Who makes the nicest DIN Valves?

[Hipshot]

I am in the process of switching all of my tanks over to DIN valves and I would like a little input from the board members here as to who makes the nicest ones. On my Catalina alum 80s I currently have Genisis yoke valves and they are very nice and appear much better made than my other Sherwood valves. Does Genisis make DIN valves too? Are they as nice as their yokes? I don't mind paying more $$$ for the best made valves, I just don't know who makes the best valves or where to get them. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[fdog]

My personal preference for single valves is Thermo. A good reputable source is DiveRite Express.

All the best, James

 

[Hipshot]

What about manifolds with ISO? I have heard the Halcyon stuff is nice. I will check out the Thermo stuff, thanks for the reply. If anyone knows if Genisis makes manifolds and or DIN valves and where they can be seen or bought I would really like to check them out as well. If they make other valves as well as their yoke valves I would be willing to bet they are very nice.

 

[PerroneFord]

I have seen a number of DIN valves. Clearly I'm not expert. I've seen the Thermo, the Halcyon, and Sherwoods in stores. I've seen others on tanks. Though I do have a number of Halcyon bits of gear, I am no "H" shill. However, after looking at their valves, I think I like them better than the others I've seen. The action on the valve is very nice, handwheel is nice, and the finish is very nice as well.

As for isolation manifolds, I like the Halcyon again, the Sea-Elite which is nearly identical and quite a lot cheaper (leaning toward this one) and the Thermo. I do NOT like the Sherwood Manifold at all.

Just my $.02

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have Thermo DIN valves on most of my tanks. They are well made and the chrome is quite durable. You can get them in 300 bar or 232 DIN/K versions.

I like them for backgas as they roll on and off quickly (about 3 turns compared to 5 for most others.) But that same trait makes them less desirable for deco bottles as they seem to be either "on" or "off" and I prefer to pressurize regs with high O2 mixes rather slowly. I have some Scubapro DIN valve that work well in that application as they will open very gradually.

 

[fdog]

Manifolds: mine are Sea Elite. Same manufacturer as Halcyon (a company in Italy, IIRC) and about 1 1/2 turns from open to closed.

I guess I've been lucky with my Thermos; from closed, they open about 1/4 turn before they "catch", and then the gas flow as they open is very slow at first.

If you get Thermos, make sure they have the rubber handwheels. You can sniff around for deals. Every once in a while a great sale surfaces, like this one.

All the best, James

 

[pescador775]

Some new valves like Thermo put out a blast with a slight turn of the wheel. After they've been used for a month they calm down and are amenable to dribbling gas. Anyone who uses an O2 analyzer may have noticed this. As for the Thermo construction, very solid, very no nonsense.