I know I want steel but so many options??

[PerroneFord]

The volume of the tank depends on the your air consumption. A dive in Dutch Springs would be great for this. Once you know how much air you consume per minute figure out how long your average dive is. Together you will then figure out how much air you will need on a dive.

The LP vs. HP debate to me depends to me on how long of a tank you want. If you are tall a longer tank will help your trim.

I am 6'5" and dive double HP steel 130 if that helps.

I really don't understand either argumen you are making here. Length of tank? The 119 is as long as a LP95, and the HP130 is as long as a LP108. Unless you start talking about small HP tanks. I guess the HP120 that is 7.25" diameter instead of the common 8" would be an exception to the length, as it is long and quite slender.

As for measuring his gas, if he's doing the dives on an AL80 now, then buying a tank with the same or more volume should set him up. Right?

 

[spectrum]

I think you are rightly aiming towards steel.

HP/LP?
Can you get good HP fills? Probably, but ask around. Less likely if you intend to get refills on the dive boat.

HP is the more elegant package in terms of size and capacity to weight ratio. If you are not of a big robust build HP has a big advantage for you.

HP costs more to buy and in some locations a buck or so more to fill.

HP will not afford a real opportunity for overfills but I don't consider buying a cylinder to intentionally overfill it the way to go unless you are in very specific locations where it is commonplace. Even then you need to consider what you are doing.

Size?
It does sound like you have a propensity for eventually needing larger cylinders but consider your present air usage and mid range dive plans. Are you turning the dives for low air?

If 80 cubic feet cylinders are filling the bill right now then the mentioned 77 CF steel may be attractive.

You need to decide when you will up the ante for air need. Having a few comfortable 80s for basic dives can be nicer than making every dive with a behemoth strapped to your back. Owning an assortment is nice.

I prefer a hot dipped galvanized cylinder. That means PST or selected Worthington's. Avoid paint/epoxy finishes.

Any PST you find is likely to be used since they are reinventing the company right now. There are some open ended exemption issues that pose a remote risk but I'm not loosing any sleep with 6 PST cylinders in my basement.

Pete

 

[rakkis]

"for the win"

 

[mark G]

FTW can refer to:

* ftw. (Forschungszentrum Telekommunikation Wien) - Telecommunications Research Center Vienna,[1]
* Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, an airport whose IATA airport code is FTW.
* FTW is also the Amtrak station code for Fort Worth, Texas.
* F.T.W. (film), a 1994 film about an ex-con who is a rodeo rider.
* **** The World, a tattoo seen on bikers, prison inmates, and punks. In common use since the early 1970s.[2][3]
* Also popular among bikers, meaning "Forever Two Wheels"
* An off-shoot of the ECW World Heavyweight Championship known as the ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship in ECW (FTW standing for **** The World)
* FTW, used as an acronym for the sentence fragment For The Win (sometimes **** the What or For the World) to show preference for something over another.
o Possibly a reference to the television game show Hollywood Squares, in which players declare their (usually obvious) intention to win the game with a particular play.[4] [citation needed]
o Sample usage might be "Linux FTW!" or in conversation, "Appetizers are great at dinner, Nachos FTW!"
* FTW, the application extension assigned to Family Tree Maker data files.
* F.T.W., a song by mc chris on the album dungeon master of ceremonies.
* F.T.W., a song by Sword on the album Metalized
* F.T.W., a song by The Vines,[5] off the album: Winning Days, Capitol Records 2004.
* A song by the psychobilly band Tiger Army entitled FTW; meaning **** The World, from their Tiger Army II: Power Of Moonlite album.
* A song by the psychobilly band Battle of Ninjamanz entitled FTW; meaning **** The World, later covered by another psychobilly band Mad Sin on their Teachin The Goodies EP album.