Undercurrent has received reports from divers who recently
sought dealer service on DACOR regulators, only to be told
it would soon be impossible to get service or replacement
parts for models made before 1998 (when European-based
mega-sporting goods group Head Tyrolia Mares (HTM)
bought it out). Don’t you believe it.
Mares America, a division of HTM, has been restructuring
DACOR and has introduced the Viper series of regulators.
Meanwhile, arrangements for the sourcing and acquisition
of replacement parts and service kits for older regulators
took a back seat, resulting in waits for repair as long as four
months. However, Rob Cairns, VP of Sales and Marketing,
told Undercurrent that DACOR will honor its responsibility to
back up earlier models. He denied plans to discontinue service
parts in the future, although he did say that eventually
these would no longer be available.
To popularize the Viper line, authorized dealers are offering
substantial trade-in value for older DACOR models tendered
toward the purchase of a new Viper. And, you don’t
need to own an old DACOR regulator to take advantage of
the offer. Turn in any old regulator — including an octopus
— to a DACOR/Mares dealer and get a Viper for up to $195
off the list price. The deal expires August 31. Details at
http://www.divedacor.com/index_tradeup.html.