April 2000

Vol. 15, No. 4     What's this?

Dacor Problems

from the April, 2000 issue of Undercurrent  

Divers who have had difficulty getting Dacor gear repaired should find things improving, at least in the short term. Although Dacor had their parts inventory stored for several months while they moved their operation to Connecticut, things have been unpacked and parts are once again available. However, this won’t eliminate problems we have been hearing about with some models of Dacor regulators. Free-flow leaks in the Extreme/Enduro regs have been hard to eliminate short of cranking down the tension, making the regulators hard to breathe. And the new Vipers have been problems for a large number of their owners. Problems reportedly begin with a loud “bang,” after which the regulator may quit working, start chattering, or hit the diver in the mouth. Problems with both units seem to be design flaws that aren’t readily reparable. Given these problems and the fact that new owner HTM hasn’t been very effective at promoting the line, improvements don’t seem to be on the horizon. Dacor's outlook could look grim if the company is not pulled together soon.