I have a brushed catalina 40. Diving with it is like diving with an anchor on your side when compared to diving with a luxfer 40. Maybe I could sell it if I quit telling people that.
Luxfer vs Catalina vs ? for AL4o deco?
- Thread starter Flightlead
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I've filled a 40 from empty just like I have filled 80s from empty, and I believe it floated, though I could be wrong. The fact that I mentioned it at all belies the fact that I'm a funny kind of guy and saw the opportunity for some humor. I never meant to suggest that it was a reason to go catalina, infact, I believe I mentioned that I was jealous of my buddy's luxfer and how it behaves in the water.
Ok, so you only implied that Catalina is the wrong kind.
I have dove with a Luxfer and a Catalina 40. I can dive with either, just as I suspect you could manage to dive with either, because I am assuming you are a good diver. The Luxfer floats better, and I preferred it in the water, and I never said Catalina is the better cylinder.
However, if one finds a great deal on a Catalina, it is acceptable to purchase and use it, just like it's fine to use a painted cylinder, even though it's not necessarily ideal. You have to make rational decisions using the concept of marginal benefit and marginal cost. The marginal cost to me to purchase a luxfer 40 compared to the catalina 40 I got, is probably $80. This was computed given my buddies $120 purchase of a Luxfer 40 compared to my $38ish purchase of a Catalina 40. The marginal benefit of a luxfer over a catalina, to me, is not $80. Sure, it'd be nice, but I can handle the Catalina just fine in the water. Infact, I found what really made a big difference was D ring placement. If the Catalina was 100 and the Luxfer was 120, I'd go Luxfer. However, any good diver should be able to handle a catalina 40, even though I do agree with you that a luxfer behaves more nicely in the water.
It's kind of like some people who put helium in their tanks not so much because they can't deal with the narcosis, but because it's a multiple stage dive and they know the helium makes the stages a good bit easier to deal with in the water.
Ok, so you only implied that Catalina is the wrong kind.
I have dove with a Luxfer and a Catalina 40. I can dive with either, just as I suspect you could manage to dive with either, because I am assuming you are a good diver. The Luxfer floats better, and I preferred it in the water, and I never said Catalina is the better cylinder.
However, if one finds a great deal on a Catalina, it is acceptable to purchase and use it, just like it's fine to use a painted cylinder, even though it's not necessarily ideal. You have to make rational decisions using the concept of marginal benefit and marginal cost. The marginal cost to me to purchase a luxfer 40 compared to the catalina 40 I got, is probably $80. This was computed given my buddies $120 purchase of a Luxfer 40 compared to my $38ish purchase of a Catalina 40. The marginal benefit of a luxfer over a catalina, to me, is not $80. Sure, it'd be nice, but I can handle the Catalina just fine in the water. Infact, I found what really made a big difference was D ring placement. If the Catalina was 100 and the Luxfer was 120, I'd go Luxfer. However, any good diver should be able to handle a catalina 40, even though I do agree with you that a luxfer behaves more nicely in the water.
It's kind of like some people who put helium in their tanks not so much because they can't deal with the narcosis, but because it's a multiple stage dive and they know the helium makes the stages a good bit easier to deal with in the water.
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Jeesh, both work.
Luxfers stages work better, especially in fresh water but marginally noticable in salt as well. 40s are so small that having 1 Catalina on you would be fairly trival. If you had a bunch and wanted to move them around a Catalina would be more annoying. If you are dropping a 40 at the entrance to a cave it doesn't matter what it is, even a steel lp45 would work for that.
Luxfers stages work better, especially in fresh water but marginally noticable in salt as well. 40s are so small that having 1 Catalina on you would be fairly trival. If you had a bunch and wanted to move them around a Catalina would be more annoying. If you are dropping a 40 at the entrance to a cave it doesn't matter what it is, even a steel lp45 would work for that.
Dirkadiver
Contributor
If you're only diving one stage, it won't make a difference which you dive. Strap on three stages, then you have an argument.
I only dive Luxfers for stages
I only dive Luxfers for stages
I would vote a Luxfer for all your Al cylinders.
marchand
Contributor
No I didn't! My uncle bought that tank and he hasn't asked for it back...
OP
Flightlead
Contributor
ok thanks for the input.
DeepSeaExplorer
Contributor
An nearly empty Luxfer 40 will float even with a reg on it.
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