New Luxfer Supernatural 80 Tank

[Ben V]

Anyone actually seen one of these yet? I'm looking for a AL80 stage...

Luxfer introduces Supernatural™ scuba tank at DEMA show


ORLANDO, Florida (Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2007)—Luxfer Gas Cylinders introduced its new Supernatural™ line of aluminum scuba tanks at the annual Dive Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (DEMA) exhibition and tradeshow.
Described by Luxfer as “the most beautiful ugly tank we’ve ever made,” the Supernatural features Luxfer’s proprietary, crack-resistant L6X® aluminum alloy, as well as a special heat-treatment process that gives the tank’s external surface a super corrosion-resistant oxide barrier. “Luxfer’s L6X alloy is already corrosion-resistant, and our heat treatment makes it even more so,” said Kathryn Gamboa, Luxfer’s scuba sales manager.
The external oxide-barrier on the Supernatural is left intact—no blasting, brushing or painting. “That means the gray external surface of the tank isn’t very pretty,” Ms. Gamboa said. “But the Supernatural is not only the most corrosion-resistant tank you can buy, it’s also the easiest to maintain—and dive professionals tell us they care more about those benefits than initial appearance, especially since unpainted or stripped aluminum tanks eventually turn gray, anyway, when exposed to water.”
Owners of large tank fleets will especially benefit from the ease of maintenance offered by the Supernatural. “We think they’ll find that our ‘ugly’ tank is actually beautiful,” Ms. Gamboa said.
For more information about Luxfer Supernatural scuba tanks, call Luxfer customer service toll-free at 800-764-0366.

[dsteding]

I saw a pretty ugly barnacle-covered AL80 on the bottom of Cove 2 today. Looked similar to this tank, not sure if it is the same . . .

[CompuDude]

Hmm, Hollywoodivers has a tank that looks an awful lot like that on the showroom floor... I wonder if that was it?

[Ben V]

If you happen to see one at the local shop check it out will you... I'm looking to make up a stage bottle....

[rjack]

I have various Luxfer 80s that I stripped the paint off. Various ages dating back to the early days of Luxfer using 6061 (1989). Most of them have some sort of funky gray anodizing on them underneath. Seems fairly smooth compared to the "brushed" finish. They have some spots where Luxfer made them "round" (I suspect) cause the grey was sanded through before it was painted. I can't tell you how they hold up cause I haven't used them for that long. 1 or 2 yrs at most. I'm wondering if this is the default finish and Luxfer is now marketing it to skip the brushing etc. and save some production costs.

[TobinGeorge]

I'm wondering if this is the default finish and Luxfer is now marketing it to skip the brushing etc. and save some production costs.

Less is sometimes more, especially is you can make it a feature .

With metal costs what they are I can't blame them.

Tobin

[rjack]

They do look very much like that finish although not quite so even toned. Right down to the machined neck area. Sneaky marketers

[ajhill]

Hey,

Fewer steps to make--more profit for the makers. And all those factory blems and now be tossed in. No more B stock.

Amazing the crap that marketers come up with and try to sell us on the "benefits".

Nuts!