Dacor Viper America issues

[Gallus-Allus]

I bought a Dacor Viper America in January 04. Due to various sagas over getting me a suitable BC, I didn't check it out in the pool before going to Cozumel i at the end of March. I dived with it once but ended up using my alternate. Prior to this dive I asked my instructor to take a look and he thought it was hard to breathe, but to try it and see for my first dive which was only 25 feet. I borrowed regs for the rest of my vacation...

Since then I've been in the pool once with it and done 4 dives 25-45' with the reg. I still find it very hard to breathe. No joy from the shop - they have adjusted it 3 x and keep telling me it is a great reg and I'm just not doing something right.

I CAN get great flow by breathing so hard it hurts! I'm 5'1" tall, 115 lbs and small build. Maybe this reg would be great for a BIG GUY but not for my relatively small breaths?

Can anyone shed any light on this problem? I feel I'm not getting enough air most of the time because this reg is too hard to breathe.

I'm about to just go buy something else and never buy gear from this store again!

 

[scubatoys]

Viper Americas are inexpensive regs - but should not be causing that kind of trouble. If tuned up right - they will breathe pretty good. Maybe find a different tech that can tune it up - and have them set it for 1" cracking pressure. If you really get to the point where you want to punt on it - we have Viper America 2nd stages for about 70 bucks - or some other second stages at about the same price you could throw on there.

 

[Gallus-Allus]

Viper Americas are inexpensive regs - but should not be causing that kind of trouble. If tuned up right - they will breathe pretty good. Maybe find a different tech that can tune it up - and have them set it for 1" cracking pressure. If you really get to the point where you want to punt on it - we have Viper America 2nd stages for about 70 bucks - or some other second stages at about the same price you could throw on there.

I've had three techs at two different shops look at it. My Viper Octo breathes way better (for me, anyway). The measured flow is better with the octo and yes, everything is in the correct port on the first stage.

One tech who seems to know what he's doing suggested I get an Apeks ATX 50 and use it with my existing first stage. Any thoughts?

 

[mikswi]

I've had three techs at two different shops look at it. My Viper Octo breathes way better (for me, anyway). The measured flow is better with the octo and yes, everything is in the correct port on the first stage.

One tech who seems to know what he's doing suggested I get an Apeks ATX 50 and use it with my existing first stage. Any thoughts?

From a Dacor to a Apeks?! LOL, There are ALLOT of choices in between that range. He's right, that IS a good choice but you started out with a Dacor so, I tend to think that your demands are not that of an Apeks.

No offense but it sounds like a case of selling whats on the shelf as opposed to evaluating your needs. It also sounds like you are being encouraged to buy yourself out a situation that the LDS put you in.

 

[waterwraith]

Before you buy a new reg check into these two items.

1. Is the reg under warranty?
2. Does the dive shop have a customer satisfaction policy?

If it is still under warranty ship it back to Dacor instead of the dive shop. I'm not sure if Dacor will accept that but they might. If the dive shop has a customer satisfaction policy make them change the reg out for a new one. it is common business practice to make sure the customer is satisfied...at least it is hear in Alabama. Also you may want to contact Dacor directly and tell them the problems with the reg and the dive shop it was purchased from.

 

[Gallus-Allus]

Before you buy a new reg check into these two items.

1. Is the reg under warranty?
2. Does the dive shop have a customer satisfaction policy?

If it is still under warranty ship it back to Dacor instead of the dive shop. I'm not sure if Dacor will accept that but they might. If the dive shop has a customer satisfaction policy make them change the reg out for a new one. it is common business practice to make sure the customer is satisfied...at least it is hear in Alabama. Also you may want to contact Dacor directly and tell them the problems with the reg and the dive shop it was purchased from.

The reg is still under warranty. If I ship it back to Dacor I will have no reg and no diving, so I need to buy something else or wait until Nov / Dec when its too cold for me to dive. Not trusting my reg is preventing me from diving more, so I really should buy something else. I think I'll fire off a letter to Dacor anyway.

The local dive store where I bought my gear package is not being helpful and I have given up on them. I'll use them for fills because it is convenient but not for anything else. The owner and the tech are altogether too patronising. I may be a gurly but I do have a brain and I do understand how regs work, thank you very much! I don't think they really understand their products and the needs of people who are not them.

It doesn't help that I did my Open Water and Advanced courses elsewhere, so I'm not part of the 'shop cult'. Also, I prefer diving in small groups or just with a buddy, so don't go on their trips, and (horrors) they know I dive with a divemaster from another store.

I'm not sure how long into the season I'll be diving, but probably until the water is 5 deg C or so.

 

[jhelmuth]

"The owner and the tech are altogether too patronising. I may be a gurly but I do have a brain and I do understand how regs work, thank you very much! I don't think they really understand their products and the needs of people who are not them.

It doesn't help that I did my Open Water and Advanced courses elsewhere, so I'm not part of the 'shop cult'. Also, I prefer diving in small groups or just with a buddy, so don't go on their trips, and (horrors) they know I dive with a divemaster from another store."

Then why do you do any business with them?

 

[Gallus-Allus]

From a Dacor to a Apeks?! LOL, There are ALLOT of choices in between that range. He's right, that IS a good choice but you started out with a Dacor so, I tend to think that your demands are not that of an Apeks.

No offense but it sounds like a case of selling whats on the shelf as opposed to evaluating your needs. It also sounds like you are being encouraged to buy yourself out a situation that the LDS put you in.

I am really frustrated about this. As with ski gear, the same sort of bull gets spouted and it is hard to make good buying decisions unless you really know your way around the gear.

What do you think I should get, preferably so I don't have to change my first stage?

 

[jhelmuth]

Take the time to try-out whatever you buy so you'll know it's right for you. It either breaths nicely or not! If you spend the 1st few days testing it" any shop should be happy to exchange or make it right (but not after quite some time has passed).

 

[Gallus-Allus]

"The owner and the tech are altogether too patronising. I may be a gurly but I do have a brain and I do understand how regs work, thank you very much! I don't think they really understand their products and the needs of people who are not them.

It doesn't help that I did my Open Water and Advanced courses elsewhere, so I'm not part of the 'shop cult'. Also, I prefer diving in small groups or just with a buddy, so don't go on their trips, and (horrors) they know I dive with a divemaster from another store."

Then why do you do any business with them?

I naively bought a gear package from them in the heady euphoria of getting my open water certification, thinking that this was a good thing to do, and knowling nothing about dive gear apart from one week's experience of rental gear in Cozumel. The shop is 5 blocks from my house. If I had known the grief all this would cause me I'd have driven 15km to another store to get my gear package. Live and learn.