How to choose the best scuba regulator for your diving
Over my decades of scuba diving, I have owned and dived with every regulator imaginable. My students ask all the time, “Hey Joe, what regulator should I buy?” The reality is, most diving regulators available these days are pretty darn good.
Given that, it’s more a matter of appropriateness for the type of diving you plan to do than it is a question of quality. What I will say about quality is buy a name-brand regulator that you can get serviced easily. The last thing you want is a regulator that’s ready to be serviced and parts aren’t available and no one can work on it.
Later, I’ll touch on a few brands and models, but I think it will be more helpful to explore types of regulators, materials and features. My hope is to cover things you may not think about, but matter a lot.
Scuba Regulator First Stage: DIN vs Yoke
First, it is important to know the difference between a DIN and Yoke fitting on your regulator’s first stage. The “standard” regulator first stage has a yoke fitting. This is what you probably used in your open water course and you’ll see the vast majority of divers using most of the time.
Yoke fittings go over the tank valve and have a thumbwheel that tightens from the back. It is by far the most common valve. I hear people qualify that statement, by adding, “in the US,” but I travel all over the world and can tell you, yoke is the most common scuba tank valve everywhere.
Your first thought might be, “if yoke valves are so common, I’ll get that.” However, there are some reasons you might want to explore further before you decide. Yoke fittings aren’t as secure as DIN fittings. This mainly for two reasons. The first is the o-ring. Both fittings use an o-ring to seal your regulator first stage to the tank. With a yoke valve, the o-ring is attached to the tank valve.
That means the o-ring is subject to wear every time the tank is filled. It is also exposed to the elements. In most cases, o-rings on yoke valves need to be replaced way more often. Usually, if you see a trickle of bubbles coming from a diver’s first stage attachment, it’ll be a yoke fitting.
They are also higher profile and more prone to failure due to impact. In recreational diving, that’s not a major risk, but in overhead diving, or on technical dives where there’s no direct access to the surface, that can be a major safety factor.
An small issue with yoke valves is they are usually higher profile than their DIN counterparts. In other words, they stick out farther and can bump the back of smaller diver’s heads. I’m 5’9” and my head hits the valve if I look up, so you don’t have to be that small for this to be an issue. That said, it isn’t a major problem.
Disadvantages of Yoke Valves
- Yoke valves provide a less secure fitting than DIN valves
- Yoke valves tend to have leaky o-rings more often
- Higher profile than DIN valve fittings
- More prone to failure due to impact
- Some dive resorts, especially remote ones, don’t have DIN tanks
Advantages of Yoke Valves
- They are everywhere, so there are no special considerations when traveling
- That’s about it
DIN regulator fittings, on the other hand, screw directly into the valve. The o-ring is “captured” in a groove in the regulator’s first stage. They tend to stay put and aren’t subjected to wear every time the tank is filled.
DIN is also a lower profile fitting, so they stick our less where your head is likely to be.
Many divers will point out that DIN is a higher pressure fitting. Yoke is limited to 232 Bar, whereas DIN can handle working pressures up to 300 Bar. That is mostly an academic problem, however, since 230 Bar translates to 3442 PSI. That just happens to be the rated pressure for Faber and other steel scuba cylinders, so both valves work fine.
I can only think of one instance where pressure rating is an issue. Sherwood Genesis scuba cylinders from the 1990s are rated at 3500 PSI. These are 300 Bar DIN fittings only. Chances are you’ll never see one, although they are around. They are awesome tanks, actually.
For travel, DIN first stages can be converted to Yoke fittings by using a simple, spin-on adapter. I have about a dozen of these and use them anytime a dive travel destination does’t have DIN tanks available. They work great, but stick out slightly farther than the yoke version of the same regulator without the adapter (oh well…).
Advantages of Scuba DIN Fittings and Valves
- Much more secure fitting due to the captured o-ring
- Smaller profile is less likely to come in contact with underwater structure
- Higher pressure rating
- They make you look like one of the cool kids
- Less o-ring wear
Disadvantages of Scuba DIN Fittings and Valves
- In rare cases, more expensive than their yoke counterparts
- Requires an adapter if DIN tanks are unavailable
Pro Valves: Convertible from DIN to Yoke
With DIN becoming more common, Thermo Valves (probably other manufactures too) makes a valve with an insert that can be removed to turn your yoke valve into a DIN valve. I have Pro Valves on every single tank I own, which is an embarrassingly high number.
So, what’s better? DIN or yoke valves?
Simply put, buy a DIN regulator. DIN valves for scuba diving make sense for all the reasons I outlined. And, since you can use a DIN regulator on a yoke tank, I can’t think of any reason not to go with DIN. This is especially true if you own your own tanks. Buy a DIN regulator and a DIN to yoke adapter. You’ll be all set for whatever diving opportunity comes up.
Scuba Regulator Ports – High & Low Pressure Port Considerations
Personally, the number and location of high pressure and low pressure ports is more important than almost anything else. Regulator ports don’t get much attention in regulator reviews. Most reviews are written by recreational divers and most of those dive in warm water.
When your diving calls for more hoses and more complex hose routing, port placement is critical. For recreational diving in cold water, a typical port requirement is 4 low pressure (LP) ports and 1 high pressure (HP) port:
Low Pressure Ports
- Primary Regulator
- Alternate Air Source / Octopus Second Stage
- Drysuit Inflator
High Pressure Ports
- Submersible Pressure Gauge / Computer / Transmitter
Most regulator first stages will have enough ports to connect all of these hoses. It is common to have two high pressure ports, one on each side, so that you can attach the first stage with either end pointing up or down and be able to keep your pressure gauge on the correct side.
I’ve seen a few divers use a pressure gauge on one side and a transmitter on the other. Personally, I think that’s pointless, but I won’t judge.
Low pressure port placement is a big deal because this determines where your hoses will run.
In recreational diving, if you are using an octopus second stage regulator, you’ll want that on the same side as your primary regulator. In most configurations, you’ll want to screw the octopus hose into a port that’s behind and/or below your primary.
In some configurations, recreational DIR diving for example, you may want something different. If you use a safe second stage, like the Aqualung Air Source or Scubapro Air2, you only need the left side LP port to supply that, plus a drysuit inflator if you use one.
Sidemount Scuba Hose Routing
Moving to sidemount changes a lot. This is especially true for technical diving in cold water. Both first stages will have a second stage, plus a submersible pressure gauge. The left first stage will require your BCD inflater (or wing), plus your drysuit inflator.
Depending on the port configuration, it can be challenging to rout the hoses where you want. I’ll get into sidemount house routing in a future article, but the main issue here is getting your second stage where you want it.
My warm water sidemount regulators are Hollis DC3 first stages. I like them a lot for warm water, but the ports aren’t symmetrical. As a result, if I try to mount them to the tanks in a mirror configuration, the HP ports cause the short hoses to stick out at different angles. The LP ports aren’t much better.
However, the Hollis DC3 first stages are also very compact, so mounting them side by side doesn’t pose a problem and doesn’t look weird. DC3 first stages aren’t perfect for sidemount, but they are pretty good, and very compact and reliable.
My cold water sidemount regulators are Apeks XTX50 with DS4 first stages. Mine have turrets, so there’s a little flexibility in terms of routing. I don’t personally favor the turrets, but hose placement is good and the DS4 first stages are symmetrical, so I can orient them one up and one down. Mirroring them is important because the first stages are longer and I want to keep the bulky end clear of the tank valve knobs.
If you are a sidemount diver, or are planning to become one, talk to your instructor before buying regulators. Feel free to reach out to me also. I am happy to help you. If you are near Reno, you can contact me to arrange a sidemount diving course for either recreational or technical diving.
Backmount Doubles Hose Routing
The main consideration for port placement in doubles is keeping your valve knobs and isolator accessible. The typical configuration is to rout your hoses inward and downward.
My hands down favorite regulators for doubles are the Apeks Tek3 set. These are basically DS4 first stages that have all the ports on the same side. They are mirrored and look awesome too. The second stages are XTX50.
Are Apeks Tek3s the best regulator for doubles… it depends. There are many regulators that are ultra-reliable and suitable for technical diving. Scubapro, Hollis, Dive Rite and others all make awesome regs. What’s critical is hose routing, which means if the ports align with your double configuration, you’ll be in good shape.
Regulator First Stages with Rotating Turrets
I already mentioned my DS4 first stages have the LP ports mounted to rotating turrets. Turrets can add flexibility to house routing, but not it may or may not matter. My preference is for regulators that don’t have turrets, but allow for my preferred hose layout without them. Turrets make Mose regulator second stages longer and usually need to be oriented with the turret on top for single tank configurations.
Top up orientation make the regulator first stage higher profile, which may be an annoyance for some divers.
Regulator First Stage Orientation
Some regulators mount to the scuba cylinder from the end with the hose ports sticking out in sort of a starfish configuration. Some of these can be quite long (where your head is), but not all of them. This is probably the least flexible configuration, but that’s not always bad.
I’d say the majority of regulator first stages mount to the tank from the side. This allows you plan your hose routing with the bulky part of the regular oriented facing up or down (as long as you have 2 HP ports). Regardless of whether the first stage has a turret, this is usually a more compact and flexible configuration. The most flexible will also be a DIN regulator.
Regulator Compactness
You may have noticed, I’ve almost exclusively concentrated on the regulator first stage. This is because in many ways, your regulator first stage is the nucleus of your scuba system. Every component of your scuba diving system is connected to the regulator first stage.
You may also have noticed I frequently distinguish between warm and cold water diving gear choices. My warm water diving gear obviously needs to be functional and reliable, but also compact and lightweight for travel. That’s why I have two sets of sidemount regulators. Hollis DC3 first stages travel better than Apeks DS4 first stages.
The Apeks regulators are far more cold tolerant and a better regulator I’m general. But DS4s are easily a pound heavier than DC3s, probably 2 pounds heavier or more for travel. I’ve never checked.
Regardless, I always prefer more compact regulators as long as I can route hoses cleanly. Second stages are all relatively the same size, but some are more compact than others. Second stages are typically lightweight though, so most don’t cause problems when trying to meet airline weight restrictions.
There are extremely compact regulators like the Aqualung Helix Compact Pro among others. All the same considerations apply. I love the form factor of small regulators, and will probably one day replace my Hollis regulators for warm water sidemount travel.
Regulator Cold Tolerance
This is where first stage regulators play a bigger role. Many first stages are adjustable to be “tuned” throughout the dive. Some have a “Venturi” adjustment lever to aid with ease of breathing. In my experience, nearly all well-maintained regulators breathe acceptably well. But, there is a huge variation in how well the resist free flow in cold water.
Being able to “de-tune” your regulator can help, but also makes your regulator harder to breathe from. Also, keep in mind, much of a scuba regulator’s cold tolerance is determined by the first stage. Sealed regulators are designed to resist cold water free flow. Also, balanced regulators tend to be more cold water tolerant.
Some regulator first and second stages are manufactured with materials that resist freezing. If cold water performance is important to you, look for EN250:2014 certification, the official standard indicating the regulator has been tested in extreme conditions.
Diving Regulator Comfort
I’ve brought up more than once about regulators that bump the back of your head while diving. In terms of comfort, there’s a lot more to consider. The main consideration is how comfortable your second stage is toward the end of the dive. I urge you to choose a diving regulator with a lightweight second stage—especially if you conduct long dives or multiple dives in a day. Over time, holding the weight of your regulator with your teeth starts to really suck.
Also, your choice of mouthpiece can (will) be a major factor relative to jaw fatigue. If your regulator is uncomfortable, try a different mouthpiece. There are probably a dozen different styles at least. Most of them are cheap and only take a minute to change.
Hose lengths can play a role in comfort as well, as can hose material. Hoses that are too short or too long tend to pull or push your regulator second into odd positions. Braided hoses are softer than rubber hoses, but may not be as durable. If you go with braided hoses (I like them, personally), buy Miflex brand hoses. They are more expensive than some low-cost hoses that look the same, but they’re not the same.
I’ve used a lot of crappy braided hoses and the crimps leak after surprisingly few dives. I’ve had hoses emit a stream of bubbles over the hose’s entire length. Also, cheap high pressure hoses get obnoxiously stiff. Some start out that way.
I know several highly respected technical and rebreather diving instructors that insist their students use standard rubber hoses. Just something to think about.
Scuba Regulator Breathing Resistance
Also related to diving comfort is breathing resistance. Breathing resistance is often referred to as work of breathing (WOB), a term that’s in almost every conversation in the rebreather diving community.
In open circuit diving, breathing resistance is more of a factor for deep, technical diving. However, inexpensive and poorly tuned regulators can breathe pretty hard. That said, even a cheap regulator from a name brand will be pretty easy to breathe from. Maintenance is key.
Final Thoughts on Choosing a Scuba Regulator
As I mentioned earlier, most scuba regulators are good. Some are great. Maintenance is always vitally important. Choose a name brand regulator. If you aren’t sure about your configuration, list everything you have that must be connected to each side. Look at the regulator’s port locations to see that there are enough ports and that your hoses will point the right directions. Email me if you’re unsure. I am happy to help.
I recommend choosing a DIN regulator, especially if you own your own scuba tanks. Bring a DIN adapter with you on dive trips, or call ahead to make sure your destination has DIN cylinders on hand. (If you go to Bonaire, bring your own. Buddy Dive rents them for some crazy high price.)
As always, I welcome your comments!