Dave,
First, I don't think the DAS 2000/1 pumps are pulling that kind of air you are talking about, I bought some air gages and would hook them up if the damn thing is ready to run. The pump draws much less wattage than spec, that tells me the pin wheel is too light for the magnet\coil, which would mean slowing down when water and air are being sucked it.
Two. The craftsmanship sucks, remember the picture of the first DAS I got? I don't think the people putting them together in Texas have a brain, let along any skill.
Three. they use extruded acrylic for the body which is way too fragile for our use. They also use the un-finish side of black ABS as the collection cup cover top side, and the nicer finish is never seen, what a stupid thing to do.
If I want a poorly glued skimmer body I would just get another Chinese made BK copy for $300, not $800 for a supposedly great skimmer and deal with a vendor\manufacture that have poor service. For another $330 (retail price on Deltec) you can get a AP851 and be happy with it.