DaveMann wrote:I just couldn't choose between the aluminum and steel tanks - so I bought both.
I call it - having GAS.USdiver wrote:DaveMann wrote:I just couldn't choose between the aluminum and steel tanks - so I bought both.
Wise choice. You are definitely one of us now. Feed the Addiction.
slonda828 wrote:So this is just me, but I don't double any small tanks. for 120 cubic feet, you could just buy one steel 120. It's easier to VIP, you don't have to worry about the 3 piece doubles manifold leaking (if you use a 3 piece), etc. Double 72s are awesome. They are 144 cubic feet, and if you jam them a little bit, then they are double 160s. 120 cubic feet of gas just isn't enough gas for me to warrant making doubles which makes inspecting my own tanks a pain in the ass, carrying doubles, etc. Keep in mind that double 63s weigh 64 pounds without bands or a manifold, and a single 120 weighs only 39 lbs. My double 100s weigh about 75 pounds on land.
If you want doubles just to have them, then by all means do not let me discourage you. For vintage tanks, I only use double 72s. They are cheap, their buoyancy characteristics are good, and they can be overfilled a tiny bit if you like. Aluminum tanks tend to have bad buoyancy characteristics. As an example, both Luxfer and Catalina 63s are +2 lbs when they are empty. Assuming you have heavy bands, and a heavy manifold, then they will be neutral when empty which isn't super useful for ocean diving. Double 72s are still negative when empty with decent bands and a decent manifold on them, which for Puget Sound is super useful. Again, depending on where you live maybe having neutral tanks when they are empty would be a boon.
I am like Bryan on this matter. As a general rule, I avoid aluminum tanks. I also avoid doubles unless the dive warrants the gas. I don't use little doubles, because unless they provide an isolation manifold for redundancy they are only more failure points, and doubles generally are a pain in the ass. I say this as a dude who owns 3 sets of doubles. I know we are kind of past the OP's point at this point, but we do tend to have some good tank discussions on here and this certainly seems like one
YMMV.
Oh yeah, bonus nachos for the HP 120. You can cascade a HP120 @3500 PSI to top off your LP steel 72s. Roger Van Frankoooo showed me that one
slonda828 wrote:I've used a 120 with a kraken. I mostly use HP 100s from XS scuba, but I have also used 120s. I actually don't get the whole idea that tanks are somehow harder or easier to dive. I always dive in a military freefall position, so tanks never mess up my trim. Maybe I'm an outlier.
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