Dacor: did you know it was started by two brothers?

Dacor is one of the oldest and most well-known names in scuba diving.

The company has been around for over 50 years and will likely be around until humans evolve back into the sea. One benefit of owning Dacor gear is that you’ll never have to look hard to find a dive shop that’s certified to work on your equipment. At times it can seem like there are more Dacor dealers than 7-11’s.

It’s tempting to assume that a brand as ubiquitous as Dacor would have a line of low-quality, generic equipment. But then, you know what they say about “assuming.”

The truth is that Dacor is one of the leaders in the scuba equipment industry. They have a reputation for producing high-quality dive gear at very attractive prices. In addition, Dacor has positioned themselves as an innovator in the industry.

Here’s some more information about one of diving’s oldest scuba equipment manufacturers.

The History of Dacor

Once upon a time on a misty day in 1953, a man named Sam Davison decided that he wanted to share the sport of snorkeling with the world. Sam went to his brother Don and told him about his vision. Don thought it was a pretty good idea, so they started Dacor (an abbreviation of Davison Corporation) and began manufacturing equipment in Don’s garage.

In 1958, Dacor started to branch out from its snorkeling roots, when it came out with the first adjustable regulator. However the company didn’t forget that it was snorkeling equipment that started it all, so in 1960 Dacor released the first ergonomically designed snorkel that curved to match the shape of a person’s head.

1969 brought more innovations in scuba equipment and in 1978 Dacor released the world’s first dive computer.

Today Dacor is a global corporation with distribution centers located all over the world.

Dacor’s Claim to Fame

I think Dacor’s Microsoft-like beginnings are pretty impressive, but the company claims that their real strength is in their drive to be the first.

Here’s a quote from Dacor’s homepage:

“First is more than winning a race. Being first means having the commitment, resources, and drive to succeed where others have failed. Being first means continually raising standards for quality and performance. Being first is developing novel and innovative solutions that make diving more enjoyable for divers of all ability levels.”

Dacor strives to be on the cutting edge of dive equipment innovation. They’re constantly changing and experimenting with new ideas.

This dive to innovate existed from the very beginning. Sam and Don used to test all of their new designs personally. If it wasn’t good enough for them, it wasn’t good enough for Dacor’s faithful followers.

It seems good things come from garages. Microsoft, Dacor and Dell Computers all got their start in garages – okay, so Dell started in a college dorm, but if he had a garage I bet he’d have started there. The point is that Dacor went from a garage to a multi-national corporation for one reason – their drive to be the best in the industry and do what no one else has done before.

If you’re looking for high quality equipment at a reasonable price, check out Dacor. You won’t be disappointed.

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