ladyhawk vs. diva lx vs. atmos xt

[capybara]

Hi, I'm new to the forum but have been reading many of the previous posts (it's addictive!). I'm planning to get a BC and the rest of the equipment soon. We mainly have been diving in Hawaii but can't get out there as often as we'd like so we'd like to start diving in Monterey. We'd like to get our own equipment so we'll be more comfortable using it. For my BC I'm considering either the Scubapro Ladyhawk, Seaquest Diva LX or the Aeris Atmos XT. My husband is considering the Knighthawk, Black Diamond or Atmos XT. Does anyone have any opinions/experience with these BCs? We've tried the SP's and they had a little face-planting tendency at the surface, but felt nice underwater. Are the Atmos BC's any better at the surface? Liked the simplicity of the SP's and the tank strap, but didn't like the single wimpy hanging pocket. Thanks for your advice!

 

[mahoneme]

I own a Ladyhawk and I've had problems with the straps as have other members from this forum. It is a comfortable BC, but the strap issue is very annoying. I'm going to have to ship my BC back to ScubaPro so they can take care of the problem.

 

[Vie]

I dated a woman who had a Ladyhawk, I remembered the integrated weight pockets being far too big and getting in her way (granted she was a small person). My girlfriend uses a Mares Ariel (aka Dragonfly Ariel) - she likes it very much and it has a neat feature where the "holders" of the nicely sized integrated weight pockets can fold flat - this way, you have the option of using a weight belt if you need way more weights (i.e. when changing to thicker wetsuit for cold water). I also think that Mares' integrated weight pockets are much better designed and easier to use than Scubapro's.

 

[capybara]

Well, I finally decided on the Ladyhawk and got one at my local dive shop. My husband got the Knighthawk. Tried it out in the pool and it was great! It was fine at the surface too; I learned that having a little weight in the trim pockets, not inflating the BC too much, and leaning the head back and legs forward to recline backwards all help to keep you upright with the back flotation BC. I mainly picked the Ladyhawk because it was so much more streamlined than the Diva LX and Atmos XT. You can put your arms down flat at the sides; the other two felt much bulkier and confining. Since much of our diving will involve travel, the lighter weight & bulk of the Ladyhawk will be handy too. The staff at the various dive shops we went to almost all had Knighthawks/Ladyhawks themselves. Mahoneme, thanks for your advice about the straps. I made sure to check the straps before buying. I did not have any problems in the pool swimming with a tank on. Just wondering, does your BC have the new swivel buckles? Also one thing I noticed is that if I jump up and down, shake from side to side, or pull upward on the shoulder straps it stays tight, but if I put my hands on the front of my chest and push outward on the shoulder straps, that will make the straps loosen. It is the same motion as lifting the buckle up to release the strap tension. Maybe that was contributing to your problem somehow. Anyways, good luck with getting your BC fixed, I hope it works out.

 

[dwright]

You made a good choice...I have a knighthawk with over 150 dives on it