About to buy first regulator set - DIN or yoke?

[jsarche]

I’m close to buying my first regulator setup and wavering between a DIN or yoke first stage. So far, 95-plus percent of my diving has been in the US or the Caribbean, and all my rental gear has been yoke. But who knows where I’ll be going in the future … and for that reason, im leaning toward buying DIN along with a yoke adapter. Does this make sense, or am I better off just buying yoke?

 

[tbone1004]

This is one of those where I tend to be somewhat hypocritical about beginning with the end in mind.

Unless you have technical diving in your near future I would recommend getting yoke. Unless you're doing a ton of diving in Europe you are unlikely to encounter a tank with a 300bar DIN valve on it that won't have a yoke insert on it to use with your yoke regulator. In the Caribbean however you are not guaranteed to find 200bar din valves and/or the yoke inserts are often stuck in the valve which forces you to use a yoke adapter. I can't stand diving with yoke adapters as they are not only quite heavy but they also push the regulator out and you tend to whack your head on the first stage.

While I own over 2 dozen regulators and the vast majority of them are DIN, I have 2 first stages that stay yoke for when I travel. DIN isn't worth the potential hassle for reef diving.

 

[Addison Snyder]

There's adapters to change one over to the other, for what it's worth. I'd suggest DIN because resale value is going to be higher (in addition to being just better overall), but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[L13]

@tbone1004 is absolutely correct. I've graduated to sidemount, with DIN regs, and still don't regret my first yoke reg, in fact I love having it. However, I regret my second yoke reg, but that is a different story. I don't plan to buy any more any time soon, but I'm glad I got a yoke for my first.

 

[Scuba Scott]

As someone who uses DIN...

Go with yoke. It is much more common just about everywhere.
If you are doing technical diving or diving in an area that mostly DIN tanks are available or you dive only with tanks you personally own then DIN is the better option. It sounds like you will be using an adapter on 99-100% of your dives and that sounds pretty hard to justify.
Yoke tanks are available for tourists even in areas that are primarily DIN.

I use DIN because most of my diving is local with tanks I personally own. When I travel I can almost always request a DIN tank and I rarely have to use an adapter.

In the end, it's up to you. Are you OK with diving with an adapter most of the time?

 

[L13]

As someone who uses DIN...

Go with yoke... It sounds like you will be using an adapter on 99-100% of your dives and that sounds pretty hard to justify.

even if it's less than 99%, if it is the majority of dive's then follow @Scuba Scott 's advice.

 

[Scuba Scott]

I'd suggest DIN because resale value is going to be higher

As someone who sells a lot of regs, I am not sure where you get this, unless it is some local phenomena.
DIN & yoke are generally the same price until you add the adapter, then the cost of the adapter makes the DIN more expensive.
The laws of supply & demand would imply that people in general are more familiar with yoke so DIN would be harder to sell. Of course this all goes out the window if you live in cave country and are selling exclusively to tech divers.
Don't buy regs with resale value in mind. Buy them as something that will last you forever and you never plan on selling.
Every yoke reg I sell can easily be converted to DIN somewhere down the line if that is what the owner decides. It's just a part swap that can be done during servicing. It wouldn't be necessary to sell and replace your reg but I would also be happy to sell anyone a new set.

 

[davehicks]

If you buy a Yoke regulator you can also buy a DIN connector from the same vendor. I know for Scubapro you can buy the DIN fitting that works on most of their models for under $50 on Amazon. Swapping out the Yoke or Din is the work of 5 minutes with some basic tools. Call your dive operator and find out what tank valves they have. I prefer DIN but can pop the yoke back on if I am going someplace that does not support it.

If you are concerned about torque wrenches, you can accomplish the same result with a standard wrench and a luggage scale.

How to Calculate Torque Without a Torque Wrench? Pro Tips

So many people will not have a torque wrench in their toolkit because they simply don’t need it that often—maybe three to four times a year. Understandably, they don’t think it’s worth investing a hundred or even a few hundred dollars (from quality brands) in getting a torque wrench. The story...

thesprucetools.com

 

[Addison Snyder]

unless it is some local phenomena.

I live in cave country, so it probably is. 99% of the boats on the keys have tanks fitted for DIN with the little screw-in adapters for yoke, and I've never had issues there.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

My recommendation whenever I'm asked is always DIN with a Yoke adapter if ever necessary. Most rental tanks these days are convertible pro valves and the operator can remove the insert for you. For me it comes down to safety. DIN is simply a more secure fitting. I see blown o-rings on Yoke regs ALL THE TIME. Never on a DIN. Now it pretty much always blows on the boat when the tank is first pressurized, but I prefer a reg that isn't prone to blowing the sealing o-ring. Also, DIN can handle higher pressures. Most regulators of the same make support 232 BAR for yoke and 300 BAR for DIN. Now I do almost 100% local diving with my own tanks, so that colors my preference.

On the flip side, if you are staying recreational and will do alot of travel, a yoke might be a better option. But make sure you ALWAYS check the tank o-ring and keep spare yoke o-rings in your save-a-dive kit in case the operator is out. You WILL occasionally have blown yoke o-rings.