Dacor Extreme Plus Info

[pollywogg]

Hey everybody,
A friend of mine just gave me a beautiful Dacor Extreme Plus Reg. It looks as if it has never seen the water. He couldn't really give me any solid info on it. He said it was given to him as a gift some time ago, and he never used it. He is pretty sure that he recieved it brand new, but can't clearly remember.
But, I digress.
The reg is gorgeous, and it is a very unique reg. It has 4 low pressure ports, 2 on each side. Each set of LP ports is on a swivel. One of the LP ports on each swivel is on an additional swivel. It has one HP port. I have been playing around with it, you can get pretty much any hose configuration you're used to out of this.
It has a primary second and an octo. The absolute only difference from appearances is the color and the primary has a predive adjustment. They both have inhalation adjustment.
The point is, its a very nice reg. However, I already have three full reg setups. I don't really need a fourth right now. I dive DIN, and this is a yoke reg. Also, this reg is too large to use as a pony or stage reg, it is definitely intended for a primary first stage.
After all of this, what I'm getting at is this:
does anyone have any info on this reg? (approximate production time)
is it serviceable?
Really, any info at all would be appreciated. I'm trying to decide if it is worth holding on to. If I were to sell it, how much would it be worth? Ballpark? Could I get enough to hydro/vis my steel 72s I've been sitting on for a month?
It's a nice reg, but at the moment, I don't really need a fourth reg. If it's worth selling, I think I will. However, if not, I might just hold onto it as a backup(in case all three of my other regs suffer a catastropchic failure on the surface, I guess)/conversation piece.

 

[Scuba Cowboy]

This was areally nice reg in its day. It was made by Dacor when they were still owned by Dacor. Unfortunately, when Mares took over they got rid of all older Dacor reg stuff, so this reg is no longer serviceable. There may still be some parts out there, but not from most shops or the manufacturer. It seems these do sell on ebay OK, you might try there. I still have one of the Extreme 1st stages, it needs rebuilding & I'll probably sell it soon. If it is working, you could always gift it to another diver in need, build your diving karma.

 

[oxyhacker]

The Extreme was part of the "modular" series of Dacor regs. They had an inner module which included all the working parts, and slid inside the outer body. The idea was a shop could keep overhauled modules in stock, and just replace the module on an exchange basis when the reg was serviced.

Three problems with this notion. The big one was that most owners didn't want someone else's random guts stuffed in their reg, so the exchange concept didn't work out in real life. And since all the modular regs used the same module, from the cheapest to the most expensive, they all had identical performance. So to try differentiate the line, Dacor just added more ports and more swivels on the higher priced models, culminating in such oddities as the Extreme Plus. Because it was basically a reg-within-a-reg, there were a bunch of extra parts, which made the regs unecessarily complicated. And all those swivels added extra failure points.
That said, they are really handsome units - the old Dacor never spared the brass or chrome. They are also technically interesting , as they were one of the first overbalanced 1sts, increasing the IP as the reg went deeper.

 

[diver1011]

I actually dived this weekend with that same model. I have been using mine for over 10 years. I really like it.

 

[OceansBlue]

I used to own the Dacor Extreme Plus reg, and the Octo was the Enduro unit. This set me lasted me about 13 years. I'm pretty sure that I bought the reg in late '95 or early '96. For all those years it held up well and I never had a problem with it. Although, the design was overcomplicated, at the time Dacor made great equipment. I recently traded it in for an Oceanc EOS since my LDS was no longer able to service it.

 

[tfsails]

I know one thing--they are a challenge to overhaul. I've done exactly one--I still have some kits in stock (sorry folks, they ain't for sale unless you want me to overhaul your reg with it). I'm glad I got to do one before the kits ran out.

The modular concept in itself isn't too difficult to deal with. The bugaboo is all the o-rings on the swivel ends and all that--lots of failure points.

Loosening a tight hose on a double swivel is a challenge until you figure out how to do it.

 

[MikeSK]

I have the same reg/octo. Bought it way back in 96 i think. Mares is offering some kind of trade in program to upgrade these to mares regs. Not sure of the specifics, but since its very hard to get them serviced, (or soon will be) its something i'm going to look into here shortly.

 

[OceansBlue]

Mares is offering some kind of trade in program to upgrade these to mares regs.

Does anyone know what the Mares upgrade consists of (which regs and how much of a discount)? Just curious, even though I upgraded my regs recently.

My LDS has a great upgrade program with Oceanic. Bring in any set of regs, in any condition, and they will give you 20% off the price of an Oceanic reg & octo combintaion. I thik this may be an Oceanic program, so it would be available at most LDS's that carry Oceanic.

 

[ShipWreck Mike]

Mares has re-introduced an upgrade program that lasts until December 31, 2009. If you have a Dacor regulator made in the USA prior to 2000, you can bring it in to an authorized dealer and they will send it to Mares, and they will send your choice of either a Prestige 12 or a Voltrex 22 system for a reduced price. Here are the details:

Mares Prestige 12
Upgrade Program Price: $200 (normal retail is $375)

Diaphragm 1st stage
1 High pressure port, 4 low pressure ports
Compact and lightweight, ideal for travel
2nd stage Mesh Grid reduces freeflow
Nitrox compatible to 40%
VAD and DFC performance features

Mares Voltrex 22
Ugrade Program Price: $300 (normal retail is $450)

Diaphragm 1st stage
High pressure ports, 4 low pressure ports
Moisture Retention System reduces dry mouth
All-temperature compatible, including cold water/ice diving
Nitrox compatible to 40%
VAD and DFC performance features

You must turn in you Dacor 1st stage and primary 2nd stage, which will be sent to Mares. They do not trade-in your gauge console or alternate air source/octopus.

Again, this upgrade program is only good until December 31, 2009 or while Mares has a supply of the Prestige 12 and Voltrex 22 units.

 

[OceansBlue]

I hope this doesn't sound rude, but that trade-in program from Mares kind of sucks. I think I did much better with my LDS for giving me 20% off an Oceanic EOS & an Alpha 8 octo.

Hypothetically, if I'm getting rid of my old Dacor regs, why wouldn't they throw in an octo in that package as well. My Dacor octo is just as old as my primary reg.

I guess in the end, if you're in a pinch and can't get parts to service your old Dacor regs, it's better than nothing.