Any one used those 149 cu.ft steel tanks?

[UaVaj]

Just an update. This thread is over a year old. Those 149 were SOLD rather quickly.

 

[Chugwhump]

Just an update. This thread is over a year old. Those 149 were SOLD rather quickly.

UaVaj;

RATS!
And I was thinking of hounding you to see if you still had the tanks sitting around.
I got one this past Christmas and it is a nice tank to have for beach dives.
It is a HEAVY PIG off of a boat though.
As it is cool water temp time here in the land of perpetual sunshine and easy living we call South Florida right now, I have only done 1.5-2 hours with it shallow so far.....but come this summer, look out world!
My trim actually smoothed out considerably for some reason with it.
I have not sucked it below 1900 psi yet, so buoyancy characteristics are still undergoing the test trials process.

Faber 149's...Because 4 hours plus at 1atm or less on a PST 130, just isn't enough!

Chug
Wants to retire underwater if possible.

 

[UaVaj]

My trim actually smoothed out considerably for some reason with it.
I have not sucked it below 1900 psi yet, so buoyancy characteristics are still undergoing the test trials process.

Faber 149's...Because 4 hours plus at 1atm or less on a PST 130, just isn't enough!

Unless you are an air hog and actually need the 149cf. I would not recommended these tanks.

Boyance characteristics are just as bad as regular aluminum 80. They get positive when sucked down. In comparison to my HP120 (w/ 10lb of weight) - I had to add 5lb just to balance out the HP149. The big tank and extra 5lb on my waist reallie made the tank feel extra big.

If you are truly doing 4 hours plus at 1 atm or less. I would completely skip the tank and go hookah. I did a 3 hours drift at 25' on hookah and I did not miss the tank one bit.

 

[Chugwhump]

Hookahs are a bad as a boat IMO.
I do not do motors, unless someone else is the owner.
I can dive on days when the weather will not allow a hookah, or even sometimes a boat with a tank.
I am a beach freak. I enjoy beach diving tremendously.
Good exercise and no time constraints or mechanical issues.
I do Kayak diving also, but not as often as I would like to.
The 149 is almost identical to my 130's other than a little heavier and better trim for some reason.
Chug
Likes big ol' tanks.....till he gets too old to move them.

 

[JerseyMike]

How much longer and wider are the Faber 149's versus the Worthington 120's?
Anybody know?

Yes, they are similar in size and weight to the old PST LP 120 and Faber LP 120.

The Faber 149 is 8" in diameter, 29.5" long, weighs 47 lbs and is +2.35 lbs bouyant when empty.
The PST 149 is 8" in diameter, 29.4" long, weighs 47.5 lbs and is -1.7 lbs bouyant when empty.
The PST LP 120 is 8" in diameter, 29.4" long, weighs 51.3 lbs and is -1.7 lbs bouyant empty.
The Faber LP 120 is 8" in diameter, 29.0" long, weighs 45 lbs and is neutral when empty.

One thing to consider is that the PST tank is most likely not going to be available anytime soon until they get their production and distribution mess straightened out. The Faber 149 is available but at +2.35 lbs bouyant when empty will require 4 lbs of weight per tank to get you back to where you would be with most 3442 psi 100's 120's or 130's. So if you are properly weighted with your configuration with 100's 120' or 130's, you need to add on 4 more pounds of lead per tank which effectively makes the total weight per tank 51.5 lbs - right in the LP 120 ballpark. So they are no worse than LP 120's, but they are a lot heavier than the 3442 psi 120-130 cu ft altrnatives.

There are lots of option in the 120 cu ft range and the 3442 psi tanks in that range are in general either 8-9 lbs lighter or 4 " shorter and may be a better choice trim wise for an under 6 ft diver. 3442 psi 130's tend to run about 4 to 5 lbs lighter and 2 to 3 inches shorter than the 149's.

If you absolutely need the gas, the 149 is an option, but if you don't need the gas for most of your dives, I'd go with a lighter and shorter 3442 psi 100's, 120's or 130's. When comparing 3442 psi 120's with Faber 149's and the added lead needed for the same bouyancy with empty tanks, a pair of Faber 149's would be about 26 lbs heavier at about 83 lbs versus 109 lbs with bands and manifold.

 

[Kiwi303]

Something that big and heavy... for beach diving I'd want something longer than the BCD so it protrudes out beneath, and fit the bottom with a set of wheels on the boot! dig a retracting handle from the airline trundling baggage and srap that to the top...

Just wheel your whole assembled BCD/Tank/Reg set down the beach into the water, push the handle down to storage position and don it standing in the water Reverse the procedure to get it all back tot he car