din or yoke?

[MikeS]

Wendy once bubbled...


Get the DIN and if you travel where you may run into yoke valves on tanks, get a DIN to yoke adapter, they are pretty cheap.

I prefer DIN connectors, as they are more secure. Rather than getting the adaptor, get both. Get the reg with yoke fitting and order the DIN adaptor separately, it cost about the same as the DIN to yoke converter.

There is a difference between the DIN Adaptor and the DIN to Yoke Converter.

The DIN adaptor requires that you remove the Yoke fitting with a wrench and replace it with the DIN adaptor.

The DIN to Yoke Converter connects by hand to a DIN adaptor on the 1st stage and connects to a Yoke tank valve.

Check out the “Optional First Stage DIN Adapter description in the Apeks manual at http://www.sea-quest.com/pages/SQ_comm_techlib/SQ_comm_files/ApeksOM.pdf.

The converter causes the 1st stage to extend farther from the tank valve where it tends to hit me in the back of the head when I look up. Changing the connectors back and forth is simple with a wrench and an Allen Wrench. I carry the unused connector in the save a dive kit along with the required tools.

Mike

 

[GearHead]

MikeS once bubbled...


I prefer DIN connectors, as they are more secure. Rather than getting the adaptor, get both. Get the reg with yoke fitting and order the DIN adaptor separately, it cost about the same as the DIN to yoke converter.

There is a difference between the DIN Adaptor and the DIN to Yoke Converter.

The DIN adaptor requires that you remove the Yoke fitting with a wrench and replace it with the DIN adaptor.

The DIN to Yoke Converter connects by hand to a DIN adaptor on the 1st stage and connects to a Yoke tank valve.

Check out the “Optional First Stage DIN Adapter description in the Apeks manual at http://www.sea-quest.com/pages/SQ_comm_techlib/SQ_comm_files/ApeksOM.pdf.

The converter causes the 1st stage to extend farther from the tank valve where it tends to hit me in the back of the head when I look up. Changing the connectors back and forth is simple with a wrench and an Allen Wrench. I carry the unused connector in the save a dive kit along with the required tools.

Mike

I do exactly the same thing that Mike does and I think it works great. One note, to remove the Yoke attachment, you need a 3/4" wrench, as a crescent wrench won't fit in there. And the Allen Wrench for the DIN connector should be Metric.

 

[Scubaroo]

GearHead once bubbled...
I do exactly the same thing that Mike does and I think it works great. One note, to remove the Yoke attachment, you need a 3/4" wrench, as a crescent wrench won't fit in there. And the Allen Wrench for the DIN connector should be Metric.

Well I do the same thing as MikeS and GearHead - takes all of a minute or two to change over. Just make sure you have a decent wrench to take the yoke fitting off (or get a socket like the ones they sell at www.scubatools.com - not sure if they have to correct one for Apeks though).

 

[DA Aquamaster]

DIN is undeniably more secure but to be fair I have never had a problem with a yoke in 17 years and well over a thousand dives.

From the tank side of the equation however, a DIN valve is more easily damaged than a yoke valve if the valve gets banged around in general handling with no reg on the valve. A metal plug is a good idea both to keep it clean and to keep it supported in case it gets struck. Plastic plugs keep it clean and dry inside but offer no substantial impact protection.

Yoke valves are potentially a little more prone to snagging things and the o-ring is not captured as well as in a DIN connection but they are not really a problem for normal diving. Now if you are scootering through caves....it's a different story.

I use yokes on my regulators primarily as I have 17 tanks and a couple of pony bottles with yoke valves and have only converted four so far to a DIN convertable valve. Eventually I plan to have them all upgraded. But even then I will still have to contend with our air club, which at present does not a have a whip set up for DIN valves which adds another step and complication to the fill process.

IF in your shoes I would still probably buy a yoke regulator for ease of use for the present and buy a matching DIN adapter for future use. In the meantime, I would be sure any tanks or tank valves I bought had DIN valves with inserts to allow the use of a yoke. This will allow you to go either way with your tanks.

 

[Diver0001]

DA Aquamaster once bubbled...
DIN is undeniably more secure but to be fair I have never had a problem with a yoke in 17 years and well over a thousand dives.

<snip>
.

I have. I've seen lots of Orings go. The trick is to maintain the O-rings. I use yoke too (It wasn't a conscious choice, just legacy) and I change my O-rings religiously, even if they're not looking worn out. Every 20 dives. Since I started doing that I haven't had any problems.

Orings that I've seen go under water can freeflow from "light bubbles" to "this dive is over" in intensity. I personally don't think it's a problem for most divers if they're diving with a buddy and not entering an overhead (including deco). But I think if you're going into an overhead that yoke is too vulnerable.

R..

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Diver0001 once bubbled...

The trick is to maintain the O-rings.

I agree with that completely and mine get changed at the start of each season which, per tank, probably works out to around 20 dives. I also dive primarily fresh water which removes the problem of salt crystals chewing on the o-ring.

I don't disagree with the value of DIN valves in overhead environments and that is the driving force behind my sequential and rather costly DIN valve conversion program. But at present I do decompression diving with them.

Then again I also use separate doubles and manage the air to allow enough in either tank to complete the dive on the remaining tank from any point in the dive. It would require a catastrophic failure of both o-rings on a solo dive with no deco tank to leave me airless and force a missed deco stop.

I suspect the odds on that are about the same as having your main and reserve chute both fail while skydiving. (Which is approximately 10,000 to one.)

 

[drbill]

Definitely agree on DIN over yoke.

If you do any dive travel, local or long dustance, it is not always possible to get a DIN tank from the dive shop or boat. That's where your adaptor comes in handy.

Also if you get a HP tank with a DIN valve you may find that some shops/boats can't give you a full fill because they can't do in excess of 3000 or 3200 psi.

One of the reasons I like DIN is that I dive with a HP 120 tank and get two good dives out of each fill (savers $$$). Also have an incredible safety margin if I go into deco.

Dr. Bill

 

[globaldiver]

Get your Apeks with DIN fitting and buy an extra yoke adaptor for travel. The yoke adaptor I like the best is the Poseidon.
It is all metal, and has a very fine quality and fit.


Anders

 

[GoBlue!]

I'm thinking of an ATX200 & am also having the DIN/yoke debate. I don't have my own tanks currently, and I'll be doing a couple weeks/year of diving where I probably won't have access to DIN tanks (charters w/ yokes only, etc.). How much extra space do the DIN-to-yoke adaptors add? Is it really a head-banging problem? Do different manufacturers of the adaptors have better profiles?

(I'll admit I'm not mechanically inclined, and unless it's super simple, probably wouldn't be comfortable converting DIN to yoke before every dive trip where yokes aren't available...call me a weenie, i can take it. ).

Jim

 

[ScubaRon]

An added advantage of DIN is that it can support 300 Bar (4600 psi) tanks. While rare in the US these are fairly common in Europe.
Note that there are actually two types of DIN adapters:
- 200 Bar adapters only fit on 200 Bar tanks
- 300 Bar adapters fit on both 200 and 300 Bar tanks

I recommend going with a 300 Bar DIN regulator and purchasing a separate "Yoke to DIN" adapter. As for the "head banging": the adapter brings the reg about 1/2" closer.

If you want to see pics of how this works, let me know and I can make some.
ScubaRon