Nicholas Box
New
hello just looking for opinions on which people prefer I currently own the i3 but found a nice Knighthawk for sale I wanted to try out figured I would ask on here if anyone is familiar with both
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I am familiar with both as I considered buying an i3 BC from Aqua Lung when I first bought gear but ended up with a Scubapro Ladyhawk which is the women’s equivalent of the Knighthawk. I demo’ed a women’s i3 model an entire weekend at the time and didn’t care for it.
The Axiom is a jacket style whereas the Knighthawk is a back inflate. I prefer back inflates as it is much easier to be trim underwater. The Knighthawk only has a single roll down pocket vs the Axiom having true pockets on both side. If you want more storage with the Knighthawk, I’ve had success using the Scubapro Hydros Leg pocket clipped to the hip d-ring. I like the open feeling around my chest/torso and arms not having the pockets and wing wrapping around. I’m not a fan of the i3 system in general from a serviceability standpoint but also with others being familiar with it in an emergenc. I have also seen accidental inflations with it while sitting next to someone else and the lever getting caught but I’m sure that’s rare.
Lastly, I’ve witnessed a lot of people accidentally losing the weight pockets from the Aqua Lung systems. The Scubapro weight system is a much more purposeful and secure system using a large female and male clip system vs the Aqua Lung’s system slide in/click and pull out system as I am sure you are familiar with.
Lastly, I’ve witnessed a lot of people accidentally losing the weight pockets from the Aqua Lung systems. The Scubapro weight system is a much more purposeful and secure system using a large female and male clip system vs the Aqua Lung’s system slide in/click and pull out system as I am sure you are familiar with.
I am by no means a brand nuthugger. I have an AL BCD (Dimension i3) with integrated weights and have never lost any. On my last trip to Coz I found a SP integrated weight pouch that some poor soul lost on a reef. I snagged it a donated it to the dive Op I was with as they use SP gear. The old saying "S*** Happens" applies to all dive gear, regardless of brand.
JMHO/YMMV