Steel Tank question, vs alum.

[texspeleo]

Well...
Scubapro doesn't say anything about tanks on their website now, but I find a lot of internet references to Scubapro/Faber tanks when I do searches for them. Here's a chart with some useful data that mentions them:

Cylinder data table

I should have mentioned in my earlier post that I favor the PST104s and Faber95s because they are a bit negative when empty, and I prefer to have the weight off my belt and tank straps as much as is feasible. That weight is distributed more evenly which I find affects my trim control when having to work from multiple postions on a dive. This works well for the diving I do, but I will happily acknowledge that it may not be the right thing for everyone. Find what works best for you. If nothing else, it's a good excuse to spend a lot of time in the water.

Cheers----Chris

 

[Ronald K]

Water in your tanks is a serious problem. Solve that before worrying about steel or alu.
I use double 12 l extra heavy steel tanks as doubles (14,2kg each) because with an additional 3kg V-weight in between I don't need any more lead with a drysuit. Why go lighter under water and heavier above water?

 

[D_B]

My first dives with my hp100 were , umm .... interesting
Compared to an al80 the weight is higher up when horizontal and I could feel it .. It took several dives to get my trim right, and for me to feel comfortable with it
I love how I took off 7lbs of lead and have more gas to boot

Cylindar Spec's , including the newer 3400psi cylinders ... TDL's Cylinder Spec Chart

 

[Razor.]

I choose to go with a steel tank instead of AL for a few reasons not in any particular order:

1. Wanted a bigget tank. I could only find AL 100s
2. Steel Tanks last longer in general
3. I liked the buoyancy qualities of steel tanks when empty... I wear very little weight and AL tanks make me more positive at the end of a dive than I like.

I'm sure there are other reasons to buy a steel tank, but those are my reasons... You should really consider what your needs are and go with what's best for you.

Steel worked out better for me.

This is how I feel about steel tanks as well. Everytime I have dove with an AL tank, I tend to become postive at the end of the dive.
I am so new to diving so this won't be as big of a deal soon, but my trim is better overall with steel tanks then with AL tanks throughout the span of the dive. And I will take all the help I can get.

 

[MtnTamr]

But do I want HP or LP? Whats the difference?

 

[divinginn]

as long as you can get them filled to 3500 lbs i would go hp,that was the first question i asked before i bought my new worthington 100 was wether they could fill them to 3500,no prob where i get mine filled. really love that tank,shorter than my 72s but 35 cf more air. no plus fills on the 72s anymore,that hacks me off.

 

[daniel f aleman]

LP over HP - you'll figure out why...

 

[texspeleo]

I'm going to have to say LP for me too. Though it's never been an issue to me, it stands to reason that the higher pressure will increase the stress fatigue on the metal (This is purely my hypothesis and conjecture. I have no data or anecdotal evidence to back this up!). It is definitely a fact that if someone short fills your tank, the volume of air missing will be greater in the HP if the temperature were the same as an equivalent volume of air missing from an LP tank. Also the temperture of the HP tank will probably be higher when the HP is rapidly filled, creating another even greater volume deficit when it cools. I haven't let anyone else fill my cylinders for quite some time, so this is no longer an issue.

I'm not saying that there are no aluminum 80s in my closet, nor am I saying that I've had a bad time ever as a result of diving with 80s. Just that if I had my druthers...

Cheers----Chris