Alum 100's as stages?

[tmcdonal]

A friend and I are looking to take a stage class in the spring and I was looking for some cheap used 80's (but newer, not 6351 alloy). I came across a couple of fairly new AL100s on craigslist and was wondering any opinions on suitability as stages?

Possibly not a related consideration, but interested in exploring sidemounting down the road.

Currently diving backmount 95s. Any input appreciated.

-Tom

[EEL]

They will be too heavy to start with, and get too floaty as you breath them down. I recomend Luxfer AL 72s but Luxfer AL 80s are also ok stage tanks too.

Dive safe,

Mark

[Finaddict]

Ditto the Luxfer 72s. They are a little thinner (6.9"?) and ride very nicely.

[caver]

Alum 100's = too heavy. I took a stage class in the caves once. I thought it would be easy, it was not. At the time I had very little experience using a dry suit in the caves. All my dives in a drysuit were in OW. There is a learning curve with mastering the course.
Following the up and down cave floor threw me for a loop. I can imagine the same with trying to use Al 100's. If you were experienced, you could probably get by, but even then you would come up with the idea that 80's work better. My bet is, that if you showed up with AL100's as stages, it would be just one more thing to make you look as you don't know what you are doing. Save you instructor from telling you NOT to use them.

[phreaticus]

Bad tanks...the swing from full to empty, weight wise, is almost 10 pounds, if I remember the specs I saw a long time ago.

[Jim Wyatt]

They will be too heavy to start with, and get too floaty as you breath them down. I recomend Luxfer AL 72s but Luxfer AL 80s are also ok stage tanks too.

Ditto.

[MedCop]

I had a couple AL100's, used the once in OW for a single tank dive....sold them. I wouldn't even think about using them as a stage..heck wouldn't even think about using them for anything.

[tmcdonal]

Thanks everyone - sounds like a unanimous rejection!

-Tom

[Howard]

regarding the AL-72's you want to be sure you get the 3000# series. They also will have a serial number beginning with the letter "Y". If they start with "Z", they are the 2400# one are even less desirable for diving than the 100's you were considering.