Din fittings are great!

[jdf]

My husband & I traveled to Malaysia (pre-tsunami) for a business trip and managed to get in a few dives. Unfortunately, we were unable to use our own regulators because the people we were diving with only had din valves on their tanks and no adaptors. (We were guests of the Malaysian Fire Dept. and they brought us out on their rescue boat.)

Since then, my husband bought me a new B-2 for Christmas with a DIN fitting so that we will never run into that problem again and is sending his in to have it switched over. I am surprised that this type of fitting is not more widely used. I loved it because it is more secure and less likely to leak. Also, it doesn't take up as much room behind your head so you are not always bumping it.

Any thoughts anyone?

Janet

 

[Mo2vation]

My husband & I traveled to Malaysia (pre-tsunami) for a business trip and managed to get in a few dives. Unfortunately, we were unable to use our own regulators because the people we were diving with only had din valves on their tanks and no adaptors. (We were guests of the Malaysian Fire Dept. and they brought us out on their rescue boat.)

Since then, my husband bought me a new B-2 for Christmas with a DIN fitting so that we will never run into that problem again and is sending his in to have it switched over. I am surprised that this type of fitting is not more widely used. I loved it because it is more secure and less likely to leak. Also, it doesn't take up as much room behind your head so you are not always bumping it.

Any thoughts anyone?

Janet

The rest of the world needs to catch on. (actually, maybe WE need to catch on...) Not likely, with the immense rental stock out there all sporting Y(j)oke fittings. Until people stop buying and diving pretty, jelly bean aluminum tanks, get used to Y(j)oke hanging out.

Be sure you get the DIN to Y(j)oke adapter, so you can take your regs on vacation or wherever you go and strap them on any tank - as you've seen, DIN is much harder to find.

---
Ken

 

[Henryville]

You're right on the money. I can't figure why these are not more standard, except for the cynical view that no one would ever "upgrade" to yoke fittings, while they would to DINs. Hence the opportunity to sell $50 - $100 worth of upgrade, plus the labor at an authorized shop to put them on in order to avoid squelching the warranty.

 

[jdf]

I have used my DIN regulator with the adapter a few times. At first, because of the added length it was uncomfortable. Now at my LDS's suggestion, I am putting it on backwards, since my DIN swivels, and it looks like it will be alot more comfortable. We bought 2 steel 80's with DIN valves and I don't want to give them up. My husband is stuck with our A63's until his regulator is converted and then we will convert the rest of our tanks to DIN.

I hope DINs catch on so that at least some will be available on dive boats.

Janet

 

[sfsusa]

DIN: Abbreviation for Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute of Standards). The vast majority of European divers use DIN valves (DIN is only approved standard for scuba valve in Germany). The majority of Scuba resorts (e.g. the Maldives) with European influence use tanks with DIN valves.

However, Thermo Pro Valves come in DIN / Yoke (A-Clamp in UK) configuration. You can use the same tank with DIN or Yoke the 1st stage regulators.

 

[ScottZeagle]

Just remeber to bring along a couple of extra o-rings!!! They sometimes stay with the tank when the reg is removed!

Scott ( DIN diver as well )

 

[jdf]

Just remeber to bring along a couple of extra o-rings!!! They sometimes stay with the tank when the reg is removed!

Scott ( DIN diver as well )

Scott,

Thanks for the tip! Also, as one parachuting enthusiast to another--great BCD design.

Janet

 

[Hoosier]

The popularity between the din and yoke setup reminds me of the war between VHS and Beta on the VCR market. In many countries including Asia, Din set up used to be more prevailed than yoke set up as NAUI has been more common than PADI… Even, many tech divers prefer the din set up to yoke one, but, in recent days, this trend has been changed from Din to Yoke like PADI is getting more popular than NAUI. That is, the scuba market in other world has been more influenced by U.S. market. I have to admit that PADI (Put Another Dollar In) has done the darn good business in the scuba market.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I like the lower profile and snag free traits of a DIN valve and have converted all of my regs and tanks.

But given the expense of coverting all of the yoke equipped regs and standard K valves out there as well as the institutional inertia involved, I don't see the standard K-valve disappearing anytime soon.

The need to convert is also not really there for the majority of divers. The increased security of the DIN connection is a true enough argument but it is also a moot point as the yoke design is not prone to failing under normal conditions anyway. So unless you are diving in wrecks or caves, it is not essential to change to DIN.

And on the downside, a DIN valve is more likely to retain water droplets in the valve and they are harder to blow out before a fill. So there is a greater potential for ignorant shop monkeys to blow water droplets into the tank if it is filled while the valve is still wet.

I do however forsee the time when K-valves are no longer produced as they will be totally replaced by convertible 232 bar DIN/K valves due to their flexible nature. A decade or so after that happens and rental tanks equipped with DIN/K valves are the norm, it will then make economic sense for divers to upgrade their personal regs to DIN or just buy a new DIN equipped reg.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Welcome to the metric world my dear..........makes so much sense hey???