DIN vs YOKE (USA)?

[NauticalNick]

By the way, that means it has nothing to do with DIN v yoke, since your buddies with yokes are still fiddling with their first stage, as well.

Haha I know... just having fun

 

[broncobowsher]

It is more than just removing the plugs.

Modern yoke fill whip connectors attach almost instantly. DIN takes a l o n g time. If you have a number of tanks to do, the time difference between yoke and DIN is huge.

They have quick connect for DIN as well. I remember seeing them at least 5 years ago.

 

[qpdbgp]

First, I'll say I'm not in the US, HOWEVER, a US-based development is why I bought DIN. Second, I just got back from Vanuatu, and quickly realized I didn't need to bring the somewhat heavy adapter with me -- as far as I could tell, all their tanks were DIN with inserts, and both places I dove had allen wrenches to quickly pop out the insert - like they do it all the time.

I'm in Sydney AUS, and the shop where I took my refresher keeps their tanks set up as yoke - they said because they bang their tanks around a lot in the truck and the DIN tops get damaged. So I guess some of their inserts are corroded in - and I use the adapter. Back to my first however - they also started carrying Avelo tanks - which are higher pressure and DIN. I got certified Avelo. I like Avelo, but it's mostly available in the US; so far only one shop in Australia, and I guess they're now setting up in the Philippines. So I bought DIN to potentially be able to use Avelo, with an adapter for everywhere that doesn't have it. Except if I go back to Vanuatu, I know I won't need my adapter there.

Sidenote: when I was shopping around in Sydney, it seemed a lot of places had yoke on sale; clearing out old models? Not so many had DIN in stock. But I wanted DIN to be able to potentially use it for Avelo, so... I didn't get something that was on sale.

 

[TostitoBandito]

I'm in the US and just bought a pair of new regs, taking the opportunity to move to DIN. A few reasons:

• DIN is a superior connection. Threaded is just plain better than a clamp/pressure mounting, and this is why you need DIN for high pressure applications. There's no o-ring in the tank valve like for yoke, so you're not at the mercy of whoever is or isn't maintaining the tanks you're using. One more common point of failure that I can't control eliminated.
• I travel a lot to dive where DIN is commonplace, like much of the Pacific. And even in places where it isn't, pro valves are becoming more and more ubiquitous around the world. For any compatibility concerns, it's easy to carry an adapter to make a DIN reg into yoke, but the opposite doesn't really work (you're relying on pro valves, again on tanks you don't control).
• Smaller and lighter is a nice bonus, both for travel and also in the water.
• The majority of serious divers locally here are using DIN, though they don't necessarily tell you this when you get certified in the US. At least not when I was certified 20+ years ago.

 

[J12345]

Din. Most places I’ve been in US has provalves. Just bring a hex key in case the shop somehow doesn’t have one. Additionally, call ahead, and ask if you want to make sure.

 

[LanceRiley]

i use Din in all of my regs. even for family diving single tanks.

its a hassle to bring in a yoke adaptor everytime… but for those trips where they have din tanks its worth it. less leaks as din regs have the o rings with the reg. as compared to yoke tanks with their o ring…

 

[Moby Dickins]

I use yoke because I didn't know any better when I bought my gear, and it hasn't been an issue so far. If it ever becomes an issue I'll convert to din. Also the yoke screw on my reg is a really nice piece of metal that I enjoy using and looks great.

I'm on dive 40 something by the way, so my opinion is a novice opinion.

 

[bradlw]

I ended up buying a DIN regulator. Just wrapped up a trip with Quiescense in Key Largo. Of course I had my din adapter with me. They use yoles for their rental regulators but had DIN tanks available for me. Worked out well!

 

[LFMarm]

I think the landscape has changed a bit over past 5 years. I always bring 2 yoke adapters but have not had to use them neither in the US nor abroad. I still see plenty of divers with yoke regulators but have not been in a place where they only have yoke tanks.

 

[Almanac]

No problem with DIN in Florida (Gulf, Atlantic, and Keys). We went to Cozumel recently and had no problem getting DIN tanks. I carry a yoke adaptor when I travel and it came in handy when the tank knob was leaking when changing over gear for the second dive. The only other tank on board was yoke and we were glade we brought it.