DIN or Yoke first stage?

[Doubles]

I use DIN and don't mind having to use a yoke adapter when traveling or on live-aboards.

There are pro's/cons to both. It comes down to personal perference and what type of diving you are going to do. If you think you may someday embark on Cave or Wreck Penetration dives, then DIN would be the better choice. As has already been said, if you bang the 1st stage into some other hard object (cave overhead, or steel bulkhead) the DIN is probably going to be more secure than a yoke.

You get more flexibility with HP setups with DIN over Yoke, but a lot of tanks are now in the Yoke pressure range.

Another nice thing about DIN is that the O-ring is on the reg, and not on the tank valve face.

Cheers

 

[NorthernShrinkage]

It would also be nice to see a lot more regs come DIN standard instead of having to get the kit . :mooner: Anyone need some unused yoke parts:huh:

 

[terrasmak]

I really like DIN, it's streamlined and you don't have to worry if the mangled O-Ring on the tank will work out. Unfortunatly some dive shops don't even know what DIN is! I've asked some dive shops and they'll look at you as if you're crazy and ask "What is DIN?".

One of my LDS's was like that , i brought in my tank and the person couldnt figure out how to hook it up to fill. The worse part is the fill whip had a yoke adapter on it , i unscrewed it for her and got my tank filled.

 

[Whale Whisperer]

One of my LDS's was like that , i brought in my tank and the person couldnt figure out how to hook it up to fill. The worse part is the fill whip had a yoke adapter on it , i unscrewed it for her and got my tank filled.

Isn't that funny and frustrating at the same time? I bet she learned something new that day!

I went to a dive shop in Guam to rent tanks and asked if they had tanks that had "Pro Valves", Nobody knew what that was so I further explained to them that it was a "K" valve that can be converted from a Yoke to DIN fitting by removing the Insert with an Allen Wrench.... All I got was blank stares and looks of confusion lol. Not one of the several staff members new what DIN was! Crap!!!

 

[Felon_Monk]

my friend said it best, "If your the average diver i can understand you not knowing what a Pro valve is. But its a totally different story if you work in a dive shop. Its your job to know about all the equipment." .. personally id be a little aprehensive about a shop that didnt even know what din was...

 

[spectrum]

Start by identifying HP cylinders you plan to use. If they are the 3442 PSI psuedo HP cylinders then the option of all yoke all the time is a viable one with nearly any contemporary yoke.

Next are you comfortable with the yoke connection? In many cases divers (self included) choose DIN since we consider it to be a better connection period and we are equipped with DIN valved cylinders for our local use, where I hope you will be diving regularly.

Now we have travel. If you have a DIN regulator you can get an adpter that puts a yoke on the regulator and lets you connect to a resort/rental cylinder. Depending on your specific regulator and how high you run your cylinder this may or may not pose a problem. It can make a long regulator such as the one poking the girlfriend in the head.

It is also possible to swap the connector on you regulator between DIN and yoke. This is a little more invasive and requires some willingness to put a wrench to your regulator or visit the dive shop often. An adapter or alternate connector will cost around $50 so the cost is a toss-up.

Pete

 

[spectrum]

All I got was blank stares and looks of confusion lol. Not one of the several staff members new what DIN was! Crap!!!

That's very common almost anyplace. If they do not have it avaialble or for sale they will play ignorant to discount the idea. "If we don't know about it it must not be importatnt or good". It's an extension of the dive shop "god" and supplier of "life support" mentality.


In other cases they are either untrained or operating in tunnel vision. I am frequently amazed at what shops are underinformed about. By the time you get to an offshore resort you are dealing with a very low common demoninator. This is not a slur, they just offer a simple vanilla gear configuration that everyone recognizes. AL80, Sherwood Brutt, Sherwood Silhouette, Weights crudely cast from salvage.........

Pete

 

[Doubles]

One of my LDS's was like that , i brought in my tank and the person couldnt figure out how to hook it up to fill. The worse part is the fill whip had a yoke adapter on it , i unscrewed it for her and got my tank filled.

That might be one time I would go look for that air quality inspection certificate - and then a new place for air fills.

Din/Yoke - that isn't too much to expect someone to understand.