ScubaPro Knighthawk

[Crowell]

Ok, still looking for BC's, I went down to my local dive shop today, and they're willing to make me a great deal on a new ScubaPro Knighthawk.

My last BC was a Seaquest Black Diamond, and I really enjoyed the Black Diamond, so back inflate is fine by me.

So, any of you out there familiar with the ScubaPro Knighthawk want to comment on it? I tried it on in the shop and walked around in it for a while and it fit me like a glove out of the water ... but that may not mean much at 120' ...

The same dive shop is willing to make me a deal on a new sherwood oasis regulator setup as well to go along with it.

I'm a fan of Sherwood piston first stages (yeah, even the bubbles), because they're so durable, and I don't wanna tell anyone the prices because you may go down and buy 'em all before I get one, but they're good.

This is also a dive shop I've been doing business with for 5+ years now, and where I bought all my original gear.

I also looked at a lot of their Dive Rite and OMS stuff, and I like it, and my fiance' and I are probably eventually going to become more technical dive certified, including probably cave/cavern, and some other stuff, so I figure when the time comes, I'll buy a DiveRite TransPak for us both later.

 

[Drewpy]

Its a great BC! It has worked well for me and has performed flawlessly! The WI system works well and is very secure/easy to use.The only drawback is limited storage in the pockets.

With the WI pockets removed it actually folds up nicely for travel!
Good luck with your decision!

 

[OE2X]

They are great. The plastic backplate keeps the tank well stabilized. I have mine as a backup since I switched to a BPW a while back. The only negative thing is that the rear dump is located on the right side. I've gotten very used to having it on the left and doing all bouyancy control with my left hand. That's just a matter of personal choice.
Enjoy.

 

[Crowell]

Yeah, I've done a lot of research on them after looking at it and wearing it in the shop. It's a fair sight more comfy than my old Black Diamond was. I think my BD was either a 98 or 99 model, and it was all velcro on the weight system, plus absolutely no padding inside the BC.

Since I've started looking into another set of gear, I can't believe all the "creature comforts" they're putting in this stuff nowadays. Carrying Handles, plush interior, lumbar supports - wow.

I don't like how there's nowhere to mount a knife to the actual knighthawk, but I can always tag a folding one to a D-Ring or somewhere, or just bring along some shears if I need it. I am absolutely against any kind of knife that mounts to the inflator hose.

The Knighthawks that my LDS stocks all have the built-in Air2 system on the inflator, so that will take some getting used to for me. Any thoughts or comments about ScubaPro's air2 system? The LDS recommended it and said once I get used to it, I'll love not having to worry about the extra hose, and the price for the whole thing, Knighthawk and Air2 factory installed was cheaper than a competing dive store's MSRP Oceanic OceanPro FX without the Air2, so I can't argue about the price.

The knighthawks has less D-rings than I'd like, but I can manage, and I would like a pocket for a safety sausage, but again, I can hook it onto a D-Ring I suppose.

 

[OE2X]

Here is my .02 on this: When it came to getting my knighthawk, I avoided the AirII. There are several reasons why I did. In nearly thirty years of diving I have never had an out of air situation. With that said though, I practice OOA drills with frequency. When I do a drill I control my ascent rate with my left hand either using my inflator hose or preferably my rear dump valve. I keep my computer on my right wrist so that I can watch it at all times on my ascent. This is very necessary when in blue water with no reference points. The problem as I see it with the AirII is controling your ascent rate while still breathing. Since you will donate your primary you will now have your deflator/inflator near your mouth. If you donate your Air II you have now given up control of your bouyancy. Unless you become well versed in this, you can become task overloaded very quickly.
Another reason is that I always have at least one back up reg in my kit. If an Air II goes on you, your dive is done. If a reg goes on me, all I have to do is swap it out. Same system that I'm used to and practiced with.

As to some of your comments about where to place a knife - have you considered putting it on the 2" left waist strap? ScubaPro has an interesting way of keeping the strap from going through the buckle, but if you cut that off and sew it back the way most backpacks do it, then that should work.

For your safety sausage you might want to tuck that into a pocket. The X shorts from 5th Dimension sound like they work well for this. Essentially these are shorts with bellows pockets that can hold a bunch of misc. gear.

The D rings on the knighthawk aren't really that good. Drysuit diving as I do with gloves they don't stand out enough to make it easy to clip gear off. Since you are diving warm water, this may not be a factor for you.

 

[Crowell]

Here is my .02 on this: When it came to getting my knighthawk, I avoided the AirII. There are several reasons why I did. In nearly thirty years of diving I have never had an out of air situation. With that said though, I practice OOA drills with frequency. When I do a drill I control my ascent rate with my left hand either using my inflator hose or preferably my rear dump valve. I keep my computer on my right wrist so that I can watch it at all times on my ascent. This is very necessary when in blue water with no reference points. The problem as I see it with the AirII is controling your ascent rate while still breathing. Since you will donate your primary you will now have your deflator/inflator near your mouth. If you donate your Air II you have now given up control of your bouyancy. Unless you become well versed in this, you can become task overloaded very quickly.
Another reason is that I always have at least one back up reg in my kit. If an Air II goes on you, your dive is done. If a reg goes on me, all I have to do is swap it out. Same system that I'm used to and practiced with.

As to some of your comments about where to place a knife - have you considered putting it on the 2" left waist strap? ScubaPro has an interesting way of keeping the strap from going through the buckle, but if you cut that off and sew it back the way most backpacks do it, then that should work.

For your safety sausage you might want to tuck that into a pocket. The X shorts from 5th Dimension sound like they work well for this. Essentially these are shorts with bellows pockets that can hold a bunch of misc. gear.

The D rings on the knighthawk aren't really that good. Drysuit diving as I do with gloves they don't stand out enough to make it easy to clip gear off. Since you are diving warm water, this may not be a factor for you.

I was thinking of using some of those oblong/rhombus shaped clips that you see a lot and just hooking that to the D-Ring. Same with a reel. I can just tag the reel off the clip (don't know the name of them), and hang that on the D-Ring.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

I was thinking of using some of those oblong/rhombus shaped clips that you see a lot and just hooking that to the D-Ring. Same with a reel. I can just tag the reel off the clip (don't know the name of them), and hang that on the D-Ring.

Many divers call these suicide clips.

I like my Knighthawk for working classes. I dive an OMS (bungies removed) for personal stuff.

TwoBit

 

[okinawascuba]

Many divers call these suicide clips.

I like my Knighthawk for working classes. I dive an OMS (bungies removed) for personal stuff.

TwoBit

Just get the locking kind -- no worries.

 

[Swarth]

I purchased the whole Scubapro set up from my LDS, Knighthawk w/Air2, MK25/S600, and an Aeris Atmos 2 comp. I'm a BIG guy and this is the first BC I was comfortable in. Getting it on and off for my certification was a breeze. The rear trim pockets are nice for balance, and I like the dumps. As for the Air2, many people don't like them, with some good reason. The instructors/owners of our LDS love Scubapro stuff and even though they are into "tech" diving with STek harnesses, they all use the Air2. As far as I am concerned if the inflator fails and I have to disco, dives over anyways. Like many have said, you should try it first, when we did our ascent, using the Air2 was no problem. However, I would agree that practice is best, the idea of practicing OOA drills during the safety stop is a good one. Lastly, best advice I heard from our instructor about any emergency situation was, "first I think, how bad is this?", "then I plan my action".

Edit to add...as for the knife, My Atmos 2 computer has an option for a built in knife on the back of it, very cool, I like it.

 

[Kirk67]

Just bought a Knight Hawk and love it. It does fit like a glove,and I like the integrated weight system. I hate belts. Scuba Pro is a bit pricey,but good equipment. I feel that whatever gives you the most comfort is what you need to go with,even if it is expensive. I had to save for few months to buy it. Good luck