Scuba cylinder valves- disappearance of J-valves and metal knobs?

[BillP]

When would you say that K-valves became the clear standard in the marketplace and replaced J-valves to the point that you would have had a hard time buying a new tank with a J-valve?

And when would you say the same thing about plastic cylinder valve knobs replacing metal knobs (on even K-valves) making it hard to find a new tank with a metal valve knob? Was there a time when J-valves had plastic knobs?

Just curious

 

[northernone]

J valves are easily bought online, but most dive shops might not have them in stock. It's special order now.

J valves did/do have plastic hand wheels for a long while. I don't know the proper timeline but own a few. Would guess late 70s was when the shift to K valves became more common. Maybe a decade earlier for plastic handwheels as the metal ones I have are from 50s-60s. I'm backwater in Canada and still dive a few metal handwheel J valve tanks.

Looking forward for the more knowledgeable to post on this topic.

Cameron

 

[BillP]

Thanks northernone

Yeah, I knew that you could still get a J-valve if you want one. I was asking more about when in the days before online sales your local shop wouldn't typically sell a cylinder with a J-valve and you would have to special order it. (And maybe they'd scratch their head a little when you asked for it!)

I still see cylinders with metal knobs occasionally too, but doubt that I've ever seen one for sale on a new tank in a dive shop.

 

[2airishuman]

I have bought old cylinders with K valves with metal handwheels. I've never come across one with a J valve with a plastic handwheel. ::shrug:: Sample size of six or whatever.

The transition from J valves to K valves was mainly about the cost of SPGs dropping to the point where people could afford them.

 

[captain]

I can't give definite years but US Divers valves had plastic on off knobs and J levers in the 1980's and possibly earlier.

 

[Johnoly]

When would you say that K-valves became the clear standard in the marketplace ...

The scuba "marketplace" doesn't change in a day, week or years, it takes awhile for things to become accepted by divers. {ie: nitrox-voodoo gas}
K-valves started just after the late 1960's. If you remember, we started with Pillar valves which no one could get off the tank and broke all the time. Then J-valves with springs to freak us out and rocket to the surface and then like @2airishuman said,,,,,we fell in love with affordable SPG's and K-valves. Lots of other industries like welding etc were using valves very similar to K-valves even back into the 50's and 40's but didn't have affordable underwater salt SPG's.

 

[JamesBon92007]

When I took my scuba course in '69 all or most of the tanks we used had J-valves. I remember this mainly because we were told to keep them in the down/reserve position and never depend upon them but had to calculate our air consumption. Of course the instructors all had Sea Vue gauges and they were about the only ones who could afford them (and they probably got a big discount). The first tank I got was bought in the same year ('69) and it had a K-valve. I wasn't paying attention but I'm thinking they all probably had metal knobs. When I bought more tanks in the early 80s they all had plastic knobs, which I noticed as being different. So, plastic knobs somewhere in the 70s maybe?

 

[simonbeans]

Thanks to VDH, the US Divers catalogs first started showing plastic knobs in 1973. Last metal ones in 1972. Will look into Sportsways, Healthways, etc. for comparison dates.

 

[simonbeans]

Further catalog look gave me these dates for first appearance of plastic knobs:
Sportsways -1966 or 67 (missing 1966 catalog)
Scubapro - 1963
Dacor - after 1969 (No later catalogs at my disposal)
Voit - 1963 with the introduction of the "goofy" J-Valve with pull-out reserve cable
Healthways - 1968

It seems that the plastic valve knob was earlier than realized. I am sure USD didn't offer the plastic knob until their stock of metal ones was depleted.

 

[BillP]

Lots of good info. Thanks to all!