Another "which regulator" thread

[mala]

Okay, well, that's a nice fantasy, but in the U.S. and caribbean the vast majority of rental tanks on charters and at resorts are yoke tanks. So you either have a reg that works with those or you try free diving.

I'm not sure what the big fascination with DIN is. It is definitely better for overhead or tight spots as there is a reduced entanglement risk. It is also 'probably' (meaning there's no proof of this, but it makes sense) better for very high pressure applications. But for regular 3000 PSI rental tanks in OW, there is no problem with the yoke connection, and there are thousands of dives every single day to prove that.

One issue that frequently comes up is the reliability of yoke vs DIN. But these comments are invariably based on comparing rental yoke tanks, that get abused and knocked around, to personal DIN tanks. This is not a fair comparison at all. DIN valves would get knocked out-of-round and threads dinged up if they were used in the way that resort yoke tanks are, and I strongly suspect there would be just as many (meaning a few) problems with them as you see with resort yoke tanks.

its a matter of attitude.
if you want to dive second rate gear because the local dive operations only have yoke tanks then fine.
they wont upgrade untill you do.

check out what the top boys are doing.
they dont go din because its in fashion.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

For what the OP is describing as his most likely diving,I would not try to sell him a HOG. I'd recommend the new Edge EXP for what he is looking for and go with the Edge Octo and since he has a computer a simple two gauge console, depth and spg. As for a compass I'm partial to wrist mounts and would suggest that. The EXP has a MAP of 239.99 and the octo is 89.99. Gauge console for another 130 or so depending on model or just an spg in a boot for around 85 and he's set. My GF is diving the EXP with her drysuit and loves it. It is a solid reg that breathes great. So on the high end he's at 460 and on the low end at 415 MAP prices.

And in reference to the post just before this, yoke regs are not second rate or low end gear. They just suit a certain segment of the industry and at least with the Edge regs perform just as well as the HOGs in the conditions they are designed for.

 

[ams511]

its a matter of attitude.
if you want to dive second rate gear because the local dive operations only have yoke tanks then fine.
they wont upgrade untill you do.

check out what the top boys are doing.
they dont go din because its in fashion.

Your comment about " its a matter of attitude" is not helpful at all. If the OP shows up at dive operation that has only yoke tanks with a din regulator he has three choices: 1) Use an adapter, 2) Rent a regulator, or 3) Chose not to dive because the tank valve is "second rate". The top boys here use din because they are using high pressure (sometimes overfilled) tanks. At 3000 psi, there shouldn't be a problem with yoke connection.

 

[eelnoraa]

Okay, well, that's a nice fantasy, but in the U.S. and caribbean the vast majority of rental tanks on charters and at resorts are yoke tanks. So you either have a reg that works with those or you try free diving.

I'm not sure what the big fascination with DIN is. It is definitely better for overhead or tight spots as there is a reduced entanglement risk. It is also 'probably' (meaning there's no proof of this, but it makes sense) better for very high pressure applications. But for regular 3000 PSI rental tanks in OW, there is no problem with the yoke connection, and there are thousands of dives every single day to prove that.

One issue that frequently comes up is the reliability of yoke vs DIN. But these comments are invariably based on comparing rental yoke tanks, that get abused and knocked around, to personal DIN tanks. This is not a fair comparison at all. DIN valves would get knocked out-of-round and threads dinged up if they were used in the way that resort yoke tanks are, and I strongly suspect there would be just as many (meaning a few) problems with them as you see with resort yoke tanks.

I have always stand on the same side as Halocline on DIN vs Yoke issue. And I came to this conclusion with my personal expereince. I started with DIN single tank setup, hated it. Few shop rent DIN tank, locally or in destination (SE Asia). The DIN has yoke adaptor on 99% of the time. I had to ask myself why even bother. Saying DIN is a more secured connection in this case is absolutely ridiculous.

And then the yoke adaptor also pushes the 1st stage another inch closer to my head, making me very unconformtable. I hated it so much replaced it with a Yoke fitting within 25 dives. Now, I still maintain a Yoke set for single tank, both local diving and traveling. I use DIN for double, but that is because I own the tank.

My suggestion here is to get Yoke for single tank. By the time you start diving double, tech, overhead, ... the equipment cost involve in this kind of diving will be so high that buying an extra DIN 1st stage will be the least of your worry.

And as for HOG/EDGE brand equipment. They are indeed very high quality. I am impressed with each piece of their equipment so far. However, I still think being able to have local support for regulator is very important. So before you buy them, check wih your LDS. And if you decide to buy them, PM Jim L.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm on the yolk side of the fence too.
Yolk isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Yolk has been around since the beginning, tried and trued, absolutely nothing wrong with it.
I get people once in a great while bragging and all smug about their DIN. Cool, have a great day.

 

[ppatin]

I ended up going with an Edge EXP that I bought through Jim Lapenta and was very happy with that I got. I returned from my first trip that I used it on yesterday. Very happy with the reg, didn't notice a dramatic difference in how it breathes but the pull did feel a bit easier than with rental units I have used in the past. I never had any issues with it free flowing or anything of that nature.

Now that I'm back are they any recommendations for maintenance/storage? The most common advice seems to be store it in a dry, dark place with no stress on the hoses. I rinsed the reg before I left, and I guess I'll rinse the second stages again before I put them away. I'm a little wary of immersing the first stage in water for too long when it's not attached to an air source. Any other advice?