DW Valor Discontinued - Anyone Have Any Insight?

[rudals1281]

Just curious as to why DW decided to kill off one of their most popular lines, the Valor.

[tgoldie00]

I don't know that I have seen or heard anything I could verify from the horse's mouth directly, but consensus seems to be two-fold;

1: Features seemed to overlap considerably between lines of pistols and the lines were blurry...so something had to give and the Valor was one thing (probably more to come)
   a: the Valor line WAS in years past DW's Top-line product.  I don't think anyone at DW would still say that over the past few years as more feature-rich pistols have released.

2: Design aesthetic of new pistols lines seems to be departing a bit from the more traditional 1911 look and becoming a bit more "CZ-ish" i.e. the TCP and ECP.

Lastly, due to the growing number of models offered, I think the Valor going is the tip of the iceberg...probably more carnage to come in the next few years as DW looks to stand out from the crowd a bit.

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Models come and models go. I had a Valor Commander for a period but sold it.I currently have a Heritage and an A2 and in comparison to the Valor the Heritage which is considered entry level is every bit as well fit and finished as the Valor was for several hundred dollars less. The A2 is on par as well.

[RoverSig]

This is an old thread, with no posts since August 2019, so I'm jumping in late. 

I just purchased a "new" 9mm Valor, but from the photo that accompanied the advertisement, I am almost certain I will be getting one of the previous versions, as "new old stock" (NOS) from before the Valor was discontinued.  (That's okay with me; the price was pretty good and I like the features it has.  I almost bought an A2, which is a beauty too, but I like the 25 LPI checkering on the straps and some of the other little features on the Valor). 

It looks like DW has "reintroduced" the Valor in 2020 in .45 (no mention of 9mm) with some new features:  A magwell, tapered grip, ambi safety, recessed slide stop, an updated rear sight with U shaped notch and front sight with a large orange ring (e.g., like Trijicon has popularized with the HD sights), and different cocking serrations.  There also appears to be a flat "K Style" trigger.  List prices are $1,864 in Stainless, $2,181 in Black.

https://danwessonfirearms.com/product/valor-2/

So the Valor appears to be back on the market, and that's a good thing.  But anyone making a purchase of a Valor being sold as "new" should be careful to check if you are getting one that is NOS from the previous version, or if it is the "new" version introduced by DW in 2020.  The NOS version of the old model should be significantly discounted (as was mine).

As a side note:  In looking at the A2, I noticed many instances in which the advertisement stated there would be only 200 Government A2s and 200 Commander A2s produced.  Those are marked accordingly on the label.  It appears DW is producing the A2s in larger numbers and that first bunch of 200 & 200 might be considered a "special edition."  I don't know if there are any specific differences between the first batch of A2s and the ones being produced now.   If anyone knows what the background of any of this is, please elaborate.   

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

You can easily tell when a DW was produced since the first 2 digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture. Beware of guns that have an upside down Y at the end of the serial number as those are cosmetic defects that DW sells at a discount so there's no warranty for finish on those guns. I have never heard a complaint though about the cosmetic defects and most people can't even find them so there's that.
As for the A2 I have one made in 2018 and it was pretty easy to get. I think initially they were going to do a limited run and at some point that changed. I don't think there's any difference between the first batch and what's being produce now but I do know guns made from around 2015 to present all have Novak dovetails which opens up sight selection tremendously.

[RoverSig]

The DW Valor I brought home from the FFL today has a serial number starting with 17, so was made in 2017.   It is definitely new-in-box, so our suppositions (above) were correct.   I am really happy with this model -- although the "new" (2020) version is nice too -- and happy with the price I paid for a very nice 1911. 

I may be the first 1911 owner to ever to do this, but I think I am going to swap out the grips...

[Ron M.]

The DW Valor I brought home from the FFL today has a serial number starting with 17, so was made in 2017.   It is definitely new-in-box, so our suppositions (above) were correct.   I am really happy with this model -- although the "new" (2020) version is nice too -- and happy with the price I paid for a very nice 1911. 

I may be the first 1911 owner to ever to this, but I think I am going to swap out the grips...

That could be one of the rarest acts ever performed on a 1911.

[Gagepapa]

What grips are you considering?

[RoverSig]

Since the originals were VZ slim grips, I replaced them with the VZ G-10 "black cherry" thin grips.

Photo:  https://www.1911addicts.com/attachments/20200502_223028-jpg.479131/

[dohc97]

You can easily tell when a DW was produced since the first 2 digits of the serial number are the year of manufacture. Beware of guns that have an upside down Y at the end of the serial number as those are cosmetic defects that DW sells at a discount so there's no warranty for finish on those guns. I have never heard a complaint though about the cosmetic defects and most people can't even find them so there's that.

I have a stainless Specialist with the inverted Y I bought new in 2014. I knew what that inverted Y stands for. I looked at it very closely but could not find where the blem is. It even came with a piece of paper with a picture of the gun showing where the blem is supposed to be. Still could not find any blem up to this date.