XS Scuba Faber High Pressure Steel Scuba Tank

XS Scuba Faber High Pressure Steel Tank: A Serious Steel Cylinder for Divers Ready to Ditch the Lead

The XS Scuba Faber High Pressure Steel Tank is a chromium molybdenum steel scuba cylinder built for divers who want more control over their buoyancy and less weight on their hips.

If you are a recreational diver who has been diving aluminum tanks and noticed you need a heavy weight belt to stay trimmed, this cylinder deserves a serious look.

Why Steel Changes the Way You Dive

Most rental and entry-level setups run aluminum cylinders. Aluminum tanks work, but they have a well-known quirk: as you breathe down the air, the tank becomes positively buoyant near the end of a dive. To compensate, you carry extra lead on your belt or in your BCD pockets.

Steel behaves differently. The Faber stays negatively buoyant throughout the entire dive, from the moment you enter the water to the moment you surface. When full, this tank runs between -8.05 and -9.08 lbs negative buoyancy. Even empty, the buoyancy shift is modest, ranging from -1.74 lbs to +1.45 lbs depending on the size you choose.

That consistency means you can remove lead from your belt or BCD pockets and let the tank carry some of that ballast for you. The weight moves to your back, which improves your trim in the water, particularly if you dive a back-inflation or wing-style BCD.

Construction and Durability

Faber builds these cylinders from chromium molybdenum steel, a high-tension alloy chosen for its strength-to-weight ratio. The outside gets a triple layer of protection: zinc spray, then epoxy, then polyurethane paint. That layering is designed to resist corrosion in saltwater environments over the long term.

The cylinder has a round bottom and ships with a tank boot included, so it sits stably on a boat deck or pier without scratching the hull or rolling.

Working pressure is 3442 psi (237 bar), which is the high-pressure end of recreational steel cylinders. That higher pressure is part of how Faber fits more gas into a physically smaller cylinder compared to standard-pressure alternatives.

All cylinders meet US Department of Transportation (DOT) certification under special permit 13488, and Transport Canada (TC) under special permit SU7694-237.

One important note: the valve is not threaded onto the cylinder when shipped. The tank will need a visual inspection before it can be filled for the first time. Factor that into your setup timeline.

Sizes Available

The Faber HP line covers a range of sizes rather than a single volume. The specs across the range are:

The weight range is worth paying attention to. At up to 42.4 lbs before gas, the larger sizes are genuinely heavy cylinders to carry on land. If you walk long distances to your entry point, or if physical handling on a boat is a concern, factor that in when choosing your size.

The Valve: Yoke or DIN, Your Choice

The included Thermo DIN/Yoke Pro valve is a meaningful part of this package, not just a fitting to ignore.

It ships as a standard yoke outlet (the A-clamp style found on most recreational regulators) with a 1/4-inch hex spin-out adapter that converts it to a 230 bar DIN outlet. DIN regulators screw directly into the valve rather than clamping over it, which many experienced divers prefer for a more secure connection. Being able to switch between the two means this tank works with whatever first stage you own now, and with whatever you upgrade to later.

The valve body is machined from marine grade brass with triple bright chrome plating, designed for repeated saltwater exposure. Stems are chrome plated for corrosion resistance. All O-rings are Viton and EPDM, lubricated with Christo-Lube MGC-111, a lubricant compatible with oxygen-enriched gas mixtures.

The handwheel has a soft rubber grip with large ribs and a stainless steel insert. It is designed to be easy to turn even with gloves on, which matters in cold water.

Nitrox Compatibility

The valve is factory cleaned for nitrox up to 40% oxygen (O2). The high-pressure seat is nylon, which is appropriate for oxygen-enriched gas. The inlet threads are standard 3/4"-14 NPSM, compatible with nearly all DOT aluminum and modern steel cylinders.

If you are already diving nitrox or planning to get certified, this tank is ready without any additional cleaning or valve work up to that 40% limit. Above 40% O2, you would need oxygen-service cleaning, which this valve does not cover out of the box.

Who This Tank Is Not For

If you dive occasionally, rent gear at the shop, or travel frequently by air, owning a steel cylinder may not make practical sense. Steel tanks are a long-term investment that pays off when you dive regularly with your own equipment.

If you dive with a standard yoke regulator and never plan to switch to DIN, the convertible valve is still fine, but you are carrying a feature you may never use.

And if buoyancy control is something you are still developing, sorting out the reduced lead requirements that come with a steel cylinder is one more variable to manage. It is not a reason to avoid it, but it is worth discussing with your instructor or a local dive shop before your first fill.

The Bottom Line

The XS Scuba Faber HP Steel Tank is a well-built, professionally specified cylinder for the recreational diver who is ready to own their kit and wants better buoyancy behavior than aluminum provides.

The consistent negative buoyancy, the convertible valve, and the nitrox-ready construction make it a practical long-term choice rather than a novelty upgrade. Faber's manufacturing reputation in the cylinder industry is strong, and the DOT and TC certifications confirm this is not a cut-corner product.

If you have been diving long enough to feel the limitations of aluminum and you want a cylinder that works with you rather than against you at the end of a dive, this is a solid place to land.