Tank size??
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I have donve both the 7 and the 8 inch and honestly i think it is a moot point at best. the 8's are only 3/4 larger in dia.. the math says more drag but in the real world you are diving there is none. now hp over lp which are you going to get a full fill on. most likely the lp's. most fills end up at 2800 or so and that is short for the al's but is a full fill on the lp's the hp's you may not get a full hot fill in the shop cant do 3500 psi. If you are recreational diving. next many of the steels when filled to say 3k are the same +/- as an al80so you have a steel 100 at 3500 filled to 3000 and you have 80 cu ft ,,,,,or just fill the al80 and get 80. now the choice of lp100 or hp 100. if you are taking tanks out without a compressor than the lp # for # has more air and air is dive time.
My opinion would be to get al80's. they are standard for use all over. when you travel and dive you have the tank charactoristics you dive at home. al's are cheaper but the industry has a lot more stigma on al tanks depending on where you go. my steels are too heavy to dive without a wet suit onin fresh water. and leisurely hold a safety stop.
I bought faber lp95's in 2003 and love them. I later bought a lp steel 120 and have lp steel 85's for soubles, but my motives were different. i wanted a tank that if i were a gas hog would not cut another divers time short. I wanted a tank that if filled in fla would not be denied because of some shop policies of filling only al's that they vis'd or eddied. most shops will fil a tank to 3000 and i end up with well over 100 cf in it. If your future holds overhead/ cave then you should probably go with the steels for its potential gas supply. if you are doing local lake diving say 50 ft then there is no advantage inthe extra tank cost to go the steel route. Next is the bouyancy issues. shot tanks have a tendency to make you top heavy. My 95's are perfect for wearing a shorty but put on a FULL suit and i am feet light. the longer tank's (LP120) are better suited for for that (in my case) as i can move the tank down and still reach valves. (the hp steels can be a great solution in that case) If all you do is shortie diving short tanks may be ok. i have a lp 120 that bouyancy wise is the same. but it is heavier out of the water and center of gravity is closer to my feet. so if you are 100#'s,,, tank weight may be of some concern. . As far as the 7.25 vs 8 inch the smaller the tank the less resistance the less energy to swim it, the longer the tank lasts. That idea is moot to the larger volumn you can carry in an 8" tank. inother words you can milk another 3 minutes in out of a tank streemlining your self or just take another 15 min of gas .to start with Really a good thing if you have to host a share air. There is nothing worse than diving fresh water steel and going on a bluewater cattle boat with rental al's and wasting your first dive because of bouyancy and corking to the surface at 1/2+ tank. 9 times out of 10 al's are the way to go for the normal recreational diver. PErhaps you might consider exploring the 100$ al's before commiting to 4-500$ steels that may not weight out for you right in varying wet suits ect. no matter what tank you choose, the choice is a double edge sword. One last thing is corrosion ... steel tanks rust. $$$$$ i got my faber steels over other steels because of the anticorrosive coating on the inside of the tank. Consider going cheap with al's , get some bottom time and revisit this when you become one with the water and get your exposure suits and the like determined.
My opinion would be to get al80's. they are standard for use all over. when you travel and dive you have the tank charactoristics you dive at home. al's are cheaper but the industry has a lot more stigma on al tanks depending on where you go. my steels are too heavy to dive without a wet suit onin fresh water. and leisurely hold a safety stop.
I bought faber lp95's in 2003 and love them. I later bought a lp steel 120 and have lp steel 85's for soubles, but my motives were different. i wanted a tank that if i were a gas hog would not cut another divers time short. I wanted a tank that if filled in fla would not be denied because of some shop policies of filling only al's that they vis'd or eddied. most shops will fil a tank to 3000 and i end up with well over 100 cf in it. If your future holds overhead/ cave then you should probably go with the steels for its potential gas supply. if you are doing local lake diving say 50 ft then there is no advantage inthe extra tank cost to go the steel route. Next is the bouyancy issues. shot tanks have a tendency to make you top heavy. My 95's are perfect for wearing a shorty but put on a FULL suit and i am feet light. the longer tank's (LP120) are better suited for for that (in my case) as i can move the tank down and still reach valves. (the hp steels can be a great solution in that case) If all you do is shortie diving short tanks may be ok. i have a lp 120 that bouyancy wise is the same. but it is heavier out of the water and center of gravity is closer to my feet. so if you are 100#'s,,, tank weight may be of some concern. . As far as the 7.25 vs 8 inch the smaller the tank the less resistance the less energy to swim it, the longer the tank lasts. That idea is moot to the larger volumn you can carry in an 8" tank. inother words you can milk another 3 minutes in out of a tank streemlining your self or just take another 15 min of gas .to start with Really a good thing if you have to host a share air. There is nothing worse than diving fresh water steel and going on a bluewater cattle boat with rental al's and wasting your first dive because of bouyancy and corking to the surface at 1/2+ tank. 9 times out of 10 al's are the way to go for the normal recreational diver. PErhaps you might consider exploring the 100$ al's before commiting to 4-500$ steels that may not weight out for you right in varying wet suits ect. no matter what tank you choose, the choice is a double edge sword. One last thing is corrosion ... steel tanks rust. $$$$$ i got my faber steels over other steels because of the anticorrosive coating on the inside of the tank. Consider going cheap with al's , get some bottom time and revisit this when you become one with the water and get your exposure suits and the like determined.
dvankirk
Contributor
No, don't spearfish. Just like the history of the wrecks and diving them.
For single tank diving, total weight is not really an issue - and, of course, not only are the larger tanks heavier, empty, they are even (proportionally) slightly heavier full. But, you can easily handle anything up to a 130, probably up to a 149 (although I have no idea why you would want one).
The 120 is probably a bit long for your height. Doable (I am the same height and dive them single tank), but not ideal. The 100 is simply a terrific tank, in terms of capacity, physical size, buoyancy characteristics and trim. With a 3mm (or thicker) wetsuit in salt water, it dives really well. With a 1mm in fresh water, I notice a slight tendency to roll. That would be a problem with a 119 or a 130 as well, only more notcieable. I dive both 119s and 130s, and don't particularly care for either, except diving a drysuit. Better than a 120, but not as comfortable as a 100. Since you mention spearfishing, and are located in Cedar Point, I suspect you are talking salt water diving (with no plans to drive to Raleigh to dive beautiful Fantasy Lake), wearing a 3 mm or 5mm. I would definitely go HP steel, not AL, just to keep weight off my waist, and the 100 would be a great choice.
Not to hijack but does anyone have experience with Faber L108DVB? Based on my figures, I can wear a 5mm full with it (SS BP/W) with 0 weight in fresh water and 6# in salt water to be neutral at 15' at end of dive. It's about the same length as AL80 so I should be able to keep from being top heavy. Also, at 3000 psi I would have about 122 cuft which would be really nice on shallow dives. But I've never seen a 108 or spoken with anyone that has used one. Looks like it's about 6# heavier on land than a 100.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
I have never used a 108 before but if oms is an oms faber then it will fill to 112 only a couple of inches different and <4-5 lbs. sounds like to me a great tank. filed to 3k thats nearly 130. ( a small set of doubles) great tank for diving all day on 1 fill. That is what i use my lp120 for. once you figure you run an al 80 to 800 and refill you loose 20cu ft per tank. so if you add the 20 to the 130 you have the equivilant twin 80's with 2/3 the weight and no hassle of a doubles rig. I have also used my 120 as a portable cascade so to speek. i dive my 95's and then transfill from the 120 to top off 95's. no drive to an air station.
Thanks KWS. I wish there were places local where I could try them out, but unfortunately not. I was leaning toward the L95 also, but looking at the specs on the 108 it seemed a better choice. I really like the buoyancy characteristics. For travel diving (renting AL80) I already have my buoyancy dialed in at 0 weight in a 3mm full suit. 
The steel L108 would only be for fresh water quarry/river dives or possibly driving trips down to Florida or NC, where I'd use my 5mm full. On paper it seems like a great tank, but since I never see them I was wondering why it wasn't more popular, hence my question/concern.
Thanks for the feedback.
The steel L108 would only be for fresh water quarry/river dives or possibly driving trips down to Florida or NC, where I'd use my 5mm full. On paper it seems like a great tank, but since I never see them I was wondering why it wasn't more popular, hence my question/concern.Thanks for the feedback.
INSTA
I can not say why the 100 is the perefered tank. However i can say this., There are those who who will prefer one over the other on the slightest difference. There are those that pride them selves in diving like gear. That includes the tank. It may be an air to weight ratio who knows. but most of those situations involves diving doubles. If you are not going to do that then the premis for what many consider THE BEST TANK may be moot and thus the recommendation. On one side you will get they hold the most air for the tank weight. others will not use them because using the lp tanks they can overfill. so what is the important factor wieght or cu ft.??? deepnds on the group that is setting the standard. i would guess without looking that of the hp steels that it is probably low on the weight out of water. and has great bouyancy charactoristics. You ar right... It would be nice to try them before buying them. I think you could do that in fla where steel tanks are quite popular. I am sure someone can pipe in as to where you could go to dest dive them. Oncew again i prefer steel tanks NO al tank hassels from shops. i prefer the lp's because they can always get a full fill 2640#. One thing in favor of perhaps the hp100 is that it is a longer tank so trim is easier than the lp 95. and if filled to 3000 is now the same as a al80. You would have to do some math and checks to verify this as i am talking with out the specs in my hand. It alsoo seems to ring a bell that open water divers / wreck divers, ect prefer the 100's because with everyone diving them it makes dive planning easier. i dont think you will find the same tank selection in the cave community though where cu ft is more the priority. btw... if you tank those tanks on a ocean boat dive you tend to get you moneys worth in bottom time.
dont know if this helps but info is info.
I can not say why the 100 is the perefered tank. However i can say this., There are those who who will prefer one over the other on the slightest difference. There are those that pride them selves in diving like gear. That includes the tank. It may be an air to weight ratio who knows. but most of those situations involves diving doubles. If you are not going to do that then the premis for what many consider THE BEST TANK may be moot and thus the recommendation. On one side you will get they hold the most air for the tank weight. others will not use them because using the lp tanks they can overfill. so what is the important factor wieght or cu ft.??? deepnds on the group that is setting the standard. i would guess without looking that of the hp steels that it is probably low on the weight out of water. and has great bouyancy charactoristics. You ar right... It would be nice to try them before buying them. I think you could do that in fla where steel tanks are quite popular. I am sure someone can pipe in as to where you could go to dest dive them. Oncew again i prefer steel tanks NO al tank hassels from shops. i prefer the lp's because they can always get a full fill 2640#. One thing in favor of perhaps the hp100 is that it is a longer tank so trim is easier than the lp 95. and if filled to 3000 is now the same as a al80. You would have to do some math and checks to verify this as i am talking with out the specs in my hand. It alsoo seems to ring a bell that open water divers / wreck divers, ect prefer the 100's because with everyone diving them it makes dive planning easier. i dont think you will find the same tank selection in the cave community though where cu ft is more the priority. btw... if you tank those tanks on a ocean boat dive you tend to get you moneys worth in bottom time.
dont know if this helps but info is info.
Thanks KWS. I wish there were places local where I could try them out, but unfortunately not. I was leaning toward the L95 also, but looking at the specs on the 108 it seemed a better choice. I really like the buoyancy characteristics. For travel diving (renting AL80) I already have my buoyancy dialed in at 0 weight in a 3mm full suit.
Thanks for the feedback.
108 cuft is more than enough. I am particularly interested in the buoyancy characteristics. In fresh water in a 5mm full jump suit, the 108 appears to be perfect, i.e. I don't have to carry any lead. It's also slightly longer than the 100, so center of gravity front to back should be easy to adjust to for trim.
it sounds like a good rational you have. btw whrn i talked to the distributer for faber they said that the bouyancy was for the heavier european valves so there may be up to a 2# error in the weight. that said when looking at the faber lp95 it looks right based on my hanging it in a pool on a scale with a 10# weight onit to make it submerge with a thermal pro valve on it. i diid not realize the 108 ws so light. also the numbers are quite different than on huron tank specs chart. I tend to think that this is a better chart than huron. where did you find it.
HURON DATA
*Empty weights do not
include valves (except Pressed Steel and OMS), which would add 1.5 - 2.5 lbs,
but buoyancy figures do.
HURON DATA
| STEEL CYLINDERS* | |||||||
| Manufacturer & Nominal Capacity | Service pressure, psi | Actual air capacity, cu. Ft. (at +10%) | Outer diameter, in | Length without valve, in | Empty weight, lbs | Buoyancy Empty, lbs (w/valve) | Buoyancy Full, lbs (w/valve) |
| OMS 13 | 2400 +10% | 13 | 3.9 | 14 | 5.9 | -2.25 | -3.31 |
| OMS 20 | 2400 +10% | 20 | 3.9 | 19.5 | 7.5 | -1.5 | -3 |
| Heiser 45 | 2400 +10% | 45 | 5.5 | 25.79 | 20.3 | 0.8 | -2.575 |
| PST LP 45 | 2400 +10% | 45 | 5.5 | 23 | 19 | -0.5 | -3.7 |
| OMS 45 | 2400 +10% | 46 | 5.5 | 23 | 17.6 | 0 | -4 |
| OMS 50 | 2400 +10% | 50 | 5.5 | 25.2 | 19.92 | -1.5 | -4.8 |
| OMS 66 | 2400 +10% | 66 | 7 | 21 | 25 | -1.67 | -5.15 |
| PST 65 | 3500 | 67 | 7.25 | 16.75 | 26.2 | -1.5 | -6.4 |
| PST MP 72 | 3300 | 72 | 6.9 | 20.75 | 30 | -6 | -11.4 |
| Faber 72 | 3000+10% | 72 | 6.75 | 20.5 | 28.7 | -3.7 | -8.45 |
| Faber 80 | 2400 +10% | 78 | 7.25 | 24 | 30 | -1.7 | -7.55 |
| Faber 80 | 3180 +10% | 80 | 7.25 | 19.88 | 32.5 | -7.22 | -13.22 |
| PST E7-80 | 3442 PSI | 80 | 7.25 | 20 | 28 | -2.5 | -8.5 |
| PST LP-80 | 2400 +10% | 80.6 | 7.25 | 24 | 34 | -1 | -7 |
| PST 80 | 3500 | 82 | 7.25 | 19.75 | 28.6 | -3.3 | -9.3 |
| OMS 85 | 2400 +10% | 85 | 7 | 26 | 31 | 0 | -6.7 |
| Faber 95 | 2400 +10% | 95 | 8 | 23.8 | 37.2 | -1.2 | -8.325 |
| PST 95 | 2400 +10% | 96.6 | 8 | 24.75 | 43.8 | -3.3 | -10.4 |
| OMS 98 | 2400 +10% | 98 | 8 | 24 | 38 | 0 | -7.73 |
| Faber 100 | 3180 +10% | 100 | 7.25 | 24.01 | 38.7 | -7.26 | -14.76 |
| PST E7-100 | 3442 PSI | 100 | 7.25 | 24.12 | 33 | -1 | -8.5 |
| PST 100 | 3500 | 102 | 7.25 | 23.94 | 34.1 | -1.3 | -8.8 |
| Heiser 104 | 2400 +10% | 104 | 8 | 27.36 | 47.4 | -7.46 | -15.26 |
| PST 104 | 2400 +10% | 106.2 | 8 | 26.88 | 46.4 | -3.3 | -11.27 |
| OMS 108 (112) | 2400 +10% | 112 | 8 | 26 | 41 | -1 | -8 |
| PST E8-119 | 3442 PSI | 119 | 8 | 24 | 41 | -2 | -10.5 |
| Heiser 120 | 3190 | 120 | 8.03 | 25.8 | 55 | -17.82 | -26.4 |
| Faber 120 | 3180 +10% | 120 | 7.25 | 28.64 | 48.3 | -7.22 | -16.22 |
| PST E7-120 | 3442 PSI | 120 | 7.25 | 28.25 | 38 | 0 | -10.5 |
| PST 120 | 3500 | 122.5 | 7.25 | 27.87 | 39.2 | -1.3 | -10.3 |
| PST 120 | 2400 +10% | 122.5 | 8 | 29.37 | 51.3 | -1.7 | -10.7 |
| OMS 121 (125) | 2400 +10% | 125 | 8 | 29 | 45 | 0 | -9.5 |
| PST E8-130 | 3442 PSI | 130 | 8 | 26.12 | 43 | -1 | -10.5 |
| OMS 135 (131) | 2400 +10% | 131 | 8 | 30.7 | 47 | 0.75 | -10.31 |
| Heiser 140 | 3190 | 140 | 8.03 | 29.9 | 63 | -18.04 | -28.4 |
| E8-149 | 3442 PSI | 149 | 8 | 29.37 | 47.5 | -1.7 | -12.8 |
| Heiser 190 | 4400 | 190 | 8.03 | 31.3 | 87 | -46.86 | -62.3 |
| Copyright 1999, 2004 and 2010 Huron Scuba, Snorkel and Adventure Travel, Inc. |
include valves (except Pressed Steel and OMS), which would add 1.5 - 2.5 lbs,
but buoyancy figures do.
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