always with you......at least with a weight belt you can take the weight off and make two trips.....

The reason I brought up AL tanks was the challenging shore entries/exits......an AL63 is only .7 lb buoyant at 500 psi (1.8 lb when empty).......at least with an AL tank the OP has the option to drop the weight belt/pouches at the waters edge so he can exit the water (likewise on entry).......climb the cliff, up the 1000 stairs, across the beach or the quater mile walk to the car......whatever the case may be.

I have never dove SoCal but have seen many divers park along PCH and have really long walks to the water, some look really steep too........

As far as less gas the OP indicated he could do two dives with an HI120 so my guess he can do a single dive with 60 CF of gas........so the dives he is looking to do are shallower/shorter dives........

Finally, I did mention we had come full circle and he already had LP72's......

For what it is worth............M

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Is it a 3442 200 bar din valve with insert, or a 300 bar deep din true 3500 psi.
Just asking because sometimes people inadvertently call call everything HP 3500.

If it's the former then I'm interested, but meanwhile if you find a buyer go for it. It may be a while before I get down there due to the really slow economy up here.
The reason I am sticking with yolk valves is because I like to use a double hose once in a while and want to be able to use all my tanks.

It's 3500psi with 300 BAR H-valves.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

It's 3500psi with 300 BAR H-valves.

Sold if you'll ship...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

It's 3500psi with 300 BAR H-valves.

Hi Phil,
Let Chicago have it, I'm looking for a 3442 120.

Thanks

E

 

[Guy Alcala]

And just for the other perspective, I absolutely hate the length of the HP120s. I'm 6'0" and consider them too long (3-4" longer than an AL80). I can't imagine people significantly shorter enjoying them as much as a HP130 (8" dia, same height as an AL80). We often share/loan cylinders among friends here, and so most of us in our group keep HP130s to make that easier for divers of all sizes. The HP130s also seem to have better resale value, and are a more manageable height for those ever looking to double them up. Oh, and they hold a bit more gas.

FWIW, I dive with a guy who's about 5'10" and he seems to like his HP120s. I'm 6'0", dive HP100s and LP112s and I suspect the 120s would be too long for me, although they're several lb. lighter than a 119 or 130. I'd go with a 130 except that some of the shops around my area charge double for filling tanks over 120 cu.ft. Personally, I don't like to dive my 112s off a boat or on a rough entry, because between their extra weight and them being 4 lb. less negative than my (Asahi Genesis) HP100s, there's an extra 10 lb. I have to deal with.

Guy

 

[asymmetries]

I am not sure I follow when you say " get two medium depth dives out of the larger single tank without need for an exit and entry". When I finish a dive I exit the water. I may not switch cylinders before re-entering for my next dive. Are you saying just hang on the surface for 30-60 minutes??

Actually that was exactly what I was saying. This was not uncommon behavior when I was lake diving (and using a larger tank). Though due to thermoclines being what they were it wasn't bad at all. Now that I have a drysuit, even the cold Pacific should not have posed a problem for doing this. However, given the quizzical responses elicited...

Yeah, I don't get that either. I'd still exit after a dive. The point is, I don't need to switch over cylinders, haul a second cylinder, or pay for a second fill if I can get two dives off the larger cylinder. The weight really isn't an issue if you're in decent physical shape. I personally know a good number of smaller women diving HP130s here through the surf.

So apparently this sort of behavior is not the norm around these parts and conditions...

Ack! I shall change my ways. I just started thinking this was a good solution to the issues posed by entry and exits which require use of gas that does not contribute to bottom time; are also, in my (albeit inexperienced) opinion, the portion of the dive that are most subject to risk; and I don't have to hump my gear to my car to change tanks.

One of the other concerns is (and you can accuse me of trying to keep of with the Jones) I do not want to be the buddy who is always limiting the bottom time in the buddy group, simply because I do not have sufficient air reserves. All the more so because I am the new guy. I see people in these parts put up 52-102 minutes. Granted they are not posting their entire dive profile, but in comparison when I dived the same location I eeked out a mere 40 minutes on my 72, which is substantially lower than the lowest I had seen posted. (granted that anecdotes are not data and the people posting online are probably the greatest enthusiasts) However, these are the people I am most likely to run into on a given dive site and would be potentially paired with.

My thought process then was that 40 min on a lp72 would be 80 min if doubled or on a 130 and a 100 would put me at about 60 min. Then the 100 would put me at the low end of the scuba enthusiast and the larger cylinders would put me near the top.

Phil, thanks for the offer to sell me the tank, but I actually have not yet been able to allocate monies to my scuba gear acquisition fund (charity?) because I was mugged by a bearded fat man with white hair who was dressed in a red suit with white trim. Hopefully, I will be able to find a deal as awesome as this in about 1 month.

Or who knows maybe I will run into some people that will let me take one of these larger tanks for a test dive in these waters.

Thanks all and please pardon the verbose post.

 

[TSandM]

Depths in SoCal diving, even from shore, are such to mandate a reasonable surface interval for safety, so unless you want to float around in 60 degree water for an hour, you pretty much have to get out.

I'm quite sure you can find somebody in the LA area who will do a dive with you and lend you a 130 . . . They seem to grow on trees down there

 

[JohnB47]

I used to do a lot of beach diving around Monterey and Carmel. Prior to that, I had lived in Ohio, and dove with double 72's. The doubles were great for cave diving in Florida and deep wreck diving in Georgian Bay, Ontario. But the first time I tried diving with those doubles on a steep beach (Monastery Beach, near Carmel), I got knocked down flat by a wave, dragged toward the surfline by the return flow, and pounded by the next wave. A couple of local guys dragged me up the beach. I did not dive that day. The next day, I went to the LDS and bought two K-valves. I still have the two 72's, but they have not been doubles since then. On shallow beaches, doubles may be ok, but on a steep beach like Monastery, you should keep the size and weight of your gear to a minimum.

Speaking of 72's, I used to be a bit confused about how much air they really hold. The old low pressure tanks are rated for 2250 psi, but for the first 5 years (and afterward, if the hydro test certifies them for 2250+) they can be filled to 10% overpressure, or 2475 psi. I always knew that, but I had thought that the 71.2 cu. ft. rating was at 2250 psi. Recently, I found that that is not the case. These tanks held 71.2 cu. ft. at 2475 psi, so now they only hold 64.7 cu. ft. at 2250 psi. So your old 72's would be better called 65's!

Also, the volume of the old 72's is very close to the 12 liter volume of the new 3442 psi high pressure 100's. The new 100's are very slightly shorter and fatter than the 72's, and the weight is slightly less. So if you are used to the size and weight of a 72, but you want enough air to dive with people who have aluminum 80's, an hp 100 is a good choice. If you get a short fill to only 3000 psi, you will still have an honest 90 cu. ft. for your dive, so you should be able to keep up with the divers using 80's. Of course, if you are diving with people with larger tanks, then you probably should consider using what they are using.