worthington vs faber tanks????

[saragousa75]

ok so i have decided that i would buy a steel hp tank, still not sure on the size, my question being, my lds sells both Worthington and faber, and i had read on here before that the painted finishes are not as good as the hot dipped ones. My lds said that both are good tanks, and are similar in price so i was looking for opinions on the 2 tanks, pros and cons from people who have them, and if they rusted ect.
Thanks,

 

[fnfalman]

After nearly two years and 100 salt water dives (mostly on boats), my two Faber tanks are still corrosion free. Sure, the finish gets dinged a bit from handling, but no rust. Faber uses zinc plating plus a finish coat (white) on top for corrosion resistance and presentation. Apropos of nothing, a lot of steel surfaces are being coated with zinc for corrosion resistance. Nothing wrong with hot dipped galvanize, but there's more than one way to fight corrosion.

Faber the leader in scubadiving cylinders Faber the leader in scubadiving cylinders Faber steel cylinders for high-pressure gases, diving, scuba, diving cylinders, diving cylinders, diving cylinders, scuba diving cylinders

Hot Zinc Spraying vs. Hot Dip Galvanizing


For many years Faber had evaluated the possibility of hot dip galvanizing (HDG) its scuba diving cylinders. Extensive research has been carried out and many trials and tests have been performed in order to evaluate the industrial process and the performance of the coating in relation to the more commonly used hot zinc spraying process.
In the case of HDG, (Hot Dip Galvanizing) taking into account the large number of cylinders manufactured by Faber, would imply a considerable negative impact on the environment. In addition, the temperature at which the HDG is undertaken is quite high (around 450°C) and could affect the final properties of the steel cylinders (it is worth noting that most periodic inspection and test documents limit temperature of steel cylinders to around 350°C during all parts of the retest cycle).

HDG has also been known to cause an embrittlement of the steel material, due to the evolution of hydrogen during the initial pickling stage of the overall HDG process with the hydrogen getting absorbed into the steel.
On a separate note, when it comes to surface finish, our studies have shown that the performance of the top coat is not acceptable when applied on HDG treated cylinders. This is often related to the criticality of surface preparation when a top coat paint is applied.

Thus after careful deliberation of other available coating processes, Faber has decided not to adopt the HDG process and has instead optimized its production cycle involving hot zinc spraying coupled with a primer + top coat of paint, which gives the best trade-off between corrosion resistance and an attractive appearance.

Our clients appreciate and are accustomed to the winning look of Faber cylinders, not to mention the beneficial effects that our approach has towards the environment.

 

[Puffer Fish]

I can only speak to the Faber FX line of tanks versus the Worthington HP tanks...Faber's white coating is extremely durable, and while I have heard of issues with the other HP and LP faber tanks surface rusting.. have not seen anything on the 6 ones I own.

Labels, over time, don't do so well on them.. so after a while, they look, well, used.

I let price be my guide and would not mind owning either tanks....but deals of faber are easier to come by.

 

[Stu S.]

We have both. The base/boot on the Faber is a little "tippy" sometimes. And, Worthington comes with a Thermo valve, which I would prefer over the valve that comes with Faber.

But.... in Central Florida, Faber costs a lot less. My Fx-100's were $250 and a Worthington would have been $379. My daughter's Worthington X-80 was $272 and the Faber FX-80's were going last year for $199.

So 4 out of our 5 tanks are Faber.

 

[paddler3d]

I was talking to my LDS about this last week. Worthington is shipped from CA and Faber was from NJ. He is an LDS that actually passes the savings on to the consumer. He gets his Faber tanks cheaper, due to shipping, that Worthington.

See if you LDS will save you a few bucks on the FABER.

Forgot to add. I have both brands and they seem to be holding up equally well. The Faber's came with blue steel valves and the Thermo valves on the Worthington's seem to be holding up better, corrosion wise.

 

[crpntr133]

And the one BIG point that most miss is the fact that Worthingtons are guaranteed for life against rust.

 

[spectrum]

I have 1 Faber and 6 PST, HD galvanized cylinders.

It's hard to deny that the HD galvanized finish is about as timeless and bullet proof as they come. However Faber has a darned good finishing process. Unless you see your dive style as being unduly abusive I would feel comfortable with either.

Base your decision on price and buoyancy properties. Some Fabers can be very negative and while most find that preferable it is not always the case.

Pete

 

[The Great Kazoo]

Something to think about....
Maybe they have fixed these issues since 2008. I went with the Worthingtons because I read this on OMSs website...


Faber Painted Steel SCUBA cylinders:

Effective Jan 1, 2008 OMS will no longer be offering Faber Painted steel cylinders due to the following reasons:

1. Faber is unable to supply cylinders with current Hydo dates in a timely manner
2. Faber is difficult to deal with on warranty Claims
3. There have been an excessive amount of warranty claims with Faber cylinders for corrosion due to the fact that the spray Zinc coating is porous
4. The exchange rate is not favorable and has resulted in an overpriced product
5. High Maintenance: Because the underlying Zinc spray coating is porous Faber cylinders must be painted. If the painting is breached then the water can pass through the zinc and cause corrosion. Therefore Faber cylinders require too much maintenance.


All Warranty issues for painted cylinders should be directed to Faber

OMS will however be offering Hot Dipped galvanized cylinders due to their low maintenance and superior corrosion resistance in 2008.

 

[halocline]

Personally I have a lot more faith in Faber as a company than OMS.

As others have said, either would be fine. I got a great deal on an FX100 so I have a faber tank. I would have done the same with worthington or PST.

 

[Stu S.]

White exterior coating is not all about what is underneath. In Europe, Scuba cylinders are white, with two black panels on the "crown". That's similar to US requirements that an oxygen tank must be green, acetylene red, etc.

Fabers are white because that's what they gotta be to sell over there. Made in Italy, you know.