DIN is Superior

[LoCz]

Ok iv read alot about diving in the last few weeks and one of the recurring themes seems to be that DIN fittings are far superior to yoke fittings. Then why does the yoke remain in use in the USA if it is inferior? Here in the UK the vast majority of divers use DIN.

Could i get some advice on whether to but a yoke regulator or a DIN. Bearing in mind i will be diving in england only for about the next year but then i will be moving onto Florida to train as an instructor and from there who knows.
Are DIN to yoke converters safe or are there any problems associated with such adapters?

 

[Rick Murchison]

Most high performance regs have both DIN and yoke fittings available, so you don't really have to choose between the two, just buy the other fitting so you can use either. Some (Poseidon, for example) come standard with both.
DIN is a higher pressure fitting - it uses a captured "O" ring and deep threading to handle high pressures. Although widely ignored, the official rating on a yoke is 3000 psi. Regulator DIN fittings are much easier to damage in handling (before screwing them into the tank) because of the exposed threads. Yokes are much quicker to deal with in a fill station - indeed, in the US it isn't unusual for a fill station to have no DIN tank filling capacity at all, or to be limited to 3000 psi fills because they use a yoke-to-DIN adaper to fill DIN tanks. DIN adapters are popular with cavers and wreck penetration divers because once screwed into the tank, they are much less likely to suffer failure from collision with the cave wall or wreck than a yoke. DIN rental tanks in the US are not common.
Hope this helps.
Rick

 

[LoCz]

So you are agreeing with most people in that DIn is safer than Yoke? So baciacally are your saying that the industry is more concerned with the ability to fill tanks quicker than they are with using a safer tank adapter? It sure sounds that way : /

At the end of the day if it is safer then it should be used...surely anything that improves the safety of a diver can only be good. Dont get me wrong Rick these arnt statements of course just more Q's

 

[Rick Murchison]

DIN is "safer" - but that isn't necessarily a mandate for a wholesale change. Yokes are safe for open water diving with standard or LP tanks, less susceptable to damage during routine handling, and easier and quicker to hook up.
For an apt analogy, a Sherman Tank is safer on the highway than a Chevy, but that doesn't mean we should abandon sedans.
Rick

 

[LoCz]

Very nice analogy Thanks rick thats cleared that up for me.

 

[Mario S Caner]

When it's time to buy your own gear, pick up your regs with DIN fittings. You can then pick up the $30 DIN to Yoke adapters, enabling you to use either DIN or Yoke anytime.

The Baur compressor's and fill whips at 90% of the local dive shops are all configured for DIN. They screw on adapters when filling Yoke, which is 80% of the time.

Mario

 

[LoCz]

Thanks guys

 

[Iguana Don]

Just some more info,
There are 2 types of din fittings, 5 thread and 7 thread, the latter for H/P rated up to 4500 psi I believe. This is the fitting that most "techies" or cavers use, not necessarily for the H/P but the Sherman tank analogy will work here.

Don

 

[Jeddah Aquanaut]

When it's time to buy your own gear, pick up your regs with DIN fittings. You can then pick up the $30 DIN to Yoke adapters, enabling you to use either DIN or Yoke anytime.

The Baur compressor's and fill whips at 90% of the local dive shops are all configured for DIN. They screw on adapters when filling Yoke, which is 80% of the time.

Mario

That's what I do. My reg's DIN, but I always have my trusty dusty adapter handy. After almost more than 200 dives almost exclusively with DIN, I am sold on it, as well as steel HP tanks (my Poseidon HP tanks naturally have DIN fittings). I also have two LP steel Aqua Lungs (U.K. manufacture) that I adore to no end. If you take proper care of steel tanks, they're just as safe and long-lasting as Aluminium. The problem might be that for rec diving outfits, it's cheaper to use Aluminium because they stand up to more abuse (ie. water getting in when people suck them dry) than steel, but if you do it right, they're fine. I love DIN. You all can use your sedan, and while I might keep one in the garage if needed, I prefer the Sherman tank (M4A3E8 is nice). I don't know if that analogy is apt, but since it's being used here, I'll stay with it. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Europeans do, but DIN is one of them. You don't have to be a hard core tech diver to prefer DIN. Anyway, I'm not a hardcore anything, nor do I have 2,000 dives or 5,000 postings. However, that's my 2 PSI, for what it's worth.
----Greetings from the (other) Magic Kingdom...

 

[ShakaZulu]

Where can I buy a Sherman tank????