Which Steel Tanks for SM???

I have been flirting with getting a new set of steels and can't decide whether I want to go with a HP or LP. As far as size I am considering I am looking at HP100's and HP120's versus LP95's and LP108's?

What is everyone's take on best steel tank for sidemount.

Thoughts and personal experience would be greatly appreciated.

It depends on the dive. My usual cylinders are Faber LP95s mainly because they are lighter than the Worthington and PST cylinders I have and easier to push through small passage. However, they are a larger diameter than my LP85s and sometimes I need the 85s to get through really small passage. I use my 108s and 121s for trimix dives only. My Faber 95s are way too light for hypoxic mixes, but the 108s are too big for my usual dives. You also need to consider manufacturer. Not all cylinders are created equal. I really like my Faber 95s, but I don't like PST 95s. I like my Worthington 85s, but I don't like Faber 85s.

Something you should also consider is the type of fills you can get locally. Many shops will only fill to 3000psi, so buying HPs will mean you get short fills every time.

Really the only way to decide what will work for you is to take several different cylinders diving a few times each and see what works for you.

I have yet to find a shop that only fills to 3000, but I have found shops that refuse to overfill low pressure tanks.

I have lp120's which were huge but worked well for large passage sidemount diving. I've even taken them in some smaller cave, but you end up no mounting or atleast supermanning one bottle while your buddy with smaller bottles manages to wiggle through.

I also have been using a set of HP120s which work pretty well. Not as huge as the lp120s, but still hold a decent amount of gas. Skinnier than 95's but longer.

I have used 95's and 85's, and they all work ok.

What makes a big difference to me is distance to the water. I decided the lp120s would never work for diving in sinks in the woods, where I needed the smallest, lightest tanks I could get away with for the dive. However, for Ginnie, lp120s were great, as they held as much air as 95's and a stage.

Greetings Bartimmo my personal favorite for the dives I have done so far are Faber LP 85's.
I have used LP 95's, 77's, AL 80's, and AL HP 100's.
I have not used bigger than those for SM but rather added a AL 80 stage for gas when needed.
It just depends on the dive and what you need to get it done.
I will train and do what it take to do the dives I want.
My advice would be to try different sizes to find what works best for you and the dives you want to do.

I would recommend training with different tanks before you plan a challenging dive or overhead. Different tanks trim out very different so I would take the time to find out before you are at the dive site.

CamG Keep diving....Keep training....keep learning!

I took a stab and went with HP100's. Likely will get a set of AL80's as well shortly.

Dwayne

I agree that the best way to answer this would be to swim several different brand, sizes, and types of tanks. Unfortunately, there just isn't that option for me. In Houston it is a stretch to evern own steel tanks, and usually if someone does they are banded for back doubles. I own a several sets of AL80's that I have used for primary sm tanks and dedicated stage/deco tanks. Most of the lake dives in Texas lack diving facilities so you bring a large AL80 for stage/deco with intent of using it on several dives. The duration for most of these lake dives falls well within the range of AL80 tanks, unless you are doing tech training with extended length or depth in which you are slinging a deco bottle. The water just doesn't have the clarity to inspire someone to hang out for more than an hour in the murk at any given time.

I am interested in steel tanks for the larger capacity and weight characteristics for when I go offshore GOM on spearfishing trips to the rigs. Most of the rig dives are in water depths of 120' - 150' somewhere between 60-100 miles offshore Galveston. Also plan on doing some trimix dives and tech wreck dives...roadtrips to Florida.

Assuming I am targeting a volume of 90-95 cf what is the right fit. I assume that if I go with HP tanks then I am going to require a larger tank size to offset underfill issues. On the otherhand you can't assume that LP tank will be overfilled. The best coomparison would be a LP95 and a HP110 (which isn't available...only 120).

Thanks for insight and advice

Dive-aholic:

Something you should also consider is the type of fills you can get locally. Many shops will only fill to 3000psi, so buying HPs will mean you get short fills every time.

Click to expand...

JahJahwarrior:

I have yet to find a shop that only fills to 3000, but I have found shops that refuse to overfill low pressure tanks.

Click to expand...

I've found one, very small shop in South Florida that couldn't do an HP fill. In that same area, all but one of the six or so shops I visited refused to give even the "plus" on new LP tanks (the sixth would give "cave-country" fills).

The opposite seems to be true in "cave country".