ScoobieDooo
Guest
Buy the Knighthawk! Scubapro makes great gear! Forget the wings man!
Balance or Knighthawk?
- Thread starter greyface
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
I had the Balance for about a year and have recently switched to the Knighthawk. My opinion of the Balance is that it is ultra comfortable to wear, it has a very nice mechanical weight release system, and a very user friendly pocket. As for things that I did not like about the Balance it did not have a carry handle and it is not the easiest bc to vent air out of. I had to really lift my left shoulder high to vent air out of it. It did not have another shoulder dump so that was not an option and the dump that you pull on the inflater hose to dump with was extremely stiff so I didn't even mess with it. The rear trim weight pockets are pretty flimsy and I have seen a 2lb soft weight fall out of the pocket. This is remedied by putting more than 2 lbs each in the trim pockets or using hard weights. Sometimes the majority of the air would go to one side of the bladder causing me to list to one side. To counter this you would have to lean to the opposite side to disperse the air around evenly. After this you would be fine. This may sound like a negative post but I am being really nit picky to discuss these gripes as they were not as bad as I what it seems.
As for the knighthawk I have been pleased with it thus far. I think there are several characteristics of the knighthawk that are better than the balance. The knighthawk is much more stable at depth. It is much easier to vent air out of and it has dumps on both shoulders(nice if the air2 is your preferred alternate air source). The tank strap is more secure(if you are really careful neither design will give you problems). I like the weight release system on the knighthawk better as well.
On the other hand there are several things I liked better on the balance. It is more comfortable to wear due to the shoulder straps being softer(You can see this is so by trying them on at your LDS). The pocket is easier to use on the balance. The balance seemed a little easier to pack for trips but it is a close one there. The bottom line is these are just my opinions and may not be yours so if you get a chance to try them both out by all means do so and see which works best for you.
Gillty
As for the knighthawk I have been pleased with it thus far. I think there are several characteristics of the knighthawk that are better than the balance. The knighthawk is much more stable at depth. It is much easier to vent air out of and it has dumps on both shoulders(nice if the air2 is your preferred alternate air source). The tank strap is more secure(if you are really careful neither design will give you problems). I like the weight release system on the knighthawk better as well.
On the other hand there are several things I liked better on the balance. It is more comfortable to wear due to the shoulder straps being softer(You can see this is so by trying them on at your LDS). The pocket is easier to use on the balance. The balance seemed a little easier to pack for trips but it is a close one there. The bottom line is these are just my opinions and may not be yours so if you get a chance to try them both out by all means do so and see which works best for you.
Gillty
cinnpass
New
I have a KnightHawk and I love it. Scubapro is hard to beat!
scubahorse
Guest
Both are nice. Nike and Polo.
Balance is simple and light, just like a "T-shirt". If all your buddies wear black suits (911 Tech, Raider, Black Diamond, S-tek, Unlimited, HUB) you better do the same, but if your buddies wear T-shirts you better wear a T-shirt.
A "nice black suit" BC should has:
lift: >50lb D-ring:>8 (larger is better) pockets: everywhere (6+)
plus, double tank looking
Balance is simple and light, just like a "T-shirt". If all your buddies wear black suits (911 Tech, Raider, Black Diamond, S-tek, Unlimited, HUB) you better do the same, but if your buddies wear T-shirts you better wear a T-shirt.
A "nice black suit" BC should has:
lift: >50lb D-ring:>8 (larger is better) pockets: everywhere (6+)
plus, double tank looking
Gator Diver
Contributor
I have a Balance and am happy with it for
warm water rec diving. I like to minimalistic
design and have not had a problem with the
attachement using a single band for the tank.
I do agree that sometimes it is a little hard
to vent out air. My next upgrade will be to
bp/wings but I would get the Balance again.
warm water rec diving. I like to minimalistic
design and have not had a problem with the
attachement using a single band for the tank.
I do agree that sometimes it is a little hard
to vent out air. My next upgrade will be to
bp/wings but I would get the Balance again.
Similar threads
