[Disclaimer: By reading the below article, you release me from any and all responsibility and acknowledge that diving and diving equipment is accompanied by risk of injury or even death. You also acknowledge the necessity of proper training from a licensed instructor prior to beginning Scuba Diving or diving beyond your current level of training (or with new/unfamiliar equipment)]
Writing this fresh from the boat, and a polite buddy pair who had just picked up their first regulators.
Of course, and with my commendation, they went for DIN – as did I after trying it many years ago.
The challenge of this particular pair though, was that they hadn’t researched what the prevalence of DIN vs. Yoke(a.k.a A Clamp) tanks were in the location they were diving. As murphy would have it, Bahrain still primarily utilizes Yoke fittings, NOT DIN, and thus should you have a DIN regulator, you must request a tank with a DIN fitting when booking your trip. This being said, you should ALWAYS have a DIN to Yoke adapter in your bag in case someone makes a mistake while loading the boat that day. Obviously, while diving in areas that primarily use DIN fittings, having a Yoke to DIN plug is a smart choice too – however, as these are far cheaper and smaller, centers tend to have at least 2 rusting away in their spare parts kit at any time.
So, what’s the difference between DIN and Yoke? For the sake of expediency, I shall simplify – a DIN regulator screws into the tank valve, a Yoke regulator clamps onto the tank valve – hence its alternate name, ‘A-Clamp’.
As with everything in diving, there are proponents for both fittings, advantages and disadvantages etc.
Let’s look for a moment at the advantages of a Din fitting:
– The o-ring is in the regulator instead of the tank, meaning that small ring of rubber is treat to the same luxurious care as the rest of your regulator. This is unlike Yoke regulators, which use an o-ring which sits in the tank valve, and thus in some cases may even spend 180 days a year in seriously hot outdoor conditions (at least in Bahrain).
– Though I can quote no scientific studies, many divers consider DIN regulators to be safer than Yoke regulators when it comes to the potential for O-Ring failiure.
– An easily overlooked advantage is also the fact that, with only ‘the screw’, DIN regulators are potentially lighter as they do not require a bulky stainless steel clamping mechanism. Of course, while this results in a lighter regulator, it also results in a more compact first stage – perfect for travel.
– Lastly, the removal of the A-Clamp on a Yoke regulator results in a more streamlined set of scuba equipment. The A-Clamp is a perfect snag hazard for lines etc, while on a DIN regulator, lines have to snag on the valve or hoses in order to cause a concern.
With all that said, let’s now look at a few disadvantages of DIN regulators:
– We should ALL be diving with reputable dive centers, or, properly maintaining tanks we dive, however some dive centers only converting to carrying DIN cylinders in the last 5 years are still really learning how to properly care for them. Thus, I’ve personally found tanks with debris build-up on the valve threads resulting in a situation where the DIN regulator cannot be screwed in.
– Sticking with the topic of maintenance, the ‘seat’ of the valve upon which the DIN regulator’s O-Ring sits against to establish a seal can also be a location of debris build-up, eventually resulting in poor or no seal at all. This issue can be remedied more easily than the one before it by using an alan key to clear some of the debris – ideally, however, the tank valve should be kept properly maintained to the point at which this issue should never occur – in a perfect world, of course.
In terms of Yoke
There are both advantages and disadvantages as before.
– Yoke is generally easier to use, and many parts of the world train solely on Yoke, with students not being introduced to other options until they reach the level of Technical Diving (if they ever do, it’s not for everyone).
– From what I have seen thus far, for those living in locations where qualified AND capable service technicians are few and far between, Yoke is easier to maintain over time when it comes to corrosion/debris build-up on the threads of the A-Clamp – simply unscrew, clean with the correct brush, apply a lubricating and protective agent and screw back into the clamp. No such easy fix is available with DIN – certainly brush the threads if you are knowledable and so inclined to do so, but do NOT lubricate
Moving forward now to the disadvantages of Yoke first stages.
– As was said previously, some say DIN regulators are safer and more reliable when it comes to O-Ring failiures, resulting in a lower fail rate (while I have no scientific evidence at this time to back up that statement). Speaking though from personal experience, all my O-Ring failiures have occured with Yok regulators (between 3 & 5 in quite a number of years).
Thus, there it is, I hope this somewhat lengthy article may add a few ideas to your decision making process. As always, you are responsible for your own safety – whether it is this website or whatever online forum you choose to frequent, how do you know whether we are really qualified to make such statements?
I personally will continue to choose DIN first stages, and leave you with this closing remark:
Wherever you dive, it is intensly important to check in advance whether Yoke or DIN are the frequently used fittings. If you have a doubt, then THE RESPONSIBILITY SITS WITH YOU to carry the correct adaptor(particularly if you are a DIN user).
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