HP or LP Steel??

[amtrosie]

I have used the 2500 psi steel 95 and LOVED it. It was about the same size and weight as a Aluminum 80, but gave me a bit of additional air and better buoyancy.

Being that they are similar size and weight to Alum 80's they could be put together to make a nice and fairly lightweight set of doubles.

I don't know how much this matters to you, but I have heard that the higher pressures of the 3500 psi cyls help to wear out regulator parts easier. I don't know if it is true at all, but I thought I would toss that out there.

The other consideration as The Publisher said is getting the correct fills. I am under the impression that any dive shop in the US would be able to give you full fills, the problem would be on a dive boat. Some of the compressors onboard diveboats might not have the ability to give you complete fills. So you have to look into how much air you actually have at 3000 psi for those conditions. I guess it depends on what you are going to be using them for.

Now lets see what kind of great Faber deels pop up here.

Ace,
I don't know where you came away with the impression that LP 95's and Al. 80's are comparable in size and weight. I have both, dive both, and the difference is significant. The Steel tanks have superior bouyancy characteristics, and for that purpose, they are more advantageous. The LP 95's are more than 6 lbs. heavier than AL 80's EACH. You double them up and you really notice the weight difference. The circumference of the tanks are 7.25" (80's) to 8" (95's). This is not to say that I dislike 95's, I don't, I have had them for years and continue to use them for certain dive applications.

The web is full of sites that give you comparisons on all manner of tanks. It can be quite interesting to look them up.

[acelockco]

I don't know, maybe the cylinders we are speaking of are made by a different manufacturer. I recently rented a steel 95 for a dive in California and it looked like the same size as my AL80 at home. It might have been slightly larger or smaller, but it was close. My wife rented a steel 80 and it was a lot shorter than the AL80 she usually uses at home. They probablly were 8" instead of 7.25", but that is not much of a difference at all! It really did not seem to be wider, but 3/4" of an inch is not much to notice when you are looking at a lot of more intresting things on the ride to Anacapa.

Now about the weight issue: the steel is about 6lbs heavier than the aluminum, BUT remember that you also get to take about 6lbs off of your weight belt. So this question is just for you....ready

If you are wearing 28lbs of weight on your weight belt (or in your bc or whatever) and you add 6lbs of weight to your gear by adding a steel 95, but then you remove 6 lbs of led from your weight belt, how much did you change your total dive weight?



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You don't change your weight at all.

No do the same problem again, but add 2 steel 95 tanks so we are at a total weight of 12 additional lbs, now remove 12 lbs of led from your weight belt. Let me know what you come up with.

[amtrosie]

I don't know, maybe the cylinders we are speaking of are made by a different manufacturer. I recently rented a steel 95 for a dive in California and it looked like the same size as my AL80 at home. It might have been slightly larger or smaller, but it was close. My wife rented a steel 80 and it was a lot shorter than the AL80 she usually uses at home. They probablly were 8" instead of 7.25", but that is not much of a difference at all! It really did not seem to be wider, but 3/4" of an inch is not much to notice when you are looking at a lot of more intresting things on the ride to Anacapa.

Now about the weight issue: the steel is about 6lbs heavier than the aluminum, BUT remember that you also get to take about 6lbs off of your weight belt. So this question is just for you....ready

If you are wearing 28lbs of weight on your weight belt (or in your bc or whatever) and you add 6lbs of weight to your gear by adding a steel 95, but then you remove 6 lbs of led from your weight belt, how much did you change your total dive weight?



ready



3




2




1





You don't change your weight at all.

No do the same problem again, but add 2 steel 95 tanks so we are at a total weight of 12 additional lbs, now remove 12 lbs of led from your weight belt. Let me know what you come up with.

It is way too late to do math problems tonight, besides that is Bama cave divers slice of the diving pie. What I was refering to, was the weight characteristics AT THE SURFACE. Once you hit the water, that is a whole new ball game. As for the size thing, you may have steel 94's. I have not seen these in many years, but they are slightly taller than a standard AL 80 but the same circumference (if memory serves me correctly). I don't have the specs. handy. The LP steel 80's are shorter and fatter, and rather nice to dive. As I said before, I like the steel tanks, it is just that they are not the solution for every dive profile. I strongly advocate steel tanks as a way to remove weight from the hips (on a belt). The results are better gas consumption, due to less work pulling weight through the water. Better trim, due to less weight on the hips. Much better comfort during the dive equals better dive experience.