LP-85 for doubles? Good idea?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

So I was looking at the buoyancy numbers on LP-85 tank and wondering if it is the "magic twin tank set-up" I have been searching for all my life?

I like HP-100 doubles when I am in a drysuit. When I am in a wetsuit, I would rather be in AL-80 doubles to swim up in case the wing goes out on me. For the last two months, I have been looking for the tank that would be a healthy compromise between the two. It should not need tons of lead to sink in drysuit and should be easy to swim up in a wetsuit in case of a wing failure.

LP-85 is looking to be the one for the job.

Buoyancy (FULL) -3.8
Buoyancy (EMPTY) +2.3

Faber HP-100s

Buoyancy (FULL) -8.4
Buoyancy (EMPTY) - .6

If anyone has tried the LP-85 in drysuit and wetsuit, I would love to hear your thoughts. Love it? Hate it? Why?

 

[The Chairman]

Elena loves them... so do I. They are great all around.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

I love my LP-85s. They are longer, which suits me because I'm tall. They can be cave filled so I get plenty of gas. When I wear them with a drysuit I do wear more lead than my 130s, but diving them in a thin wetsuit I wear little to no lead. They are quite a bit lighter than my 130s, so a nice compromise for dives needing less gas. Superior to AL-80s in my opinion, based on cave fills and buoyancy characteristics.

 

[KevinNM]

I used a pair of them in my cavern course, filled to 3600. I was looking for Al80s but instructor felt they were at best marginal for a cavern course and wouldn't run anything past cavern with someone using Al80s. I bought some, very nice.

 

[sea_otter]

LP-85 is looking to be the one for the job.

Buoyancy (FULL) -3.8
Buoyancy (EMPTY) +2.3

Those buoyancy figures don't seem quite right. I believe the Faber LP-85s are just about neutral empty. They are a bit longer than HP-100s, and they trim out nicely. If you can overfill slightly, they hold close to the same amount of gas too (or a bit more, if you can overfill more than slightly).

I don't dive at home in a wetsuit, so I can't comment there, but they are very nice tanks to dive in a drysuit.

 

[_Ralph]

I love 12L tanks .... depends on how full they get filled if it's worth it to you or not ...


_R

 

[StefinSB]

I have Faber lp85 and with the valve they are somewhere between neutral and 0.5 pounds positive when empty. I really like them.

 

[PfcAJ]

They're as good as the 3442psi hp100s if you can get overfills to a respectable pressure.

 

[stuartv]

Definitely check if you have a place where you can get "cave" fills. I believe CEA and VA Scuba will both NOT overfill them.

85s that can't be overfilled would be not even worth considering - to ME. I sold my double 100s because they were too small....

 

[KevinNM]

My local shop just fills them like they were Al80s, to 3100 to 3200. I don't whine, given what I'm doing that's a lot of gas. And I don't want them to look and think about it.