I can't decide which BCD. I'm leaning toward the KnightHawk -Advice/Recommendations?

[vincent54]

Own a knighthawk. Only use it in the tropics, and never inflate it unless I have to. It forces your face down on the surface, and the wings create a lot of drag. I used it for hundreds of dives and spent too much on it to buy another. Last weekend I borrowed a cobbled together aluminum backplate with attached side wings and absolutely loved it. Got so excited I forgot the name of the stuff, I think it was from DiveRite(?) or Hollis.

The knighthawk is good, but if I did it over I would build up a custom rig for about a 1/3 the price. Mine has an Air2, which I would eliminate as well. It's a waste of money. I had to use it a couple of times for airshare, and the breathing from the Air2 is not the best. As I panic, I will hit the inflate button while trying to keep the mouthpiece in. With all the pockets, zippers and mesh bags that suddenly appear and get in the way, it's hard to dump air. I'll take the mouthpiece out and use the breathing hose to dump.. But I digress

 

[Jim Lapenta]

While not a fan of the knighthawk I can say afted having used one that the problems with being pushed face forward are more likely from too much weight and/or improper distribution of it. Back inflates push people forward when there is too much air in the wing. That is usually from overinflation due to too much weight. You only need your chin out of the water. It also does have way too much lift for single tank diving.
And as I recall the trim pockets are poorly placed. You can get better results putting pockets on the cam bands.
But I do agree that a BPW will be more versatile, a better fit since it will be custom fit to the diver, and far less expensive . And you don't need all those d rings and pockets that you can't use. Four d rings tops, and pockets on the thighs of the exposure suit are more useful.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

[vincent54]

I agree with the over inflation, it happens on the surface heading in. I have a hard time flipping over on my back unless all air is out of system. I usually use 7 pounds of weight and can't go down much more It's worked, well constructed, but I think there are systems that are better. Cheers.

 

[jasonchen2008]

Hi guys,

First, Knighthawk is a excellent and durable BC, if you want the pocket more bigger, or you can choose the Seahawk BC which is also very comfortable.

Own a Knighthawk I absolutely love it. I will say the pocket design is terrible and almost useless. You can fit something small in them, but even a back up light can be difficult to access. The zipper design on both sides in on the bottom.


You can always add a pocket, which is the direction I went

 

[fnog]

bump.

I agree regarding price and the BCD versus BP/W, but this is a second-hand I got for 140$ and it looks just like new. The new crew I train with nowadays is all-BCD so I need to blend in some.

Sorry to insist, but I am still trying to figure out how to attach or glue a diverite pocket on the left side of the knighthawk, about the waist without interfering too much with QR weights, SPG, or the octo (and please dont tell me to just put it on the thigh).

As a more general question, I would like to know what are the DIY possibilities on a BC made of such cordura. How to recognise the different types of plastic (PU, PE, PVC, ... ) and relate that to glues. Or is it a bad idea to use glue at all : should I find myself a reliable shoemaker to hand over the customisation stiching/sawing job to ?

Any DIY advice welcome.

 

[diversteve]

Oh, no... pockets are awesome. I would never dive without them. It's just that the BC is not a great place for them.

Like, I carry my wallet and keys in my pants pocket. I don't have pockets sewn onto my shirt for that...

Like I don't wear a wetsuit - ever. Don't even own one. So should I glue a pocket to my thigh?