Thinking about going to steel

[mongoose]

First let me say, that I am a new diver, been certified about a year. What I need to do first is get my SAC rate & breathing down pat, BEFORE I go buying new equipment and I recognize that. But above all, I want to make a good and safe decision.

I have been turning over in my mind ways to increase my bottom time(again, after I have mastered my breathing)

I currently dive a newer Luxfer AL80 (S080 stamped, is that a "super 80"). Anyway, according to my research, this tank, on land weighs 37/43lbs empty/full, respectively. It is +2.3/-3.6 lbs bouyant empty/full.

I have seen specs on the new Worthington X8-130's, from what I gather, it is 43/53 on land and -2/-12 in water(sea water).

MY QUESTIONS:
-- To keep the my current bouyancy characteristics at end-of-dive, when I switch to the steel, I would pull off about 4 pounds of lead, correct?
-- I am going to have about 6 more pounds walking around before the dive, and about 2 more to climb up the ladder with, assuming I have taken the extra 4 pounds off. Right?
-- My Zeagle Ranger has 44lbs of lift, so that looks ok to me. Correct?
-- I see a safety issue in situations where I am wearing only a small amount of weight...I would have little or no weight to ditch.
-- Will the X8-130 require more swimming effort, making me consume more air?

Thanx in advance for any & all help...
--'Goose

 

[spectrum]

First let me say, that I am a new diver, been certified about a year. What I need to do first is get my SAC rate & breathing down pat, BEFORE I go buying new equipment and I recognize that. But above all, I want to make a good and safe decision.

I have been turning over in my mind ways to increase my bottom time(again, after I have mastered my breathing)

I currently dive a newer Luxfer AL80 (S080 stamped, is that a "super 80"). Anyway, according to my research, this tank, on land weighs 37/43lbs empty/full, respectively. It is +2.3/-3.6 lbs bouyant empty/full.

I have seen specs on the new Worthington X8-130's, from what I gather, it is 43/53 on land and -2/-12 in water(sea water).


MY QUESTIONS:
-- To keep the my current bouyancy characteristics at end-of-dive, when I switch to the steel, I would pull off about 4 pounds of lead, correct?

2.3 + 2.5 = 4.8
4.8 pounds of balast swing to your tank (and off your belt or w/i) at empty.
Dropping 4 LB would looks like a good start. If you're just tad overweight it may even be good for 5 pounds.

-- I am going to have about 6 more pounds walking around before the dive, and about 2 more to climb up the ladder with, assuming I have taken the extra 4 pounds off. Right?

Full tank weights=
New: 53
Old = 35.12+(.08*78.2)= 41.4 (Weight of full tank)
53-41.4= 11.6 Full Tank delta
11.6 - 4 (obsolete babalst credit) +7.6 standing weight delta (pre-dive)
Assuming your 80 as a basepoint and identical ending VOLUMES
51.8 (volume delta) * .08 = 4.14 additional air weight dropped from starting basepoint.
So I think you'd be 7.6 - 4.14 = 3.46 pounds heavier than you are now "on the ladder.
That's my math......

-- My Zeagle Ranger has 44lbs of lift, so that looks ok to me. Correct?

I don't see your present weight usage. Remember that the cylinder starts the dive -12.5 pounds. Your belt can be 4-5 pounds lighter.

-- I see a safety issue in situations where I am wearing only a small amount of weight...I would have little or no weight to ditch.

No comment

-- Will the X8-130 require more swimming effort, making me consume more air?

Laws of physics would suggest so but with of 51.8 CF more in gas there should still be a good uptic in B.T.

Thanx in advance for any & all help...
--'Goose

 

[mech]

I don't have any experiance with a steel 130.
My singles rig uses a LP 95.
Do you really need that much air at the cost of shlepping an extra 10 lbs over a smaller steel tank?
For the most part I'm a shore diver so I may be biased.
My gas consumption is average at best and I can get 80-90 minutes with a 45ft average depth dive in mid 50 degree water and that was before I lost 30 plus lbs
My thoughts are (and I could very well be wrong)that the 130's are best doubled up for a technical dive plan or to be used as singles by extreamly large people.
Unless you have a health issue your bottom time will get better if you keep at it,but YMMV.
Good luck.
Andy

 

[android]

My wife and I bought PST E7-100s earlier this year and like them a lot. I think they're around 33 empty and 40 full. They're short enough that I can carry them without hunching my shoulders to keep them from dragging the ground.

I went from 6 to 2 lbs and can hold at 10ft with an empty bladder and 500 PSI.

44 lbs of lift is pretty extreme for most diving with a single. With the 100's at the start of your dive, you shouldn't be more than about 8 lbs negative, so that plus a wetsuit compression factor should be all the lift you need.

The Ranger can take doubles, so full doubles could set you back 16 lbs or more at the beginning of a dive. That's why there is a 44 lb lift wing.

 

[LobstaMan]

If you're looking for more bottom time over your current AL80, I'd either go with the HP100 or LP95. I just went from LP72s to the PST E7-100s and the increased bottom time is very noticeable. These 100s are shorter than an LP72 and only slightly wider with 25% more air. I don't know the dimensions vs. the AL80. However, they've been a little difficult to find. Given the economics of supply and demand they are also costly and almost impossible to find used. Allegedly, PST is trying to catch up with the orders/back orders.

In my opinion, a big heavy 130 would not be best-suited for one tank rec diving, especially from the shore.

Good luck with your decision.

LobstaMan

 

[scubadobadoo]

I agree with the last several posts. I just got a PST HP80 for my wife and a PST HP100 for me and we like them alot. Lighter and smaller than an AL80 and more negative, plus both can hold as much and more air than a standard AL80. We are also mostly shore diving in colder water with these tanks. I think the PST HP100 is the most versatile tank around if ya take are of it.