I think it's unfortunate that DD didn't at least tip the hat to Cathar's design in their description. The design is in public domain already so it wouldn't have cost them anything. It goes back to the idea of properly citing scientific research in my mind. And while now waterpimp acts like the design was all engineering and thinking, this thread:
http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=7112
suggests that a ww clone was the starting point.
Having said that, the block looks nicely made and I have always had good luck with Dangerden products. I am glad to see a low cost, high performance wb (assuming they stick to their traditional $40 price point).
Also I would guess cloning the whitewater is a reasonable strategy for designers seeking to make a better-performing block. And if that clone performs better than their current production block then why not switch?