Which steel tanks are good and bad?

[vshearer]

Please, please, please.... nobody say "yolk". That is an egg. It is a YOKE connection.

and 300 DIN can be an issue if you do want to switch regs. Otherwise not so much.

Oh, personal opinion. Dipped is better, but look at the options on the charts as weight does tend to be higher with those. Fabers are great and prized by fresh water divers. Stay a million miles away from the Coynes/Heisners mentioned above. If you can get LP's overfilled then they tend to run a bit lighter.

But the weight issue also has to do with whether you are diving double or single.

For instance:

PST 120 2400 +10% 122.5 8" Galv 29.37 51.3 -1.7 -10.7
XFaber LP-120 2400 +10% 125 8" Triple 29 45 0 -9.5



The PST weighs #6 over the Faber at 51.3 vs. 45. Not a big deal and actually a benifit diving single. But double it and that is 12 extra pounds on the surface. On the other hand, it is more negative in the water.

And then here is a Faber 120 at 39.2 pounds but still good in water characteristics.

Faber FX-120 3442 120 7.24 Triple 29.33 39.2 -0.65 -8.82

Note that the LP 120's are much higher capacity tanks than the HP 120 listed last.

 

[elan]

IMO it's safer when using HP tanks. I will trust the captured oring in a DIN with HP far more then a yoke any day. I like that a DIN has a smaller profile then a Yoke. And I feel it's a much more secure connection. Yes traveling while having a DIN on your first stage can be a hassle, but DIN to Yoke adapters solve this problem.

You missed my point, the question was why would you get 300bar DIN, by mentioning 300 bar I assume you prefer it to 200bar DIN?

Most tanks come with a pro-valve now days which is a 200 bar din with an insert. you can use both yoke and din regs with it while you can only use din regs with 300bar valves, you gain nothing getting 300bar valve but lose yoke capability.

 

[mjr0112]

You missed my point, the question was why would you get 300bar DIN, by mentioning 300 bar I assume you prefer it to 200bar DIN?

For the fact that 300 bar DIN works in a 200 bar DIN valve, but having a 200 bar DIN on your first stage will not work in a tank valve that has a 300 bar DIN. So if you have a 300 bar DIN, you are always covered. Also it's not very easy to find a 200 bar DIN for my first stage, 300 DIN is the only available option for my Apex regs.

 

[mjr0112]

I just went back and read through this thread and some clarification is due on my part. I don't know why it took me so long to realize what you were asking.
My tank valve is a 200bar/yoke convertible valve, I use a 300 bar DIN on my first stage. You absolutly do not need a 300 bar tank valve. All I was trying to say from the beginning was that on a HP tank I would recommend a DIN valve not a yoke. I understand where the confusion came, it was my poor explanation of what I was trying to say.

 

[widget]

Worthington, PST, and Faber all make(made) good tanks. For buoyancy characteristics be cautious with Coyne, Asahi, Beuchat, and Heiser cylinders. It's not that these are "bad" tanks, it is just that some of these are bricks.

Yes, agree, Jos Heiser (Austria) also made the "Beuchat" cylinders back in the day and they were ridiculously heavy, from discussions with Heiser during the past 5 odd years though, they no longer make scuba cylinders in the Austria factory, but I guess there are still lots on the used market.

I have seen but am not that familiar with the Asahi product, but "Roth" also made steel scuba cylinders in France some years ago as did "Mannesmann" in Germany, but due to the very low quantity sold I am pretty sure both have stopped as well, although I still find Mannesmann cylinders around here occassionally on the used market and they were fine, very similar in weight to Faber.

"Apolda cylinders" was also an Eastern German manufacturer of steel cylinders many years ago and made many cylinders for OEM manufacturers so their name is almost unknown, but they were widely sold, they were recently sold to "Euro cylinder systems" also in Germany who still make an excellant steel cylinder, again very similar to Faber but unfortunately in very limited quantities - due in part to the small market.

 

[knowone]

I want a Roth 120 to keep my lonely other one company.
Screw an old plug, in your 300 Bar and cut the front, off
and enlarge the hole in the back.
and clean up the sealing surface, with a fawcet re-seater.
Buy Orings that fit and fit them right and they don't ever
FALL OUT?

 

[widget]

I want a Roth 120 to keep my lonely other one company.
Screw an old plug, in your 300 Bar and cut the front, off
and enlarge the hole in the back.
and clean up the sealing surface, with a fawcet re-seater.
Buy Orings that fit and fit them right and they don't ever
FALL OUT?

Yes, I also had a few Roth's laying around here. They were very popular in Europe in the 1990's especially France, but I havent seen one for a long time now even on the used market.

 

[spectrum]

Looking to buy a new yoke steel 100's maybe a little larger, however which tank brands are great to go with? Which steel tanks should I stay away from? Also is there a real difference between HP & LP steel tanks. I'm just plan to use them for normal dives and some deep dives around 100ft give or take! Last thing should I stay away from Leisurepro for tank or go with my LDS?

Brands are not a big issue.

A hot dipped galvanized finish is very desirable. that pretty much means Worthington or used PST. This finish is self healing to minor damage and is as tough as nails. The Faber cylinders with a white finish do well enough.

There are some Faber cylinders that are VERY negative. These can be nice in cold water but you need to consider it in configuring weights. In warm water you may start out over weighted with just the cylinder.

There are a lot of 3500 PSI 100 CF cylinders out there by PST, they are often branded Sherwood, Genesis or USD. being 3500 Psi they do require the 300 bar DIN valve. This means the regulator must be set-up for DIN. These can be a bargain compared to a new HP 100 (3442 PSI) if you can use the DIN connection. The cylinder port is different, you cannot swap valves.

Ordering cylinders is usually a last resort. Individual freight is steep and you often need to shell out for a local VIP. Before long the cost is unfavorable.

HP is the most efficient package in terms of total diver weight, that's nice on land. They're are a little trickier to get perfect fills and command premium price. The 80 CH versions are a little short for some divers taste.

LP is easier to fill and cheaper to buy. They are good in terms of reducing the lead you wear but there are a little heavier in their own right since they are bigger. Tall divers enjoy the length, they trim out with more stability.

As Will Rogers said," I never met a steel cylinder I didn't like".

Pete

 

[BKP]

+1 for the HP 100's (Worthington/XS Scuba) for the reasons mentioned above, as well.

• Buoyancy characteristics are good without adding too much weight
• They typically ship with Thermo Pro DIN valves, with a yoke insert
• They're dipped
• They're not cheap, however, they're worth it

I know both DiveGearExpress and LeisurePro ship these free, however, I think they're currently on sale at DiveGearExpress (which is where I've bought mine -- they come valve installed, viz'd, and with about 200psi).

 

[elan]

A lot of good advices were given. One point to consider is are you going to double them up eventually ? If you do you have topay attention to the length ofthe tank.

I assume you are diving fresh water if you are in michigan. Fresh water means you have less weight to play with to trim your tanks. Depending on your height some tanks will work some wont. If you go with worthington they are heavier and you have less weight that you can use for trimming.

Folks who dive salt water have more slack.

For that reason for example i hated hp100 that was the worst tank i ever owned. I needed no weight to add and as the tank is short - only 24 inch it did not work well for me. I replaced them with lp108 and cannot he happier

I found the best allaround recreational tank for fresh water for us was faber lp85 its a long light tank and gives you opportunity to place some lead whenever you need for trimming.

It turnes to beonly 4 lb heavier on land than double hp100 with the extra lead included.
I fell in love with lp tanks as they are easier to fill and generally shops fill them here a bit more than the rated pressure. So i always ending up with my hps underfilled and with lp slightly overfilled