Pressed Steel HP E-8 130s

[DivesWithTurtles]

i'm hoping my e7-100's are going to make nice doubles...al80's would be some serious positive swing by the end of the dive

The swing will be more with the 100s. They won't go positive, so you won't need to carry as much weight elsewhere, but it's still a bigger swing.

 

[SFL_diver]

You say the HP 130 is big... but compared to an AL-80, it's the same height, only about 0.75 inches bigger in diameter. I really don't think that the diameter would bother me that much.

So if I didn't go with an HP 130, then what would you suggest?

 

[Mark Vlahos]

You say the HP 130 is big... but compared to an AL-80, it's the same height, only about 0.75 inches bigger in diameter. I really don't think that the diameter would bother me that much.

So if I didn't go with an HP 130, then what would you suggest?

The question you should be asking is not "How big is the tank?" but rather; "How big is the tank compared to me?"

How tall are you and how much do you weigh?

If you are around 6' tall and not too skinny, then the E8-130 is probably a good size. If you are closer to 5' 6" tall then the 119 might be better.

If it were me and the 130 was not too big or awkward that would be my tank of choice. The DiveRite regulator is a fine choice as well.

You have posted many questions in this forum, that is fine, but be aware you will get many different opinions. Some of these opinions will be contrary to some of the others.

Tank size is about gas capacity and fit to your body. The 119, 120, and 130's all have lots of capacity, perhaps more than you will need. Concentrate on the tank that will fit your frame the best.

Your profile indicates that you are in Ft. Lauderdale. Make a short trip to "Fill Express" in Pompano Beach and take a look at what they have. It is a really nice shop and I would trust what Mark says is the right size tank.

Mark Vlahos

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

You say the HP 130 is big... but compared to an AL-80, it's the same height, only about 0.75 inches bigger in diameter. I really don't think that the diameter would bother me that much.

So if I didn't go with an HP 130, then what would you suggest?

I'd suggest again considering how much gas you'll need. Again, how do you dive? Charters, beach, your own boat, kayak, float board? How long are you going to stay down? Will you be so negative with a full tank (-10.5 neg for the 130) and a failed BC that you won't be able to swim it up and tread water to stay alive? Are you wearing a 7mm suit or a bathing suit in the summer in SFL? How far do you want to carry a 52+ pound tank in the summer heat?

There's more to it than, "Wow, that really big tank will let me stay down a LONG time!".

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

On the other hand, maybe you own your own boat, have a good and patient crew, plan to stay down on 70 foot reefs for 115 minutes, are trained in deco, are naturally very buoyant, are very strong, are very fit, and are very comfortable in the water. In which case, go for it, man. The E-8 130s are very cool tanks.

 

[SFL_diver]

Your profile indicates that you are in Ft. Lauderdale. Make a short trip to "Fill Express" in Pompano Beach and take a look at what they have. It is a really nice shop and I would trust what Mark says is the right size tank.

Mark Vlahos

Actually I just went in and talked to Mark a few days ago. I am going to go with his Dive Rite equipment because I've seen pretty good reviews online and it is designed for tech diving, so it will allow me more options as I progress and get better in diving.

I did a search and read about 20 - 30 threads debating the Transpac vs. Transplate. I don't really plan on diving doubles, at least not for a very very long time. I'll have to get more info on that.

 

[jonnythan]

The E7-100 is a butt-kicking single tank.

 

[OE2X]

As an owner of 6 - 130's and 2 - 119's I can say they are awesome tanks compared to anything else.

Yes I do own a boat, but I spend more time doing shore dives. Some with decent walks.

I'm 6'2" and 215# and have no issues with lugging them around as singles. A friend of mine who is 145 # has a couple doubled up. Shore dives are a pain, but he still does it.

When was coming to the surface with too much back gas an issue? My sac is around .45 so an average depth dive of 55' lasting 70 - 80 minutes will allow me to surface with 1000 + psi.

Bottom line the 130's are an awesome tank. Most of my tech friends are diving them doubled with the same thought as myself - it's way better to have too much back gas than not enough.

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

As an owner of 6 - 130's and 2 - 119's I can say they are awesome tanks compared to anything else.

Yes I do own a boat, but I spend more time doing shore dives. Some with decent walks.

I'm 6'2" and 215# and have no issues with lugging them around as singles. A friend of mine who is 145 # has a couple doubled up. Shore dives are a pain, but he still does it.

.
.
... it's way better to have too much back gas than not enough.

Hugh reserves are alway good to have.

I think I've come across sounding harsh, That's not my objective. I apologize if I have. I've asked questions, not given advice, because only SFL_diver can make the proper decision. These are questions that SFL_diver must answer for himself.

OE2X, I do have a question or two for you, applicable to your recommendation to SFL_diver. Do you dive wet or dry? Do you NW divers wear thin shorties, bathing suits only, skins, .5mm suits? Are those decent walks across 115 degree SFL style beaches? Do you wear any ditchable weight when diving those 130s? You said you own a boat, so your boat dives aren't limited to 60 minutes or less, like ours are on SFL charters.

I may be way off base. I don't know much. Most of my diving has been limited to rec drift dives in SFL. I really don't have much experience (300 dives spread over 8 years ain't much diving). But I think that SFL_diver has to consider the limits of the conditions in which he will be diving, and not just what is the biggest, coolest thing he can get. I'm probably wrong.

 

[OE2X]

OE2X, I do have a question or two for you, applicable to your recommendation to SFL_diver. Do you dive wet or dry? Do you NW divers wear thin shorties, bathing suits only, skins, .5mm suits? Are those decent walks across 115 degree SFL style beaches? Do you wear any ditchable weight when diving those 130s? You said you own a boat, so your boat dives aren't limited to 60 minutes or less, like ours are on SFL charters.

Most of us are diving dry. At this time of year though it is not unusual for the air temps to be in the 80's. Water temps are in the 50's. While caving is very different from rec. diving, there are a lot of folks that are similarly configured in FL right now diving doubles in dry suits. For singles, the vast majority of us are wearing ditchable weight. In my case it's 8 #. You are right about our boat dives not being limited when we have our own boat. Come to think of it though, the charters that I have done both in WA and BC no one has ever put a time limit on us. Last night Uncle Pug, the 145# guy with doubles and myself went out on my boat to do one longish dive of 90 min. only to have the dive called after 48 min because everyone was getting cold.

I may be way off base. I don't know much. Most of my diving has been limited to rec drift dives in SFL. I really don't have much experience (300 dives spread over 8 years ain't much diving). But I think that SFL_diver has to consider the limits of the conditions in which he will be diving, and not just what is the biggest, coolest thing he can get. I'm probably wrong.

I agree it's not about the most popular thing on the market. It should be looked at as being the right tool for the job and the flexibility that the tool offers.
I have seen many cases where people have bought 130's after they have bought LP95's, HP100's, 119's etc... and regretted the purchase of the smaller tanks. I have yet to see someone buy 130's and wish they had gotten smaller tanks.

While SFL_Diver is only interested in shallow reef dives right now, he may become interested in doing something deeper later on. The day that he dives the Spiegel Grove in a non technical way will be the day that he wishes he had the 130's. If he starts diving to 100' and figures that rock bottom is around 1900 psi for an AL80 will also make him wish he had the 130's. Rock bottom for a 130 is 900 psi at 100'. If you have ever done a dive where you are swimming into current you can burn a lot of gas and thus not even approach NDL and can easily reach rock bottom on a 130.

Or you could be like Uncle Pug who has a bunch of E7-104's which is essentially a 130 at 2400 psi. Last night because we were planning on a long dive he borrowed one of my 130's so that he could have the extra 1000 psi of gas. He finished the dive with 1800 left in the tank - enough for another nice shallow dive.
For many of us keeping 500 psi in our tank at the end of the dive is what I call surface air. It's the extra air that you need to have just to get into the boat or back to shore swimming in rough conditions on the surface. Sure it's way conservative as 100 psi would likely do, but again I don't know anyone who has wished they had less gas when they surfaced.