dacor regulator

[Nerissa]

i recently got a dacor eagle sport as a gift is this a good regulator. i don't know much about this company any good or bad information would be useful.

Thanks

 

[rescuediver009]

Well I will start with Dacor is now owned by Mares and depending on where you are, it may be difficult to imposssible to find parts for your reg. I know that where I am it is the later. The reg is comparable with the Mares MR12. An entry level balanced diaphragm regulator that will satisfy your needs. Good for the beginning to early advanced diver. Not a bad reg.

 

[GotAir]

I agree with rescuediver009
Dacor and Mares
Are some of the reg's I still use today. but i have a servicing dealer close to me also.
for just planO sport diving in warm water you got a great gift.

GotAir

 

[Greg Barlow]

i recently got a dacor eagle sport as a gift is this a good regulator. i don't know much about this company any good or bad information would be useful.

Thanks

The Eagle Sport is a very good recreational regulator. It is essentially a Mares Proton example with the proven MR12 first stage. The parts issue is not an issue, as the Proton is so popular that parts will be available for at least a decade or more. For those inclined to bash Dacor/Mares for their "repackaging" of gear, I suggest that you look closely at the Apeks/Aqua-Lung regs. Heck, for that matter, just look at the electronics or automobile industry.

The reg that you received as a gift will pass U.S. Navy class "A" standards done to around 130'. It provides enough gas flow for two divers at a a fairly heavy exertion level at depths down to around 100'. Very few recreational dives can ever approach these levels.

Greg Barlow
Former Science Editor for Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine

 

[Moogyboy]

i recently got a dacor eagle sport as a gift is this a good regulator. i don't know much about this company any good or bad information would be useful.

Thanks

hi Nerissa!

Take what I say with a grain of salt, I am quite opinionated.

The Dacor brand has been around a long, long time, and used to be quite respectable. But recently the old Dacor company was bought out by the European manufacturer Mares. If you search around the forum you will hear a lot of people bashing Dacor for several reasons. Most of it revolves around the Mares buyout, specifically the fact that they no longer support most pre-Mares Dacor equipment--boatloads of Dacor users now are finding it difficult to impossible to get their old regs serviced. The long-term commitment to their products may be questionable, although some have pointed out that Mares isn't legally responsible for supporting products they didn't make. Others (myself included) harp on the gimmicky, marketing-driven approach to product design that Dacor took in the '90s; and also Dacor has this reputation, deserved or otherwise, as being non-"serious", consumer-oriented schlock. (Almost anyone here will tell you to stay away from the HUB buoyancy compensator, for example, as attractive as it might appear at first.)

Basically since you have a brand new Dacor reg you probably won't have any trouble, at least as long as they continue manufacturing the Eagle. Mares seems to have a pretty good reputation for quality so you may have nothing to worry about. However, as a new diver who may not know much about Dacor, be aware of the "new" Mares-owned Dacor and the "old" Dacor...all things labeled Dacor are not the same. Basically, if you're committed to Dacor, stay with their new stuff, and avoid any of their gear older than three years or so.

SO

Say your Eagle is just the bee's knees, and you want to get a low-cost octo for it...say you find an Enduro or Pacer octo for cheap on ebay (and ebay is FLOODED with inexpensive Dacor gear, which is why I'm warning you not to bite). What a great deal! Then in May before your big trip to Cozumel you take it in, and your LDS tells you that they can't do the annual or any other kind of service on it because they no longer supplies parts for it or support it in any way. But there's this nice NEW one over here he can cut you a deal on...

Personally I've used mostly Dacor gear ever since I started diving, primarilly because my LDS was a dealer. All of my stuff is "old" Dacor, so I'll leave opinions about the Eagle to others. Because of the service issue (and because I don't like my Viper TEC reg anyway) I am now in the process of re-equipping myself with other brands.

Apologies for my long-windedness, I love to write. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment from your new reg!

cheers

Billy S.

 

[Always Breath]

Regs are generalkly good.
However the idiots in connecticut who run the US distribution, should all be fired. They have no clue as to how to run a supply chain nor how to manage a dealer network.