First set of regulators for a newbie?

[lamarpaulski]

Yeah ! This is a good deal I was just looking at. Yoke is what you want also as a USA based new diver. Good seller too.

The used set seems pricy and there is always an unknown in used. Serving regs is pretty expensive too and a used probably ought to be serviced...thats 150$ +-.


TX50 Regulator Set Yoke - Dive Right in Scuba

DRiS is having a sale this weekend. I would say the above is almost impossible to beat for a new diver looking for their first reg set.[/QUOTE]

 

[Caveeagle]

I had a 1st stage 30+ yrs without a service.. But , That is a different story..

Jim...

Probably nobody wants to go on record saying that a 1yr service interval is overkill, because there are just way to may variables and when gear stops working divers lives are potentially at risk. It seems like many manufacturers are now recommending 2yr or ~100(?) dives between service, but be sure to refer to your own maker.

It's just my opinion, but there is a certain amount of failure one can expect from new service parts, even if they are installed correctly. ie HP or LP seats that will not reliably hold pressure. So... over-servicing regs just because of some arbitrary date on the calendar can actually introduce more risk. So, if you have well cared for regs that are working fine and have IP within spec after 13 months, I see no reason to tear them apart.

And, there is a huge difference between 1-3 years and "30+" years. O-rings degrade and become brittle, lubricants can degrade and contaminants build up over time. I also have at least one 1st stage that was last rebuilt in the early 90's and is still breathing great and holding IP. Will I dive it? ...Yes I have, but I am very familiar with its performance specs and I check things like IP way more often than most people.

 

[oldschoolto]

There is a long post about the regulator set.. It's age, and the dive it finally failed on.. Then a autopsy by Herman (3rd party) and photos of the inside and the fail HP seat... It's a good read...

Jim...

 

[stuartv]

Probably nobody wants to go on record saying that a 1yr service interval is overkill, because there are just way to may variables and when gear stops working divers lives are potentially at risk. It seems like many manufacturers are now recommending 2yr or ~100(?) dives between service

I think with any of them they say "X years or Y dives - whichever comes first." They are not giving license to go 5 years between services if you only do 20 dives per year.

 

[Jherny]

There is a long post about the regulator set.. It's age, and the dive it finally failed on.. Then a autopsy by Herman (3rd party) and photos of the inside and the fail HP seat... It's a good read...

Jim...

What is it under? I'd like to read it

 

[stuartv]

Yeah ! This is a good deal I was just looking at. Yoke is what you want also as a USA based new diver.

I'm a USA-based diver. I have never regretted buying DIN regs for even a moment. On the other hand, my buddy who bought a yoke reg set was in a pickle when he showed up for a dive where he was going to use borrowed tanks and they turned out to have 300 bar DIN valves.

You can use a DIN reg on every tank (possibly with an adapter). You can NOT use a yoke reg on every tank. There is no adapter to fit a yoke 1st stage on a 300 bar DIN valve. I have 8 tanks (not counting 30 and 40s). All purchased used, in pairs, and all came with 300 bar DIN valves, so I don't think they are THAT uncommon...

I have had to use my DIN-to-yoke adapter maybe 4 times in over 100 dives. Of course, whenever I have traveled somewhere and booked myself on a dive charter, I have always taken a couple of extra minutes to ask the dive operator if they have tanks with DIN or convertible valves. Most of the time, they've been able to make sure I had tanks with convertible valves. Like I said, it has only been a couple of times where they could not and I had to use my adapter.

A DIN 1st stage is universal, and it's technically better. The world is moving towards DIN (or convertible) valves. The world is definitely not moving towards yoke-only valves. A DIN-to-yoke adapter is $20 from DGX. Converting a yoke reg to DIN will cost at least double that, even if you buy the part and do the conversion yourself. It makes no sense (to me) at all, for anyone to buy yoke regs. Carry a DIN reg, a DIN-to-yoke adapter, and 2 hex wrenches to fit the inserts on any convertible valve and you can use any tank - and use most tanks without the adapter.

 

[oldschoolto]

What is it under? I'd like to read it

It's in Near misses and lessons.. Name of post is Super free -flow

Jim

 

[stuartv]

What is it under? I'd like to read it

Super Free - Flow...

 

[lamarpaulski]

Stuart,

I like DIN too and have some regs and tanks w DIN. One tank is 30 years old. DIN seems more secure and is needed for hp but yoke is pretty tried and true too.

BUT for a new diver ( new diver was the poster) or even most divers yoke is a bit simpler and more sensible deal. Imho

If the world is going to DIN I havent noticed in the thirty years I have had DIN. Almost seems like there is some backsliding. DIN is rare here in California..didn't notice many in Fiji or Indonesia or Vanuatu or Cozumel or Caymans. Yoke reg certainly accepted without issue everywhere I have been recreational diving

USA was also going to convert to the metric system when I was a kid, 40 years ago.

 

[stuartv]

Stuart,

I like DIN too and have some regs and tanks w DIN. One tank is 30 years old. DIN seems more secure and is needed for hp but yoke is pretty tried and true too.

BUT for a new diver ( new diver was the poster) or even most divers yoke is a bit simpler and more sensible deal. Imho

If the world is going to DIN I havent noticed in the thirty years I have had DIN. Almost seems like there is some backsliding. DIN is rare here in California..didn't notice many in Fiji or Indonesia or Vanuatu or Cozumel or Caymans. Yoke reg certainly accepted without issue everywhere I have been recreational diving

USA was also going to convert to the metric system when I was a kid, 40 years ago.

Hey Lamar,

I realize that yoke is certainly not going to disappear in our lifetime. LOL But, I bought regs as soon as I finished OW. DIN. I don't see anything simpler or more sensible about yoke. Just different.

The big thing to me is that one design can be used on anything and one cannot. And the universal design costs $20 for an adapter to use on yoke, whereas if you want to use a yoke reg on a 300 bar DIN valve, you have to spend $40 or more (at least, for the regs I have) for a part and then (most likely for a new-ish diver) pay a shop to actually do the conversion for you. The downside to using DIN is almost zero. Some people say it makes the 1st stage closer to the the back of their head and they bump it. Others (like me, for example) don't notice any issue when using a DIN-to-yoke adapter.

So, if one is universal and one is not. And the universal one is cheaper to "adapt", and there's no significant downside, why NOT go with the universal solution? You have DIN. You agree DIN is more secure. Why would you recommend anything else? Saying yoke is simpler or more sensible doesn't make any sense to me. I think that might only be true at all for people who've been around diving a lot and are used to yoke and not very used to DIN. For new divers who aren't used to either, I don't see how they would think yoke is simpler or more sensible.

Any diver who thinks DIN is complicated or doesn't make sense probably shouldn't be buying their own regs in the first place. They should probably rent regs from someone who knows how to care for and service them. Because they are surely not likely to grasp basics like rinsing in fresh water and NOT pressing the purge valve when there's no pressure in the line (just for one example).

Anyway, just my thoughts as a diver who bought a DIN reg immediately after finishing OW training.