Is Dacor junk??

[ew1usnr]

I gotta correct somthing I saw in a couple of earlier posts in this thread. James Bond did not only use Dacor dive gear. He used Dacor equipment in "Never Say Never Again", but he used a Voit regulator in "Thunderball". A Voit Dolphin, to be precise.

I have a Dacor Olympic 800 (circa 1970) regulator that is nice. It has its own j-valve built into the first stage. The thing is built like a tank and has some interesting features, like twin directional vanes in the mouthpiece, twin exhaust valves, and a nice lever design. My brother has a 1965 Dacor R-4 double hose regulator that he swims with. It has a double diaphragm design that allows the regulator to continue to function if either diaphragm fails.

 

[SA Boy]

Dacor may not have handled the switch over to Mares ownership terribly well and many old customers may feel they've had a raw deal, but the product is still good.

My first reg was a Pacer XL 360 (bought second hand Mid 80s)
My second reg was a Pacer XLE 960, the 360 became an octupus on this set-up (bought new in 1998)
Both of these were all-brass affairs that were pretty much indestructible

I now have an Eagle DPD Pro with an Eagle Octopus. As these are plastic, they may yet prove to be nowhere near as tough as my old pacers, but I think they are great to use.

 

[Damselfish]

Replaced a Scubapro classic type , my first BC, that I _hated_. Uncomfortable, didn't fit well, lousy pockets and fittings. Great example of why to try a variety of things before buying, and not being too quick to buy what the certifying shop wants to sell you. Have at least 300 on the Dacor and still happy with it, though I've replaced the power inflator twice. (And the inflator hose once, when something _ate_ part of it, but that's hardly Dacor's fault.

 

[mdr231]

My son got a Dacor Metalcore 7mm 2-piece wetsuit for only $130. While on the low end of the price range for any 2-piece 7mm, it was an outlier for having a metallic lining in the areas that contact your body (like the lining in Henderson Goldcore or Harvery's Kobalt). So far, after 15 dives, it's been a real winner and an outstanding value. It is not as well sealed around the neck as my Harvery's suit, but his hood fills the gap. The inside of the suit also dries very quickly between dives, in the important areas (of body contact) so its easier to get on again. So, while this Dacor suit isn't the best around, it was an extremely good value.

Michael

 

[8buck]

I have the flyt pac from dacor and have no probs with it i no hardly nothing about the line but that bc has done the job with no problems. i also have the black diamond great bc imo

 

[ew1usnr]

I recently bought a Dacor "Automatic" Nautilus BC off ebay. It was introduced in 1977 and was the most advanced BC ever marketed to sport divers (in my opinion). It has a hard shell and operates like the ballast tank on a submarine. Rather than let air out to submerge, with this you let water in. The BC has integrated weights and it's own built-in regulator on the BC hose where an auto-inflator would normally go. When the diver descends to about 30-feet, he adds air (and pushes out water) until he is neutrally bouyant. After that, he leaves it alone for the rest of the dive. As he goes deeper, the regulator senses the relative pressure difference between the water and the inside of the hard tank and adds air to equalize the pressure. Automaticcaly! As the diver comes up, the excess air escapes out a vent and neutral bouyancy is still maintained. Or, the diver can estbalish a slight positive bouyancy and the BC will maintain a slow, non-accelerating rise to the surface. Automatically! The diver cannot have a runaway ascent to the surface because of an expanding BC. I took apart the built-in regulator to clean it up and was impressed by how simple the design is. It is extremely easy to service because there are no adjustments to be made. It doesn't have to be "tuned". All you really need to get to the LP seat and overhaul that piece of equipment is a pair of snap-ring pliars and wrench. Add a pair of needle-nose pliars and you can completely disassemble it. I will hook this beauty up to my Dacor Olympic 800 regulator and give all the other divers an inferiority complex.

 

[ew1usnr]

Here is a picture of the Dacor Nautilus. The one and only automatic BC.

 

[divemed06]

ew1usnr once bubbled...
I recently bought a Dacor "Automatic" Nautilus BC off ebay. It was introduced in 1977 and was the most advanced BC ever marketed to sport divers (in my opinion). It has a hard shell and operates like the ballast tank on a submarine. Rather than let air out to submerge, with this you let water in. The BC has integrated weights and it's own built-in regulator on the BC hose where an auto-inflator would normally go. When the diver descends to about 30-feet, he adds air (and pushes out water) until he is neutrally bouyant. After that, he leaves it alone for the rest of the dive. As he goes deeper, the regulator senses the relative pressure difference between the water and the inside of the hard tank and adds air to equalize the pressure. Automaticcaly! As the diver comes up, the excess air escapes out a vent and neutral bouyancy is still maintained. Or, the diver can estbalish a slight positive bouyancy and the BC will maintain a slow, non-accelerating rise to the surface. Automatically! The diver cannot have a runaway ascent to the surface because of an expanding BC. I took apart the built-in regulator to clean it up and was impressed by how simple the design is. It is extremely easy to service because there are no adjustments to be made. It doesn't have to be "tuned". All you really need to get to the LP seat and overhaul that piece of equipment is a pair of snap-ring pliars and wrench. Add a pair of needle-nose pliars and you can completely disassemble it. I will hook this beauty up to my Dacor Olympic 800 regulator and give all the other divers an inferiority complex.

Best of luck dude...just hope you don't go down like the Kursk!

 

[ew1usnr]

I tried it out this past weekend and the Nautilus was a pleasant surprise. The big wide back plate with integrated weights was stable and comfortable to wear. It was not difficult to use. The automatic bouyancy system did its work quietly and in a non-dramatic fashion. The built-in regulator added air in small spurts. The valves worked to release expanding air on ascent. Water movement in the tank was no worse than air shifting in a BC. It didn't seem present any extra problem in a current and felt like diving with a back-inflation wings BC. I had no problems. The Nautilus did what it was supposed to do and maintained my bouyancy throughout the dive. The best part was that an open water instructor had his class in the spring basin and he had to explain me to his students afterwards. "What the heck was that?"

 

[5615mike]

Mares/Dacor - I own a pair of Volos but that's as far as the mfg will get with me. Won't use any other of their gear........period.

I think they flood the market with poor quality equipment and then look for a way to unload it.....somewhere...........anywhere in the world. Most of the discount houses who do mailers all sell dacor or mares. Hell there's so much of the stuff they could't give it all away.