Silent Submersion DPVs

[StacyD]

I have an Silent Submersion Viper LiFe that I'd like to sell and I'm not sure if what they're selling for used. Does anyone have any insights? I listed it for $2,500 and haven't gotten a lot of interest, I'm wondering if it's priced too high. Are people buying used SS Vipers?

 

[JohnnyC]

Old UV’s are going for $700-$1000ish depending on size and battery/battery life.

The Vipers are sort of a weird in-between that don’t have the desirability of the Magnus/Minnus, and the cheap project aspect of the UV’s. They’re kind of outclassed in the market by their peers. Unfortunately, that usually means you’re not gonna be able to move it for a reasonable price since everyone either wants something better, or wants a project.

You could leave it at $2500 and wait for someone who wants it, or decide on an OBO that doesn’t leave you pissed off. Personally, depending on condition, I’d offer $1500 and figure we’d settle somewhere in the middle. I know that’s probably not what you want to hear, but they just don’t have the desirability of other scooters on the second hand market. Doesn’t make them bad scooters, just weirdly positioned in the market.

 

[StacyD]

Sold! Lol. Thanks for the insight, I appreciate it! I priced it expecting that I would negotiate, so I might not be too far off on price then (?) We'll see what happens. The "OBO" isn't a bad idea either.

 

[tbone1004]

I bought mine for $1800 2 years ago and it still has 80% battery life. I had to buy a new charger, but the chargers from SS are horrible anyway and is what caused a huge amount of battery failures with the Life batteries so you should bin them and get a real one anyway.
What @JohnnyC said though is correct. For what they are, they're a strange scooter and are very much outclassed by the competition.

 

[StacyD]

@tbone1004 - Thanks for your insight! Good to know what they're selling for.

 

[Ouvea]

tbone1004/JohnnyC:

Sorry that it's off topic but just wanted your insight on this. Why do the Vipers not have the desirability of the Magnus/Minus? I can see the Minus for the obvious reason that it's much smaller DPV and some will appreciate its reduced size and weight. However, the Magnus is the same size as the Viper and the same weight. At least, from the specification chart on the manufacturer's website, the Viper has "about the same range" as the Magnus. The Magnus does have a brushless motor but isn't sealed so if it leaks, the entire scooter is gone, where the brushed motor is sealed (at least from what I have read on-line). Does not having to replace the brush board have that much more of an appeal?

I've gone on dives with others that have the Suex XJ37 and they are extremely slow compares to my Viper (I have the Lipo 777wh battery). At Speed 2 and max pitch, I easily pull away from XJ37s on max speed and some with the four blade propellers. I usually have to dial back to around 7-8 on the pitch know so the XJ37 can keep up with me. Do the Vipers lack the run time as opposed to a Cuda400 with Li-Io or the new Piranhas?

The Genesis DPVs are clearly above the rest in terms of run time and torque. Appreciate your thoughts on this.

Thanks,
O.

 

[victorzamora]

Magnus/Minnus have brushless motors, and the Magnus is considered a "flagship" scooter. Both of those features help with resale value.

Also, the Viper LiFe has a history of the battery not lasting as long (lifespan as well as burn time) as well as being slower than the Viper Lipo. The Viper Lipo is worth (to me, at least) a notable amount more than the Viper LiFe (almost 50% more range, faster, same size/weight, etc).

The Viper Lipo will get like 75% more run time than the Cuda400/Piranha P1 (360Wh). The Piranha P2 should give comparable to the Viper LiPo. The Viper LiFe should get nearly 50% longer run than the P1 or Cuda400.

The Magnus is notably faster than the Viper LiPo with a noticeably longer range (more than the 950/888Wh vs 777Wh would directly imply).

This is a notably Florida-centric viewpoint, but:
Over the last couple/few years, used DPV prices have taken a pretty noticeable dive. The UV18/26 that Johnny said are going for $700-$1000 today were going for $2k+ just a few years ago. A used Magnus was hard to find much under ~$5500, but can be had now for ~$4k. Vipers used to go for ~$3000/$3500 for LiFe/LiPo but are now going for $2000/$2500 or so (maybe $3k for a nice Viper LiPo). I think the biggest factors in impacting the price drops are the increase in competition in the DPV market especially in/near cave country. DiveX never penetrated Florida very much, nor did Genesis or Suex (Halcyon for a while). A few years ago, Bonex and Suex got a lot more support. It seems like they also updated models just prior to the increased US-based (and FL-friendly) support, which were very much welcomed after years of SS stagnation.