Newbie making sure

[c5diver]

if your wife is a smaller woman the farber hp steel tank may not be for her. these tanks are heavy and can cause a smaller diver to roll because you become back heavy. maybe an al72 is a better option.

 

[John12]

Thanks.. Everything I have read shows the Faber FX80 at 28.8 lbs empty around a -8 buoyancy full and 25.8 inches high with the valve.

A catalina S-80 shows as around 31.6 lbs empty 28.8 high with valve and about -4 buoyancy full. Unless i am reading it wrong the HP is lighter shorter and allows her to go with a little less weight in her BCD.. Am I reading it wrong or not getting it right

 

[c5diver]

just letting you know my expernce with with a farber hp100, let me know how it goes

 

[bj139]

Thanks.. Everything I have read shows the Faber FX80 at 28.8 lbs empty around a -8 buoyancy full and 25.8 inches high with the valve.

A catalina S-80 shows as around 31.6 lbs empty 28.8 high with valve and about -4 buoyancy full. Unless i am reading it wrong the HP is lighter shorter and allows her to go with a little less weight in her BCD.. Am I reading it wrong or not getting it right

You are right. She will need to carry 4 lbs less lead. I sometimes strap a 4lb weight to an AL80 to give it the buoyancy characteristics of an HP117. The shorter tank will make it easier to carry so it should feel a lot lighter. She can carry her own tanks, a major advantage, maybe if you can pull it off. I did notice a tendency to roll over when I first tried a HP117 but after a few dives I did not notice.

 

[John12]

Just a quick follow up,, know this is a MARES equipment site so don,t want to carry on.. First pool session the HP tank worked great for my wife good balance, buoyancy. The MARES MVS12 seemed a little difficult for her to pull air out of.. She tried our instructers Legend and it was so much easier,, will probably switch her to one.. I know this is not a fair comparision as they are apples to oranges in price,, but good place to invest in best quality up front Thanks for all advice and input

 

[bj139]

Just a quick follow up,, know this is a MARES equipment site so don,t want to carry on.. First pool session the HP tank worked great for my wife good balance, buoyancy. The MARES MVS12 seemed a little difficult for her to pull air out of.. She tried our instructers Legend and it was so much easier,, will probably switch her to one.. I know this is not a fair comparision as they are apples to oranges in price,, but good place to invest in best quality up front Thanks for all advice and input

Almost all the breathing effort is related to 2nd stage tuning. If set too light the reg free flows easier. I prefer 2nd stages that are adjustable because sometimes you just want easier breathing almost to the point of free flow. When you can adjust it while diving you are in control, not some dive shop service technician. If you are technically inclined you could adjust the Mares 2nd stage yourself to ease the breathing. If you go too far you may get free flow. The service technician has a difficult job because he has to to tune it for no free flow or customers get irate. You can replace the second stage with a different brand as long as the intermediate pressure of the first stages are in the same range, ie. 125-145. The Legend reg is adjustable but is frightfully expensive IMHO. A HOG second stage on your Mares first stage should work wonderfully for around $100.

 

[Zak OHara]

Hi, sorry for the late response.. Very busy with work.

Re: compatibility with your tank, I am going to defer to Bradleys statement about it's best to convert the 1st stage to a 300bar din adapter given the set up you mentioned.

You are correct comparing apples to oranges, however, it should not be "hard" to breathe. The MV is actually a pretty good regulator at the pricepoint, and if tuned properly both at the 1st and 2nd stage, it should breathe quite easily. This may be worth checking out.

We always recommend no untrained person attempt to adjust or repair / service any life support equipment, especially newer divers, which it sounds you are.

I hope this helps to confirm.

Best,

 

[John12]

Thanks for your response.. No I wont make and havent made any attempt at working on the MARES. My wife and I both found it much harder to breath out of the box. She tried the Legend which our instructor had and found it easier probably because of the adjustable 2nd stage.. We will keep the MARES as a back up,, still believing it was a good value for the money.. My original concern and reason for posting on this manufacturers forum was we are told be the LDS authorized dealer that as purchased it is compatible with a 3442 psi cylinder. I know that it can take the pressure, but as noted, the MARES guy said warranty would nullify. It seems a bulletin should be sent to the dealers, as i purchased it with the intention of going on a HP tank, if it fails, warranty is voided.