Yoke vs. DIN

[Mndiv]

I very recently completed the pool part of my training, and I can't wait to take my 4 Open Water Dives on July 16-17.

I've mentioned this in another discussion but it might have been a little to off topic so here goes.
Our instructor was explaining to us the difference between Yoke and DIN first stages and how you can go from DIN to Yoke using a converter, but if you have a Yoke first stage and you have a DIN tank...well that sucks. I thought there must be a price difference but they are about the same. I am from Germany which invented the DIN, and I heard its all over Europe and Asia is 50-50 with both systems.

Then my question is, why not get DIN + the converter if you can get use any tank rather than Yoke in which case you can only use Yoke tanks. (Also I heard that DIN can withstand higher pressures and the O-ring is more protected).

Please correct me is this logic is to simple minded or if there is more to it, but if this is the case then I would surely get a DIN reg. That said I am "about as newbie as you can be" and am free to any feedback

Cheers

 

[BoltSnap]

I very recently completed the pool part of my training, and I can't wait to take my 4 Open Water Dives on July 16-17.


Then my question is, why not get DIN + the converter if you can get use any tank rather than Yoke in which case you can only use Yoke tanks. (Also I heard that DIN can withstand higher pressures and the O-ring is more protected).

Please correct me is this logic is to simple minded or if there is more to it, but if this is the case then I would surely get a DIN reg. That said I am "about as newbie as you can be" and am free to any feedback

Cheers

What you are saying is possible and doable but the only issue is that when you mount that DIN first stage with the Yoke adapter on a regular tank valve, the regulator first stage will stick out more away from the valve and closer to your head. This will increase the chances that the first stage will touch you in the head.

If you are going to be diving in Germany most likely the tanks that you will use or buy there will have hybrid (DIN with Yoke adapter) valves and thus you can use your DIN first stage on it with the fill station will still be able to fill it using the Yoke adapter that fits on the Tank valve not the regulator.

If I were you and living and diving in Germany, I'd most likely buy a regulator with DIN first stage. If and when you decide to go on a dive vacation in a place where they only have tanks with regular valves, I'd take my regulator to the dive shop and have them install the Yoke setup instead of the DIN.

 

[eelnoraa]

I heard its all over Europe and Asia is 50-50 with both systems.

This is wrong. I have never been to a place where I cannot rent Yoke tanks. But 90% of the dive shop I have visited don't have DIN tank for rent. If you have a DIN reg and will be using rental tank. You reg will have the adaptor attached 99% of the time.

Here is my take. If you don't already own DIN valve tanks, which means you will be using rental, go with Yoke. Din-to-yoke adaptor will push the 1st stage further away from the tank valve. Depending on your setup, you head may be heading the first stage when you are in the proper diving posture.

 

[daz88]

I got a new reg awhile back and went with the DIN setup. I got the DIN to yoke adapter to use when I go somewhere that doesn't have DIN valves. The adapter makes it stick out a little bit more but not that much. When I went on a trip and had to use the adapter I didn't notice it at all. I think I did about 20 dives with the adpater on and not once did I get feel the reg hit the back of my head or anything. I would guess it depends on what kind of reg you get and how you set up your tank for diving if the little bit extra will affect you or not. I like the DIN setup and it easy to screw the adapter on & off.

 

[g1138]

Shops that offer tech diving will probably have DIN tanks that are yoke adaptable. Some DIN tanks can accept Yoke screws that turn the tank into a yolk tank. It's becoming very very common, and I think most shops would chose this type of DIN because it allows them to reach a wider public.

DIN is more reliably safe in the thought that at a low pressure, say 300psi, you could hit your tank hard enough to break the seal on a Yoke fitting and then there goes all your air. The likelihood of that happening is very little, but it increases if you're in a cave or wreck.
With DIN you have 5-9 threads that all hold your DIN 1st stage onto the tank. Yoke only has one lip.
If you're aware of your surroundings then the likihood of hitting your tank valve is pretty much 0.

Another pro of DIN is that you are in charge of your own O-ring, where as with Yokes you rely on the tank to have a good Oring. In high tourist areas you may have to change the Oring on your rental tank, since it gets so much use.
Most shops will change the Oring for you. All you have to do is show them it leaks with your reg.

For recreational open water diving both will be perfectly safe. In this case, buying a DIN for the sole purpose of that one safety point, is like buying NASCAR seatbelts for your SUV. Better protection if you're in an auto accident, but major overkill for your local trip to the grocery store.

 

[dbulmer]

MnDiv,
When you buy a tank in the UK for example the tank is supplied with a round insert. By removing the round insert with an Allen key the tank is converted from A clamp to DIN. It takes seconds to remove and seconds to add.

A dive operator with a lot of tanks will not bother swapping the insert in and out because time is money for the operator.

In practical terms diving the DIN reg with the converter ( I am speaking of the regulator now) does move the 1st stage out a little bit but as Daz88 points out it should not be noticeable underwater unless you are trying to reach the valve for some reason. (ie the rare event - hopefully - that air is not switched on).

 

[jscott099]

The instructor was not 100% correct about having a yolk first stage and a DIN tank (actually DIN valve is the better word since you could mount either one on a tank). I have both Thermo and DiveRite DIN valves and both kinds have an insert that screws into the DIN port and makes it a yolk-style connection. The is useful when I decide to use my tanks/valves normally set up for tech diving (with DIN valves and 1st stage) for open water diving (with DIN, converter, and yolk first stage).

 

[Mndiv]

Wow already so many comments!! I should probably clarify something. Although I am from Germany and I visit it every year, I have as of now not thought of actually diving there. If I got DIN, and the adapter it would be in order to make sure that I could dive anywhere no matter what tanks they use and that at some point in the future I might go to Germany. If anyone has a picture of a Yoke tank valve with a DIN and converter attached that might help...

And as of this point, I have no intention of buying my own tank, as I have also heard that maintenance is about as much as rental unless you dive quite a lot!

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I think this is a geography question more than an equipment question, and for those of us in the Western Hemisphere it is no question at all. The same is true for the South Pacific. Yoke in all those places is either predominant or exclusive. So the question is not where you are from, but where will you be diving?
DivemasterDennis

 

[FWADIVER]

if you are worried about compatibility 99.9% of all resort destinations are going to be using yoke, din then comes down to personal choice for recreation diving.