Lost while picking tanks...

[njedrn]

So I've been diving aluminum 80's for a while now (nitrox). Time to buy my own tanks... I'm looking to upgrade to 100's or 120's. Not sure what to pick. I plan on diving in the Ft. Lauderdale area doing wrecks off of boats and plenty of beach diving (plan on single tank dives without deco). I usually get 45 minutes at 70ft - so i want to increase my gas for longer bottom times. I like the 100's but I don't want to buy them and realize in a year that I should have bought 120s (on the flip side, I don't want to buy the 120s, have to lug them around and realize I should have bought the 100's) Clearly the 120's will give me plenty of gas, but will it be too much for the dives I plan on doing? And will they be too much to lug around for beach dives?

I read the article from dive gear express related to selecting a tank, but I don't know which tanks would be best. Please help!

 

[formula1mb@aol.com]

If you're doing nitrox, I'd go for the 120. 50% more free nitrox for the same price as your AL80 Plus you can drop about 6 pounds off your weight belt, so the weight difference isn't that big of a deal. However it is a tall tank so if you're short, might be awkward.

I'm 5'-10" and have a PST HP120, basically the same as the Worthington HP120. 38 lbs versus about 32-34 for AL80 plus you can drop the 6 pounds of lead----overall about the same weight when completely full.

Also, I've used mine for beach diving too here in California and not too bad handling it. Esp when you consider all the equipment you already have, a couple of extra pounds isn't that big a deal.

 

[elan]

So I've been diving aluminum 80's for a while now (nitrox). Time to buy my own tanks... I'm looking to upgrade to 100's or 120's. Not sure what to pick. I plan on diving in the Ft. Lauderdale area doing wrecks off of boats and plenty of beach diving (plan on single tank dives without deco). I usually get 45 minutes at 70ft - so i want to increase my gas for longer bottom times. I like the 100's but I don't want to buy them and realize in a year that I should have bought 120s (on the flip side, I don't want to buy the 120s, have to lug them around and realize I should have bought the 100's) Clearly the 120's will give me plenty of gas, but will it be too much for the dives I plan on doing? And will they be too much to lug around for beach dives?

I read the article from dive gear express related to selecting a tank, but I don't know which tanks would be best. Please help!

What is your height ? If you are 6'2 or taller 120 might work better for you. If you are shorter 100 might be better , its a nice tank. They them both and see which one is better

 

[diver 85]

You'll have to try each one out(ie 100 vs 120)---no one here will be able to 100% answer your question.....no one but you can/will satisfy your doubts..(personanlly, I'd get the 100s---but that's me---not you)....

If your info on your logged dives is correct, you'll 'gain' some BT on any size tank as you gain more diving experience...

 

[halocline]

There's a great market for used HP100s, so if you buy one and decide later it's not the tank for you, you'll have no problem getting rid of it. I don't think I've ever heard anyone regret buying one, though.

120s are pretty big, at least for an average size guy like me.

 

[Bogie]

I have HP100 3442 psi tanks. I think they are perfect for me. What you choose needs to meet your needs. One good thing if you buy steel HP100 and want a different tank, they are easy to sell. For me, these tanks are easy to carry, good buoyancy characteristics, and a good size.

The benefits of hp are they are smaller and lighter with great buoyancy characteristics. The negative is some LDS don't give you a complete fill. They will give you a hot fill and you only get 3200 psi when it cools. I go to a good dive shop and get a complete fill.

The positives on LP is they are 2400 psi and you always get a good fill. Also in Florida, some shops will fill them to 3000 psi so you get more cubic feet of air. The negatives are that they are bigger and heavier. Some call them water heaters.

The length and width and weight are important. If you are taller, you might want a long thinner tank like the HP120, 28 inches long. Some like the 8 inch diameter tanks like LP95, 108, 121.

The HP100 is very popular in California. It sort of hits the sweet spot. I have been thinking of getting an HP120 for deep dives 90 feet +. I would think for beach dives an HP100 would be great and an HP120 for wreck diving.

So it all depends on you requirements. If your an air hog compared to your dive buddies you can get a 120, if that is not a problem, a 100 is an excellent choice. Again, you can always sell them later if you want more air.

 

[idive2]

I've been going back and forth on whether to buy the 7.25 HP120 or not.
I already own an HP100 and agree with the rest that it is a great tank.
At 5' 11" it's hard to say if this taller tank is to tall or not without trying it.
I'll be diving this weekend and if I get a chance to rent an HP120 I'll post
back with the results.

 

[Jim Baldwin]

Most of the time I dive my PST HP 100's. The tanks give you 25 percent more air. Since I fill my own tanks at the dive shop I run my tanks to 4000 which results in a good 35-3700 fill when completely cool. And when I'm teaching a single 100 usually last me all day.

I will be diving the Big-O in Pensacola in two weeks. We've charted a boat for the day and will have 20 divers. The flight deck will be around 150. I will be taking my 120's for the extra air.

The 100's trim out good and are easy to pack around. I'm 6'1", 175 lbs. and I can dive with the 120's and the extra weight works great diving with my neoprene drysuit.

If you're diving from a boat you will find that you can sit on the boat seat and get into your gear with no problem with the 100's. With the 120's being about 3 inches taller than an AL80 your BCD will be a little too tall for you sit on the seat. Not a serious problem just something to be aware of.

Depending on where you get your tanks filled you may not be able to get good fills. If you get 3200 you will still get 91cf which is more than you're diving with now.

If you run across some LP 95's good fills should never be a problem.

If you're not already using DIN regs then you will have to convert over if you buy any of the older HP tanks. The newer mid pressure tanks have the convertible valves so you can avoid this cost.

 

[reo]

You can try Splashdown Divers in Boynton Beach. They're a charter and they have steel 100's, 120's and other sizes. They also have nitrox available. Take one of their charters and try a 120 on one dive and a 100 on the next. Another size you may want to try is a HP steel 119--same length as a HP steel 100, but a larger diameter tank. The 119 is 4 inches shorter than the 120.

Ron

 

[DivingPrincessE]

To all the people saying that he might get a short fill, he probably doesn't have to worry about that. He said in another thread that he is moving to South FL and we have Fill Express here. They are a "shop" completely dedicate to fills (not a dive shop) and offer fills at a great price. Since fills is pretty much -what they do- they do it well. I've never seen anyone get a short fill there.