New diver buying first BC. Scubapro knighthawk? need help...

[jpress123]

hey Divers- i'm a new diver and I know that i am going to stick with the sport. I've already signed up for a few more advanced courses and plan on doing quite a bit of scuba travel in the next 12-24 months.

That said, I need to buy my first BC. I checked out a store off Balboa in San Diego and they pointed me to the Scubapro Knighthawk w Air. I really liked this BC, It had agreat comfort, spare air built in and seemed like a BC i will use for a long time to come.

Does anyone have any thought on how I should choose my first BC? Anyone have a knighthawk or know someone that does?

thanks!

 

[walke121]

I dive a knighthawk. I do not like jacket style bc's. I am a fan of rear inflation bc's. I would suggest trying it out before you buy it.

 

[jpress123]

i'd love to try it out before buying, but i don't think they are about to let some guy just walk out of the store with their $800 bc for kicks......

why is that most folks seem to be adapting to the rear inflation over the jacket style? The store told me yesterday that rear inflation seem to be the style most divers prefer now. I'm not sure i would know the difference yet....

 

[dpaustex]

On any equipment (and I mean ANY equipment), buy what you like and is comfortable. Their is a great deal of discussion on jacket style vs. back inflate BC's. Everyone has an opinion. There are plusses and minuses to both styles.

As you may be aware, back inflate/wing styles tend to float you face-down on the surface. If you wear one, it is a bit tougher to back-tow you in, in case of distress. They are awesome at depth, and allow you to stay horizontal fairly easily.

Jacket styles give you the "squeeze". This simply means part of their expansion is toward the body when you inflate them, so you feel it. Not a big deal.

If you are going to do any higher-current diving, I would respectfully suggest you consider the engineering principles involved in your diver cross-section. Simply stated, think of what you look like, with all your gear, head-on. My experience is with a wing-type BC, you have just a tad more cross-section than with the jacket-style. However, this is a minor concern in the grand scheme of things. Buy what you like, and like what you buy. Your local dive shop should let you try out both styles on a rental (with rent applied to purchase). Put each through their respective paces, on how easy it is to get/maintain neutral buoyancy, dump valve locations/ease, etc.

Good luck on your purchase, and welcome to the sport!!!

 

[RynaDiver]

So many divers seems to have different opinions on what makes them more comfortable and I think thats the most important thing to consider. If you enjoyed using the Knighthawk then I say go with what you know and like. I dive a Knighthawk with the exception that I have an Atomic SS1 air to because I think it breathes better than the Scuba Pro Air 2 and for its corrosion resistant component.

 

[fisheater]

Wait!!!!!!!! Hide your wallet!!!!!!!

Now. Before you commit to any major purchases, join a local dive club (one that regularly and routinely dives in your area) and go diving with rental/ borrowed gear. Look at what your club mates are using. Ask them about their gear. What they like. What they don't like. What they wish they'd have purchased.

Most of us spend a lot of time researching our first set of gear, spend a bunch of money on it and then spend the next couple of years buyin what we should have gotten.

I'm confident the Blackhawk won't look the same to you after some local club dives az it does now.

 

[Pblazer]

jpress123, I was in the the same boat as you a few months ago but like everyone has said, try it on and see how it feels. Even go to the local dive shop and try a few on with a full tank strapped in. I know some dive shops do OW and AOW training classes in a pool so go with them and see if the dive shop or even dive instructors have the gear your thinking about and ask them to try it out. I was looking at the knighthawk my self but after trying it and a few others I know its not the right fit for me.

Like fisheater said "Most of us spend a lot of time researching our first set of gear, spend a bunch of money on it and then spend the next couple of years buyin what we should have gotten." and its to true

Cheers,
Patrick

 

[D_B]

I like mine, traded a jacket style SP for the Knighthawk (bought during training, at that same shop) after getting that squeeze thing on the very long surface swims, I didnt notice much/any change under water though .. I also like the fitted backpack on the long walk to the ocean accross the beach .. The Air2 ? well, it does breath better than the rental/training regs they had, but it's heavier, on a longer hose, and it hangs down if you dont hold it to your chest, which is what I do ..
look at my left hand
Inflator/alternates also have some advantages and disadvantages, like venting/breathing at the same time, needing/wanting a longer hose on your primary regulator to make air sharing easier (I did, a 42")

Also ... any advancement in your diving will likely find you getting a conventional alternate air source for a backup regulator

Also .. it is pretty expensive

Also .. you may want to at least try a backplate & wing just to give it a chance .. I may have gone that way if I had known in advance

 

[Jim Lapenta]

DSS single tank rig-455, Knighthawk-800? DSS set up you fit it to you. Knighthawk- you hope you are the size the manufacturer thinks you should be. DSS rig w/Stainless Plate- Less lead on the belt and more weight where it should be(over your lungs). Knighthawk-Unnecessary padding that add to amount of lead needed. DSS- get a second wing and you can dive doubles down the road. Knighthawk- want doubles down the road- buy a DSS doubles rig. Total is now 800 plus 450. Buy the single tank rig now and add a demo or used wing later 450+300 or less. Two bcs for less than the price of one. A no brainer to me. Oh and buy the DSS and you can pretty much add a decent reg set to it and still come out just a few bucks over that. Ie Oceanic Alpha8 from LP used- 149 + standard octo for 80+ 3 gauge console 200 or less= 429 + 450 for the bc $879.00. A no brainer to me again. And if you were to pick up a used BPW from someone here or on The Deco Stop you may be able to save another 200.

 

[scubafanatic]

hey Divers- i'm a new diver and I know that i am going to stick with the sport. I've already signed up for a few more advanced courses and plan on doing quite a bit of scuba travel in the next 12-24 months.

That said, I need to buy my first BC. I checked out a store off Balboa in San Diego and they pointed me to the Scubapro Knighthawk w Air. I really liked this BC, It had agreat comfort, spare air built in and seemed like a BC i will use for a long time to come.

Does anyone have any thought on how I should choose my first BC? Anyone have a knighthawk or know someone that does?

thanks!

...can you clarify this ? You decided you really like this $ 800 BC...WITHOUT ever even having dove it ??? Gear rarely works in reality underwater the way you THINK it will work based on wearing in the dive shop, especially BCs. The good news is that if you buy it 'untested' and it doesn't work out...as long as it's still in mint condition with like 10 dives on it you might recover $ 300 worth of your $ 800 by selling it on E-bay....so you'd only lose $ 500...but since you can't take 'it' (money) with you, what the heck huh ? .......also, are you going to trust some guy here on Scubaboard with your $ 800....I mean, if someone here says it's the greatest thing since sliced-bread, and it doesn't work out for you, will that 'expert' volunteer to buy the BC from you for $ 800 ??? ...you REALLY need to get your hands on this BC ...rent one for a few dives...and see how it goes before you plunk down $ 800...as a new diver you have to remember that 'you don't know what you don't know'....you have very little idea of the design features (or lack thereof) that will come to really annoy you with time.