JeffG, Lamont, RTodd?

[Randy43068]

I've had pretty good luck with the Lowe's SS snaps as well. I mostly use them on my SPGs and then the
lower snap on stage bottles. They're a little larger than I like for second stage clips, though.

I can't find SS snaps at Lowe's. Where are they?

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Go to the hardware section. They are usually in bins with a tag sticker on them so you can test the snap slide. The Home Depot ones are in packages and don't look as good as the Lowes snaps.

The order I got from Nix seems to be a decent one--well I am a noob--what do I really know? So far they seem ok.

 

[CompuDude]

What I've heard, though, is that the SS hardware store snaps often have non-stainless steel springs in them. There's a way to tell them apart, having to do with the "hole" that the slide is in, but I don't remember what the difference is.

I choke and pay dive shop prices for my boltsnaps, after having a couple of the hardware store ones stick.

I've heard this, too, although given the reviews here, sounds like the ones from Lowe's are decent. I can also confirm the snaps at West Marine are fine quality, although the price is only a dollar or two better than the LDS.

I get all of my snaps (except the occasional emergency replacement from the LDS) from Tech Diving Limited. They have sales on them fairly regularly (think ~$5 per snap), and I think all but one of the snaps I've ordered have been very good. I just blow $25-30 periodically when there is a sale and I'm low, and make sure I have a small supply of each size I tend to use on hand so I'm rarely forced to pay LDS prices.

 

[rjack321]

anything SS which is also magnetic - isn't really SS. Not sure if there's enough of a spring to tell, but that's one criteria

 

[Mike Edmonston]

anything SS which is also magnetic - isn't really SS. Not sure if there's enough of a spring to tell, but that's one criteria

Good point Rjack, I'm goint to take a magnet and see if my snaps are all SS

Cheers

 

[cool_hardware52]

anything SS which is also magnetic - isn't really SS. Not sure if there's enough of a spring to tell, but that's one criteria

Not true. Martensitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels (400 series) are in fact magnetic

Austenitic (300 series) is not.

Each has it's place. The Austenitics cannot be heat treated, and therefore make poor springs, and do not hold and edge well, not too useful for knives either, but offer good corrosion resistance.

The Marensitic (420) is heat treatable, but at the expense of reduced corrosion resistance.

Of course there are the "PH Grades" but that's a different story.

Tobin

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

Will do. I have worked pretty hard to convert my dive buddy over to the darkside. We took her new gear out for a spin the in muddy water a couple of weeks ago. Since we could only see about 1.5' we worked on teams skills up close and personal!

Oh! It was a lake? LOL! That was a great weekend, definitely a challenge, but fun none the less! Can't wait to get you gals down in the pretty water down in the springs of Florida! Can't wait for the next get together!

Happy diving!
Carolyn:sharks:

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

It was a great weekend Carolyn! I really enjoyed meeting you. And although the vis was really horrible, it gave us a good chance to work on staying together in less than ideal conditions in Lake Murray. For me it is good to challenge myself with dives like that so if it ever hits the fan for real and I have some kind of emergency in such conditions, it won't be my first time dealing with very low or no vis. That isn't the kind of diving I want to do all the time, but I am glad for the experience.

Deb and I are checking into becoming a member of the Lake Norman Quarry. Vis is more like what we see in Lake Jocassee from the 10-40 range. I have found a shop in Gastonia that is right on the way that I can get fills. Once you become a member of the quarry you get a key to the gate and can dive anytime. Since it splits the distance between us, we are hoping to get more time in the water. Deb dove there earlier this year and said it has a lot of fish and decent vis.

Hopefully if we can get more water time, we can really do some work on buoyancy. That is the big goal right now. We would like to go out and fee the fish and just hover in a cloud of them. We have gone on many feeding dives in the lake, but are usually on top of the water or on the bottom. The goal is the be motionless in the middle of them. Hopefully, but springtime with the fish begin to school and bed our skills will be good enough that we can hang with them for a while watching them without spooking them. Last spring we came across a large cloud of them, but were stuck on the bottom. It was still a great experience but would have been even better if we could have been up in the cloud!

Carolyn, I will PM you that Jocassee info for your dive club later today.

 

[rjack321]

Not true. Martensitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels (400 series) are in fact magnetic

Austenitic (300 series) is not.

Each has it's place. The Austenitics cannot be heat treated, and therefore make poor springs, and do not hold and edge well, not too useful for knives either, but offer good corrosion resistance.

The Marensitic (420) is heat treatable, but at the expense of reduced corrosion resistance.

Of course there are the "PH Grades" but that's a different story.

Tobin

Your right, but the 400 series are pretty lousy in saltwater no? Not like you'd want them anyway.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Your right, but the 400 series are pretty lousy in saltwater no? Not like you'd want them anyway.

If you have choice I would avoid the martensitic SS for a marine exposure, but if you want a spring, or a cutting edge you kinda need something you can harden.

Annealed springs aren't too useful.

Tobin