Yoke vs. DIN

[eelnoraa]

The DIN connections however are more for high pressure steel tanks. These require the more secure DIN valves. Low pressure steel tanks can accomodate yoke valves and aluminum rental tanks are just about exclusively yoke.

If you are planning on purchasing a high pressure steel tank in the future for local diving then it would be wise to go DIN. If you plan on diving mostly on vacation the pick the connection you will most likely encounter.

This is totally wrong. Both Yoke and 230bar DIN are more than good enough for handling 3442psi - HP tank. Unless you plan to use tank with higher pressure. DIN is more secured because of the way the connection is made, nothing to do with operating pressure, at least in US.

To OP, if you decided to go with DIN reg with yoke adaptor, try to borrow or rent such a setup to see if 1st stage sticking out is an issue for you. It depends on your rig setup and your physique. In my case, it bothered me enough that I actually went from DIN to Yoke. I will buy DIN 1st reg (2 of them) again when I move to double. The cost of an extra DIN 1st stage, especially if you buy used, is so smaller compare to a tech double setup. I think everyone should agree on this.

 

[Tortuga68]

In Asia, from Maldives right across to Truk, A-clamp(yoke) is the standard. Same as Australia. If you trun up with a DIN reg then you are more than likely have to hire a reg. Some of the shops can provide an adaptor as well as suitable tank but do not count on it

In all my diving around Australia and in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia & the Philippines, I've only once had to use an adapter, and it was supplied by the shop. All the other ops had tanks with the International fitting (DIN with a yoke insert)

 

[Teamcasa]

Here in SoCal, I see more and more DIN regs. This is aided by the convertible valves sold on more and more tanks.

 

[Centrals]

In all my diving around Australia and in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia & the Philippines, I've only once had to use an adapter, and it was supplied by the shop. All the other ops had tanks with the International fitting (DIN with a yoke insert)

I must be very unlucky then!!!!
Anyway, I always convert my Apeks reg from DIN to A-Clamp when I am diving in Asia except for technical diving.

 

[eelnoraa]

Here in SoCal, I see more and more DIN regs. This is aided by the convertible valves sold on more and more tanks.

My guess is that as you dive more and gain more experience, you start to hang out with people who own their own tank instead of renting. Reality is 95% of the rental tanks out there are yoke. In SF Bay area, yeah, I can get DIN rental, but I have to pay more. $6 per weekend for AL80 or $10 for LP77 with pro value, $18 for HP100 with pro valve.

 

[aquaregia]

That's a pretty good price. One of the shops I frequent is $8/day for LP72/AL80/MP80 with pro valves on the MP80s, another is $10/day for AL80/LP80/LP95/HP100/HP119 with pro valves on the 119 and DIN on the (9791) 100s. No surcharge for the steel tanks, however it really looks more like no discount for Al tanks.

 

[rongoodman]

I have a yoke regulator that I got for non-cave/tech travel, everything else is DIN.

 

[Tug]

I have a yoke regulator that I got for non-cave/tech travel, everything else is DIN.

I do the same. I have a yoke first stage that I use when I travel and am not doing deco dives. Aside from that all my regs are DIN.

 

[scubafanatic]

Here in SoCal, I see more and more DIN regs. This is aided by the convertible valves sold on more and more tanks.

There are still a TON of older style yoke only (non-convertable) tanks out there in most 3rd world rental fleets, and I've seen little sign of these tanks being replaced or even upgraded with the modern convertable valves, especially in this economy. I generally feel blessed to see decent shape O-rings in the yoke valves, much less the convertable style valves!

 

[boulderjohn]

What you want to get is not only regional, it depends upon the diving you want to to.

Today I own 9 regulators, and 8 of them are DIN. That was not always the case, though. When I first started diving, I only dived in resorts in primarily tropical destinations. If you look at my profile, you will see that I have been to quite a few places. I completed maybe 400 dives, in almost all of the places listed, before I even saw my first DIN valve. It was not until I started technical diving and bought my first tanks and regulators that I was able to show students in my classes what a DIN valve looked like--there were none in the shop to use for demonstration. I recently had some of my tanks filled in a shop in this area. It is a good thing that I brought an insert for the DIN valves because otherwise that shop would not have been able to fill my tanks. I believe that the person who did the filling had never filled a tank with a DIN valve before.

I am therefore quite positive that many of the divers who live in our area and who do all their diving during warm water vacations have never seen a DIN valve or regulator in their lives.

One of the dive operators in Cozumel uses nothing but steel tanks with DIN valves. I would guess that 90% or more of their customers come with yoke regulators. No problem. They just put the insert into the valve and everything is fine.

If I were to head out to a vacation dive area tomorrow, I would take my one Yoke regulator, because I am darn sure that is what I will find there.