What are the true advantages of steel tanks?

[Falconer]

You may want to take another look at the specs for Al 80 vs the PST 100s. I believe (and I could be wrong) that when I compared them (prior to purchase) I noted that the out of water weight specs for the PST E7 100 includes the weight of the Thermo DIN/Yoke valve. The specs for the AL 80 is for the tank only. When you add the valve it comes out dead even.

dead even on the dry weight, 20 cf more in the tank, also less weight on the belt, there are definitely some good things to be said about the hp steel tanks.

 

[CJ_Albertson]

For some time I've been considering switching out of my AL80s and purchasing HP100's for me and HP80's for my wife (the scbababe is no giant )
......
I don't have a problem diving with AL80's, as I just add 2 - 4 lbs to compensate for their positive buoyancy when empty, and their size does not bother me. Now, short of size being an obvious advantage, especially for my better half, what are other advantages of steel over aluminum that I may be overlooking?

Thanks

Rick

After reading everything I can and talking to lots of people I think
the new Pressed Steel E7-100 is about is good as it gets.
Smaler and lighter and holds more air than an AL 80 BUT...

If I dive off my own boat I've no way to get tanks filled out there.
I have to take multiple tanks. If you buy for you and a wife or kids
then 4 e7-100s will set you back $1,200. Vs. 4 AL80 at $440
(The best local street price of AL80 is $110 here v. $295 for
the E7-100)

So it's like everything else, the "best" costs 3X what "good enough"
does.

My LDS rents steel LP 72's for only $4.50 more than an air fill
so I'll be renting for a while.

 

[OCdiving Deb]

The only negative aspect of my HPs is they often get short fills on a boat dive. Often their compressors can only fill to 3000 so I am not getting my full 80 CF or 100 CF, depending on which tank I use. To compensate, I always take the HP100 on a boat dive. Fine, as long as hubby is not along to use it instead! I am thinking about purchasing an Al 80 for boats dives. Adding 4 or 5 lbs on a boat is no big deal and I already have a DIN adaptor.

Because I do a decent amount of beach diving, the compactness and lower lead requirement of the HP is a real plus!

One more thing... I found out the hard way that it can be important to get more frequent visuals on steel tanks that are used on boat dives because they sometimes give wet fills and the rust can develop rapidly. Has anyone else had that trouble?

 

[simbrooks]

I can see most compressors getting up to 3100-3300 without much strain - or at least i have rented AL80's at the pressure before! The 100's can be filled to about 90cuft at 3100 and 95cuft at 3300, so you wouldnt lose all that much and still have more air than an AL80 and carry less weight, no great hardship.

 

[OCdiving Deb]

I can see most compressors getting up to 3100-3300 without much strain - or at least i have rented AL80's at the pressure before!

I usually walk onto the boat with a fill between 3300 and 3550. It is the boat's fills that blow. 2650-2800 is the rule. You should see how excited I get if the fill is 3100-3300 on a boat! But don't hold your breath. It is rare.

 

[simbrooks]

I usually walk onto the boat with a fill between 3300 and 3550.

Good fill!!

It is the boat's fills that blow. 2650-2800 is the rule. You should see how excited I get if the fill is 3100-3300 on a boat! .

I have gotten fills from the stores that the boats run out of, do you mean a compressor on the boat, like you might find on a liveaboard? Havent done that yet!

But don't hold your breath. It is rare.

Trying not to do that ever, dont you know it can get you killed or disabled???

Even so, on an AL80, that would leave you with about 70cuft at 2700, or 78cuft with an E7-100 at the same pressure - still prefer that little extra. Now personally i am going for the E7-120's, which give 115cuft @ 3300, 108 @3100 and 94 @ 2700, again i prefer that to the AL80 for volume, weight and balance.

 

[OCdiving Deb]

...do you mean a compressor on the boat, like you might find on a liveaboard? Haven't done that yet!

Yes, I mean the compressor on the boat. Most of the dive boats that operate here in southern California have compressors on board. Many of them can fill max up to 3000, but that does not mean they do.

So if I am getting 2800/3000 on an Al 80 compared to 2800/3500 on an HP80 (which is what I have available if my husband dives too) then I should consider one more tank. That new tank will be an Al 80. It's cheaper than another HP.

I am simply saying I love my HPs for many reasons but this is the one area where an Al 80 would be more useful to me in limited situations.

 

[Mo2vation]

The most important difference between PST and Fabers is the color. After a couple of years the PSTs will be a dull gray, not the shiny gray they were before two dives. The Fabers will be a rusty brown, no matter how many times you paint them.

Nicely put, Max. Real tanks come in one color - dull gray. Dive those PST's until they lose their shine, and they get prittier and prittier.

Dive those Fabers until you can eBay them for PST's...

K

 

[OCdiving Deb]

Plus, if I get a really brightly colored Al tank that starts out fuscia or neon green, then I can bug the heck out of mo2vation, especially after it starts getting all banged up. As of now he has found my tanks perfectly acceptable and so he finds other ways to give me a hard time!

 

[Jeddah Aquanaut]

For some time I've been considering switching out of my AL80s and purchasing HP100's for me and HP80's for my wife (the scbababe is no giant )

I like the idea of the tanks' negative buoyancy when empty and the idea of about 4 lbs less lead. I also like the idea of the tanks being a bit smaller, which makes them easier to carry on your back and stow in your car and at home. However, the other day I was at a local LDS (of the many in the Fort Lauderdale area), and while chatting with the instructor, a flip side to the steel tanks was pointed out, so I seeking some advise from my SB buddies.

This instructor pointed out that other than the size of the tank, there is not much advantage for a rec diver to dive steel. He mentioned that the idea of shedding weight is a myth because the weight is not being shed, it's being shifted (you're now carrying it on your back as opposed to your waist and steel tanks are heavier); steel corrodes quicker than aluminum; HP tanks require Din regs, which he views as an unnecessary expense if you're going to remain within rec limits; the price of steel tanks is also something that he considers unnecessary.

I don't have a problem diving with AL80's, as I just add 2 - 4 lbs to compensate for their positive buoyancy when empty, and their size does not bother me. Now, short of size being an obvious advantage, especially for my better half, what are other advantages of steel over aluminum that I may be overlooking?

Thanks

Rick

I have a pair of Aqua Lung Low Pressure Steel 80's. Nobody else on the beaches here in Jeddah has 'em, so nobody mixes them up with theirs on a crowded day. I find it awkward turning on a side or turning tank-side down with the aluminium tank, but feel more manueverable with my steel tanks. My reg is HP, but I use an adapter with my tanks. HP tanks are fine too, but not much use if your buddy or buddies don't have them, and boat dives here are usually one hour duration max, so HP isn't needed. Air for thought....