I'll add my voice to the chorus. I have a Knighthawk and love it. My son has recently been certified and I'll probably buy him one, as well. One of the other dive masters at the LDS just purchased a Kinghthawk and he told me he is very pleased with it. As others have mentioned, it is rugged, well made and should last a long time.
It also has limitations, as has been mentioned. The mini pocket is pretty much useless as far as I am concerned. The fold out pocket is fine if you find something worth picking up while on a dive, but I keep mine 'folded in' otherwise because I don't like the way it dangles.
If you are planning on traveling a lot, this is not the bulkiest BC on the market, but it is also not really designed for travel either. It takes up a fair amount of space in your bag and it's size makes it less than ideal if you are looking to carry all your gear on the plane.
A couple of other points; this is a back inflate BC. If you are used to a more traditional jacket type, this will take some getting used to. There are back (non-ditchable) weight pockets in the back of the jacket. I find it best to put as much weight in them as possible as it seems to reduce the tendency of the Knighthawk to push your face into the water at the surface. The ditchable integrated weight system is logical, but sometimes it can be tough to trip the releases if you are wearing a lot of weight and thick gloves.
I want to stress, I believe the Knighthawk is a terrific BC but like any piece of equipment, it has its trade offs.
Jeff
It also has limitations, as has been mentioned. The mini pocket is pretty much useless as far as I am concerned. The fold out pocket is fine if you find something worth picking up while on a dive, but I keep mine 'folded in' otherwise because I don't like the way it dangles.
If you are planning on traveling a lot, this is not the bulkiest BC on the market, but it is also not really designed for travel either. It takes up a fair amount of space in your bag and it's size makes it less than ideal if you are looking to carry all your gear on the plane.
A couple of other points; this is a back inflate BC. If you are used to a more traditional jacket type, this will take some getting used to. There are back (non-ditchable) weight pockets in the back of the jacket. I find it best to put as much weight in them as possible as it seems to reduce the tendency of the Knighthawk to push your face into the water at the surface. The ditchable integrated weight system is logical, but sometimes it can be tough to trip the releases if you are wearing a lot of weight and thick gloves.
I want to stress, I believe the Knighthawk is a terrific BC but like any piece of equipment, it has its trade offs.
Jeff
