Knighthawk weight release?

[ShallowDiverDave]

Ok, don't bash me too hard for this one, I'm a newbie. I have been doing a lot of research on a whole slew of different back inflated BCD's (as you may have noticed from my recent posts). I also have tried a few on in the stores. I really like the fit of the knighthawk which I tried on today, but I'm not a big fan of the weight release system. Specifically, if I'm in an emergency situtation where I need to dump my weight, I don't want to have to unplug/detach something in order to do so, I would rather the release require a simple tug or pull to release the weight. Am, I being to picky here, I do like this BCD otherwise? It's just that I feel like I should be comfortable with the weight release system of my BCD. I realize others might be comfortable with this type of release.

 

[divingjd]

Scubapro used to use a velcro system that just required a tug, but the weight pockets too often fell out. The current system is more secure. With any weight system, you should practice ditching the weights so that you can do it easily and naturally.

 

[D_B]

I thought as you, that maybe it would be better if it had a big handle to pull like others .. but I found that it was not the issue that I thought it was .. it's easy to squeeze the clip, even with thick gloves and the weight pouch just slides out, mostly on it's own

 

[CheddarChick]

I have the Riptide zone. Back inflate, only hang up is no pockets.
http://www.blueseaadventures.com/store/bcds/riptide_zone_2_bc.htm
I have been diving with it for 2 years and it has easy pull intigrated weight pockets that close with velcro. As you get more experience , you carry less weight and can use the pockets as "pockets" lol

 

[diveprof]

Ok, don't bash me too hard for this one, I'm a newbie. I have been doing a lot of research on a whole slew of different back inflated BCD's (as you may have noticed from my recent posts). I also have tried a few on in the stores. I really like the fit of the knighthawk which I tried on today, but I'm not a big fan of the weight release system. Specifically, if I'm in an emergency situtation where I need to dump my weight, I don't want to have to unplug/detach something in order to do so, I would rather the release require a simple tug or pull to release the weight. Am, I being to picky here, I do like this BCD otherwise? It's just that I feel like I should be comfortable with the weight release system of my BCD. I realize others might be comfortable with this type of release.

I have dove the Knighthawk and have found the weight release system to work just fine. I have seen other designs where the weight pockts have fallen out. This design is quite reliable. I am more concerned about losing the weight/weight pocket than acutally needing to ditch the weight. If you are properly weighted and maintain neutral bouyancy on your dive, rare would be the need to actually ditch the weight. In an out of air situation (if you are neutrally bouyant) and if your buddy is not to be found, one kick upward makes you positively bouyant. You will be venting air on the way up.

Many of the new back inflate BCDs have less than stellar pockets. Yet, with the Knighthawk, you can slide a 4 c cell light in between the weight pocket and where the weight pocket slides in (to the side cloest to your body). I clip it off the the weight pocket D-ring.

 

[redacted]

It should not be a problem. Just make sure that your buddy knows how it operates.

 

[Wayward Son]

It should not be a problem. Just make sure that your buddy knows how it operates.

That's the main issue. My wife has a Ladyhawk, same BC but for a woman. I personally prefer a pull release but it really is a matter of personal preference. There are 2 approaches to dumping integrated weights. One is a single pull release. The other is 2 step, where you have to manually do something besides pull on them.

The one thing you want to avoid is an older BC that uses a velcro system of some sort to secure the weight pouches. Over time velcro loses its ability to grip & these are prone to dumping your weights for you. This is why they stopped using it for this purpose in newer designs.

 

[Bluey]

The Knighthawk system works really well for me.
I find it very easy to slide the pockets out at the end of a dive and hand them up to someone on the boat before either climbing aboard or handing the BCD & scuba up.

 

[bolantej]

I actually tried a weight belt on vacation, and liked it better than my integrated weights. you could look into that option, too. I used a seasoft soft weight belt, no the blocks.

 

[Dragon2115]

With a little time to familiarize yourself with the release mechanism you'll find that it can be refined down to almost one motion to release the clip and remove the pocket.