crispix:
I'm close to ready to buy my first BC and regulator. My top choices are a Knighthawk and Atomic Z2. The dive shop sells all their Knighthawks with Air2s built in.
I forgot to ask them the following: can I get a Knighthawk without an Air2? If so, can I get an Atomic SS1 on it instead?
On a related note, boy, is this a tough choice! There are way too many posts on this forum about what BC and regulator to buy!
The BC ships from the factory with either an Air-2 or an inflator. You could buy it with the inflator, which is cheap, then install the SS1. If the shop is nice, they would just swap the inflator for the SS1 and sell the inflator to someone who needs one. If not, you can eBay it, or just toss it in your spare parts pile.
Which BC you buy is really a personal choice. As long as it holds air and securely holds your tank, everything else is personal choice.
FWIW, the Knighthawk is a back-inflate. If you might have a need to spend a considerable amount of time on the surface, you might want to consider the Classic+, where the bladder extends to the front. It's much easier to lean back and float on the surface with the Classic+ than the Knighthawk.
Underwater, the Knighthawk is less restrictive when inflated than the Classic+, however the other side of the coin is that if you're properly weighted, your BC won't
be inflated and the open front won't make any difference at all (unless you're a really big person).
Ideally, the dealer would let you try them both in the pool and see which you like better.
Terry
