Want to buy my first air cylinder

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Sorry to keep coming back with the same old question but as I said in another response the steel 100 cu ft cylinders are too heavy for me so I have elected to return them. I am inclined to buy 2 Faber LP 85 cu ft for easier mobilization and lighter cylinders. However, I don’t know how the difference between LP and HP will impact my diving experience?
Currently using aluminum HP 80 cu ft cylinders while training.
Or I could purchase a certain number of cylinder fills and get an aluminum cylinder at no charge? For reasons unexplained I want to go with steel cylinders.

The aluminums are just 80s. HP80s are steel and a good bit shorter than an aluminum 80. I used those for several years.

The LP85s aren’t that much lighter than HP100. LP85 service pressure is 2640. HPs are 3442. I dive LP85s sidemount.

How tall are you? Steel HP80s are lighter and a good choice single tank for smaller people.
 
The LP85s aren’t really a good choice for single tank. They excel at sidemount and a lot of people like them for doubles.
 
What is your local diving like? You said the 100s are too heavy for you but how are you handling them? I don’t carry my tanks. They get rolled around everywhere in a heavy duty fold up canvas cart. No need to carry tanks if you can roll them. Work smarter, not harder.
 
How tall are you? Steel HP80s are lighter and a good choice single tank for smaller people.
I am around 5.9 the problem is I am not very strong, now that I think about the AL cylinders were also heavy. I think I will the HP 100 cu ft a try before making a hasty conclusion. Thanks!
 
I am around 5.9 the problem is I am not very strong, now that I think about the AL cylinders were also heavy. I think I will the HP 100 cu ft a try before making a hasty conclusion. Thanks!

Get yourself some dumbbells and work on the arm strength some. It does help. HP100s sell well on the used market if you do have to sell.
 
An LP85 is only about 3 lb lighter than an HP100 on land. Not sure the difference will solve your problem.

HP80 is about 6 lbs lighter than HP100s, so perhaps getting somewhere? They're also lighter than aluminum AL80 by about 3.5 lb. The issue is HP80s are quite short and may cause trim issues or difficulty putting them on/off while sitting.

Just to double-check, when you say "too heavy" you mean moving them around on land, right? (In contrast to their buoyancy in water)
 
A LP85 and HP100 are almost the same size, internally and externally. Thus at the same pressure, they hold the same amount of gas. The HP has the advantage that the worst fill you can get from an unknown dive shop is equal to the best fill your can get at the same shop with an LP85.

The HP weighs around 10% more, 31.2lbs versus 34.3 (Faber specs). But it's also 3 pounds less buoyant. Since you get to take those 3 pounds of lead off your rig, the net effect above water is 0 additional pounds. Well, call it 1 pound heavier because you are starting with an extra pound of gas.

An AL80 weighs 31.4 pounds, but (because aluminum is less dense than steel) it's around 4 pounds more buoyant than an HP100 at the end of a dive. Since you need to make up that difference with lead, the net effect above water is that a rig with an AL80 is 1 pound heavier than the LP85 or equal to the HP100 with its extra pound of gas.

The HP80 is the way to go if you really need to save weight. It's around 7 pounds lighter than a full HP100 and 1 pound more negatively buoyant, for a net 8 pound drop in rig weight. The biggest issue with the HP80 is that you need at a true high pressure fill to match the gas capacity of an AL80*. So check with the shop you will be using most of the time to see if you can get a true HP fill.

*An AL80 actually only holds around 77.4 cubic feet of gas at its standard rating of 3000psi. The HP80 holds 80.1 cubic feet at its rating of 3442psi. If you have a shop that only fills to 3000psi, your HP80 will have around 70 cubic feet.
 
An LP85 is only about 3 lb lighter than an HP100 on land. Not sure the difference will solve your problem.

HP80 is about 6 lbs lighter than HP100s, so perhaps getting somewhere? They're also lighter than aluminum AL80 by about 3.5 lb. The issue is HP80s are quite short and may cause trim issues or difficulty putting them on/off while sitting.

Just to double-check, when you say "too heavy" you mean moving them around on land, right? (In contrast to their buoyancy in water)

He doesn’t appear to have dived the 100s. I suspect it’s moving them on land. The cart would solve that issue. I’m well versed in this issue.
 
The big issue for the OP is that all tanks in that range are going to be In the same weight range, the larger having more air weight to deal with.

Even an old steel 72 weighs about 26# empty. When I was recovering, I started using my 19cuft pony and worked my way up as I got stronger. It's a matter of managing expectations, but at least I was diving.
 

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