Dacor Viper Metals...To buy or not to but?

[DeCaf521]

i am a somewhat new diver and the next peice of equipment to purchase is the regs and guages. i really like the dacor viper metal...but my dad thinks otherwise. i would appreciate if i could have some pros and cons on wheter or not to but the viper metal or not...

thank you

 

[Scubatooth]

i dive the dacor viper americas which are just a step down from the metals and have no problems with them at all, very easy breathing compared to the other regs i have used. what is it that you dad doesnt like ?

Let me know

Dan

 

[plsdiver4377]

I have 2 of the Dacor Eagle Pro DPD's and they both perform well. A friend of mine has the Viper Metal and so far it has performed quite well so far.

 

[ScubaVP]

I used Dacor Viper regs twice during my open water certs. Both times, the thing breathed incredibly wet. Don't know if that is common to all of the Viper line, but I know my Apeks don't have that problem at all.

Just my $.02

 

[Scubatooth]

well a wet breathing regulator is a result of a mouth piece not being secured correctly or that its been mishandled and the diaphram seals for the exhust have been worn which can happen to any reg.

a slightly wet breathing reg is better then a case od dry mouth, but it shouldnt at all if properly maintained.

the viper series of regs has been very good to me, and the fact that they can be breathed any way makes them very versitale

 

[Cudabait]

My wife bought a Viper nitrox in November. She used it extensively until Feb. 03. It breathed very wet for her. She ended up buying new reg which is great for her. I then used the same reg repeatedly, including the octopus without any problems.Personal findings: If the low pressure hoe exerts too much pressure on the right side of the mouthpiece, it causes the reg to sit catiwampus in the mouth resulting in water entering the second stage and breathing wet. Suggest shorter hose or more flexible hose. Should help problem. Dive safe.

 

[mmcdds]

Scubatooth,

I'm decaf's dad and its not that I actually dislike Dacor Vipers, as a matter of fact one of my friends dives with a Viper metal and swears by it and one of our instructors in our cert courses uses viper metals and also loves them.

My concern is that my son made his decision on the vipers because of their appearance, without doing any other research and without actually trying them. After spending hours reading all the discussions about regs on these boards and by spending some time talking to a number of our LDS, I decided that I personally would rather own an Apeks reg, and I just recently bought an ATX 200, which I used for the first time this weekend and loved it. I t breathed effortlessly and dry in any position down at 80 feet.

Its still very possible that we'll get him a set of Viper Metals, I just want him to do some research before making a decision. I'd also like him to take into consideration the fact that I've heard from a few of our LDS that since Dacor was bought by Mares, there is a good chance that Dacor, as Dacor, will cease to exist within the next few years. Now as long as Mares keeps making Dacor products or at least continues to make replacement parts for the Vipers, then I guess there wouldn't be a problem with long term servicing of the Vipers, but who knows if they will or not.

Thanks to everyone for their input, the more he hears before making a decision the happier I'll be.

Mike

 

[Scubatooth]

the wired thing about dacor/mares is that mares doesnt own dacor its HTM sports out of italy owns both companies because thgey are the ones who make the products for them.

as forthe parts selection for rebiuilds and repairs that shouldnt be a cocern becus the rebuild kit for the vipers is the same for the MR12 from mares and the repair kit is the smae used for a couple of other regs (including the mares ruby(ie top of the line)

the vipers them selves are built very well, and are light weight which isgood for those who suffer from jaw fatique or other problems in the jaw.

the reason you see alot mentioning of the apex on this board is because of the DIR and GUE guys because this is there general reg recommendation.

doing research on any item before you buy is good (the more the better) me personally before i buy anything (of major value) i do alot of research before i buy it because i would rather pay a little more for a quality item that will last forever then buy a cheaper item several times over the years.

FWIW

 

[jonnythan]

Scubatooth once bubbled...
the reason you see alot mentioning of the apex on this board is because of the DIR and GUE guys because this is there general reg recommendation.

I disagree.

The reason you see a lot mentioning Apeks (not apex) on this board is because they're great, reliable, bombproof regulators that have excellent performance, cold water performance, hose routing, availability, features, and price point.

Those just happen to also be the reasons "the GUE guys" recommend them.

As for the Viper Metal, I don't like the sound of it. 5 LP and 2 HP ports? What on earth are you going to put on all those? I don't like side exhaust regulators for a variety of reasons, the first stage has a pivot, I don't think the first stage is sealed, and the second stage only comes apart with a screwdriver... and the diagrams on Dacor's site make the second stage look pretty complicated mechanically. IMO, simpler is better. Oh, and Divernet says the Viper Metal is noisy and the purge really sucks, requiring two hands to use (!). Here's a quote:

"I really wanted to like it because it looked excellent but I found that one eye was constantly obscured by exhaust bubbles. The flow of air from the purge seemed weak, although it was hard to push on to make work. Although the breathing was acceptably good, I'm afraid I was disappointed overall."

By comparison, here's a typical quote from Divernet of the [more inexpensive] Apeks ATX50:

"Just superb. The best of all of them. It proved extremely comfortable and it gave a superb delivery of air. This is the one I would choose to buy without any hesitation whatsoever."

This reg has a sealed 1st stage, comes apart very easily, is simple but obviously effective in design, doesn't have the annoying qualities of a side exhaust, breathes with the best of them, and doesn't have an a$$ ton of useless ports. Oh yeah, it's also cheaper. Go figure.

 

[Air_Miser]

Hi, right out of the gates I'll admit I'm quite new to diving, just logged #14 so I don't claim to have worldly knowledge.

Having said that, my LDS rents Dacor, so that's all I've ever used, normally the Fury, and I have no complaints about it.

I wound up with a Viper about a week ago, and it was extremely annoying. I was on a drift dive which involved swimming through a couple of back-eddys and everytime I was face-first into the current, the reg would freeflow. I've done the same dive twice before with the Dacor Fury, no problem. I too found the Viper wet-breathing. I also noticed that if I turned my head up & left, it would be very difficult to breathe. My first words to my buddy on surfacing were "This reg sucks!"

So, my one & only experience with the Viper was not a positive one.

Dive Safe & often,
Matt.