Oceanic Excursion vs. ScubaPro Knighthawk

[Eduardo]

Any opinons on the Oceanic Excursion versus the ScubaPro Knighthawk? I rented the Knighthawk and felt comfortable in it. What does the Knighthawk give you for $200 more than the Excursion?

What is the exact weight of the Excursion? I'm also considering the Oceanic Islander.

Any input is welcome.

Thanks!

 

[PhilEllis]

Any opinons on the Oceanic Excursion versus the ScubaPro Knighthawk? I rented the Knighthawk and felt comfortable in it. What does the Knighthawk give you for $200 more than the Excursion?

What is the exact weight of the Excursion? I'm also considering the Oceanic Islander.

Any input is welcome.

Thanks!

Hi Eduardo. The Oceanic Excursion weighs 8 pounds when dry. I can't speak for the Knighthawk, but I can tell you that our customer really love the Excursion. It is a very well made BC and was very well thought-out by the Oceanic designers. The weight system is very sound and the fit and trim seems to me to be as good as any I have found. The other BC you are considering, the Oceanic Islander, is also a great jacket. Designed more with the warm water, traveling diver in mind, it is very lightweight (4 pounds dry) and makes the perfect BC for packing with the recently enforced airline weight limits. Good luck with your purchase decision.

Phil Ellis

 

[Eduardo]

Thanks Phil,

Great to get a reply while I'm pouring my first cup of coffee! The Excursion and Knighthawk have many similarities and Oceanic seems have a good reputation.

 

[PhilEllis]

Thanks Phil,

Great to get a reply while I'm pouring my first cup of coffee! The Excursion and Knighthawk have many similarities and Oceanic seems have a good reputation.

We became Oceanic dealers here at our store in June of this year, replacing another very well know brand that we had been selling and promoting for 6 years. When you make a brand switch like this, there is often a little difficulty getting the locals to make the switch. We were very successful with the Oceanic nameplate, primarily because of the excellent design, product quality, and customer support of the Oceanic team. It helped us win the Oceanic Best Performing New Dealer of the Year award, not so much a tribute to us, but mainly a tribute to the strength of the Oceanic product, the Oceanic team, the the support our local divers gave the brand. I know you will be a happy diver if you choose to go with the Oceanic products. Thanks again.

Phil Ellis

 

[scubajcf]

Any opinons on the Oceanic Excursion versus the ScubaPro Knighthawk? I rented the Knighthawk and felt comfortable in it. What does the Knighthawk give you for $200 more than the Excursion?

What is the exact weight of the Excursion? I'm also considering the Oceanic Islander.

Any input is welcome.

Thanks!

I use both the Excursion and the Islander. The BCDs are night and day compared to each other. I'll be honest with you, I love them both. Just so you know, I also own a Seaquest Balance, Apex Tech Set up, and an OMS Tech Setup. The first question you have to ask is what type of diving are you doing with the BCD. Are you only looking to buy one BCD, or is there a specific purpose to BCD?

I bought the Islander specifically as a travel BCD. It's about six pounds and I only pull it out when I am warm water diving. The side pockets only hold about 10 pounds (5 pounds each). If you are putting on any thermo layers above a 3mm, you will need the optional tank pockets which stores another 10 pounds. However, with this much weight, the BCD is sloppy at best. I do like the Islander because it is very streamlined, well balanced, has good air movement in the bladder and travels really really well. D Rings are useless.

The Excursion is heavy duty. Weighs more. Holds lots of weight and is made to hold lots of weight. Trims out very nicely. Has a high lift capacity (could actually use an adapter to put doubles on it). For a heavy duty BC it is very streamlined and does not have the drag you would find in a traditional tech wing. It has 5 heavy duty D-Rings sewn into the BC. They are far from flimsy (as compared to the Islander). You can easily stage bottles with this BC. The Excursion weighs about 8 pounds. A nice all purpose BC. While it is a little feature-rich in warm-water, it is still very doable. However, any cold or deep diving and you are right at home with the Excursion.

If you are venturing into tech, cave or wreck diving; write off the Islander and go with the Excursion. If you are looking for a nice set of gear to go to the Caribbean, then the Islander is your BC. But realize, you will need a new setup for any type of the afore mentioned diving.

Is there a reason you are looking at these 3 specific BCDs?

Good luck, PM me if you have any questions.

jcf


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[scubajcf]

A followup.

Comparison Charts
http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/pdf/compare_bcs.pdf
http://www.scubapro.com/prod/bcs/knighthawk/knighthawk.htm

 

[dbombtek]

I have and love the Excursion. I would recommend it to anyone that wants a bcd that is easy to trim and can be easily modified. I love mine. That being said the knighthawk bc is great also and has more pocket space if you need to carry anything. they are both great bc's but I went with the excursion for the price and the difinitive factor.

 

[Eduardo]

Thanks and keep the info. coming!

Scubajcf: I am looking at these 3 because I initially used the Knighthawk and liked it. It is also used and promoted by the LDS instructors. Then I came across the Excursion which has very similar design features.

I am not happy with the 'deathgrip' pricing policy of ScubaPro. Seems to be designed to keep a cozy relationship with the LDS to the disadvantage of the consumer. I was quoted a price for the Knighthawk at the LDS in Nov. and when I went to purchase it last week, I was informed of a price increase for 2007. Aren't we still in 2006??? So I paused to keep researching.

Finally, the light weight of the Islander appealed to me since I will be doing mostly warm water vacation diving.

A lot to ponder before I make a decision. Might even consider getting both Excursion and Islander!

 

[bubble-head]

I am an Excursion owner also. I've been regularly diving it since early summer. It is very comfortable and trims out nicely. The BC does not feel bulky and I appreciate less bulk. The D rings have been really nice. They are large enough to locate under water and manuver snap bolts on and off underwater, with gloves on. The weight pockets are very easy to operate and seem quite reliable. The nylon material is very heavy duty. Having both Oceanic and ScubaPro products, I'm sure you will be pleased with either product you purchase.

 

[CentralTxDiver]

I am also a big fan of the Scubapro Knighthawk...I own and use one as my primary BC even though I also have a BP/W setup, which seldom gets any use as I just plain prefer diving the Knighthawk. I can't rate the Knighthawk against the Oceanic Excursion as I have never used one but compared to my HOG configured BP/W its no comparision...in terms of comfort and ease of don and doff the Knighthawk works better for my taste...I am not saying that a HOG configured BP/W sucks...not at all (in fact I still use my BP/W for diving doubles and tech dives which I rarely do anymore). Its just that hands down I prefer the Knighthawk in terms of single tank recreational diving use. I just don't buy into the one thing/approach is best for everyone and every dive fad. Its allways better to try out various BC's and see which works for you. If you like the Knighthawk you aren't alone...its a great BC and many including myself love it.

Jim