black diamond/chute 3/knighthawk

[Flotsam_old]

Hi,
This is my first post so cut me some slack. I searched the form but still can't seem to get a comparison answer.
These are the BC's i'm considering buying:
Seaquest Black Diamond
Oceanic Chute 3
Scubapro Knighthawk
I dive in Guam and wear just my trunks and a Henderson rash guard. If you had to make the choice, which would you buy and why. Cost is not a issue as the BC will be included in a package and I can choose anyone I want. These 3 are really the only choices I have because of the limited Dive shops here.
Thanks

 

[Groundhog246]

I have a friend who dives a Knighthawk and she loves it. I've dove a Black Diamond a few times. I thought it had way more loft than I needed and I didn;t like the way the bladder floated around empty. I don't think it would be very comfortable not worn over some thin neoprene. I wore it once with just trunks and it was definitly not comfy. I've never seen a Chute 3, so can't offer an opinion. FWIW, I now dive a Sherwood Outback, very similar to the Black Diamond QD, I used and equally uncomfortable without something between me and the BC.

 

[ScottyK]

LOL- Well, between Groundhog and myself, you'll at least hear about all three. I've never dove the other two, but have a lot of years on my two Chutes.

Welcome to the board BTW, and let me get this out of the way before someone else says it. My lady/buddy and I are in the process of switching to BP/Wing setups. If I had it to do over again, I would have saved the money I put toward my back inflate, and bought a wing sooner.

Now on to the review you actually asked for

My first Chute II: Very rugged, comfortable and trims out great. Bought it in 1997 and logged about 800 + dives on it by 2003. It still looks and functions like brand new, and I never had a single problem with it.

My second Chute III- Purchased in early 2003. My old one still works fine, but I wanted the upgraded weight pocket locking mechanisms. This one doesn't even have 100 dives on it yet, but has so far performed as well as my first one.

As far as back inflate Bc's go, I don't see how you could go wrong getting the Oceanic. Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[h2whoa]

I have dove the Knighthawk a few times. Good recreational product, great quality and extremely comfortable. Only drawback was the lack of a good sized easy to deploy/reach pocket. The knighthawk is fitted with an extendable mesh style pocket that once deployed is more of a hindrance than any help. One really good feature about the knighthawk is that you can adjust the wing, it has bungy on the inside to you can scale down the bladder given that you wont need the 35lbs+ of lift.

The Black Diamond was the "Cadillac" of recreational bcd's about 10 years ago, I have dove with several folks that spent their hard earned money on it and their comments were all favourable. That said, every single one progressed into techincal diving and have either sold it or use it exclusively on tropical trips.

Hope the info proves useful.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

My comments would mirror ScottyK's. You may want to try a BP&W set up first.

 

[kd5izq]

I haven't tried the other 2 but I do absolutely love my Chute 3. It is very well made, very trainable, and aJoy to dive.

 

[Groundhog246]

Without trying to knock a BP& Wing, just how comfortable is that going to be on a nearly bare back? If I recall correctly a "rashguard" is very thin with no padding. Thus my earlier comment that I don't think a Black Diamond would be very comfortable over it.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Its something you can grasp a lot easier once you try the configuration , and most importantly, find your own sweet spots for trim. My next step is a BP&W as you have seen mentioned previously. The Chute 3 is similar but more like a padded easy chair. I love mine. I love it so much I havnt justified the cost for a BP&W. And the way the Chute is wearing its never going to wear out in my diving days.

 

[8buck]

I have a black diamond i have maybe 550 on it, also have bp/wings and now the raider. looking back i can not ever remember wishing something was different on my black diamond bought the raider for upgrade and the 50pds lift ..... just something else to spend money on i reckon. My black diamond is still in great shape not a thing wrong with it..

 

[Zippsy]

I've been using the Chute III for almost a year (about 120 dives). I like it a lot - it is like diving in an easy chair. Even if money was not an issue, I would use it for all my rec diving for many many years to come.

Having said that, I'll also tell you the bad parts so you know what to expect. This was the first weight integrated BC I used and it took my several dives to get used to. I didn't have the weights and adjustments right and the BC tended to ride up and rub my neck raw. That was easily fixed but it did spoil my first tri with it.

Second, the BC is durn big. It takes up more than half of my dive bag. Everything else still fits in but it was close.

Finally, the workmanship seems to be pretty good but the edge to my cumberband did start to come undone after a few dives. Strong needle and thread fixed it but it was also an early irritant.