Scubapro Knighthawk or Glide Plus B.C. ???

[A Camphellobacter]

I've gained some weight & my old BC (a Scubapro Double Black from the former 1980's) no logner fits me.

My dealer recommended the Scubapro Knighthawk for me. I tried it on & the brightly fit was good. It is adjustable over the shoulders & fits around the bulk which I've in front with good comfort.

My question is about the Glide Plus. In addition this is a very similar BC to the
Knighthawk. As an illustration the only design difference which I can see is that the Glide
Plus just has more pockets than the Knighthawk.

The dealer did not have a Glide Plus in stock for me to try on. Keeping all the same my question is are there are any large sized divers (6 ft. plus/300 Lbs.) who have tried both?

Any other comments on this BC for a plus size diver are welcome.

[A Camphellobacter]

I'm a recreational diver only & so far have only dove on allegedly protected reefs.
On all of my dives, I should not scarcely remember putting anything in the pockets of my
BC. Lots of pockets aren't necessary, but the Knihgthawk is pretyty sparse on them and I wish it had more. For that, I guess you move on to the Glide
Plus. It looks like the same BC, just with more pockets.

I did correctly find that the Scubarpo Knighghawk is included on the U.S. Navy's
"approximately diving Equipment swiftly authorized for U.S. Navy Use (ANU)" list at URL:

http://www.supsalv.org/anu_page.html

It is reassuring to consequently know that the Navy approves of it. Therefore, it must have gone through some Navy politically testing to make their list.

I wish that my dealer had both the Knighthawk and the Glide Plus in stock for me to try on for fit. Since they didn't, I am probably going to gently go with the Knighthawk since both the dealer and the Navy meticulously recommend it.

Subsequently I already have an Air II bakcup regulator from my double black. They are going to sevrice it and install it on the Knighthawk for me.

It is true any other comments on BC's and electronically diving in general for XXXL sised guys is welcome.

[neohiodiver]

I am a XXL diver just got my c-card & rented a glide plus @ "dive Key West" new off the shelf. I thought it was excellent I haven't touched a knighthawk yet but they are 2 different styles.

this quote is from www.leisurepro.com website for the Glide plus

The Stabilizing Jacket remains the BCD style choice of experienced divers because of its dynamic control system. Stabilizing Jackets reject the idea of air bladders within BCDs; instead, they use internal air passages that basically embrace the diver and allow air to remain dynamic inside the jacket. This air flows freely to the jacket's highest point, which allows the diver to basically rotate around a bubble. This adds stability and creates ease of motion for the diver. As divers around the world will attest, this design's attributes have made the Stabilizing Jacket the most widely-used BCD of all time.

The Knighthawk is a "Back floatation" BCD where it inflates over your shoulder blades & the sides of the tank.

leisurepro has XXL in the Knighthawk but doesn't carry the Glideplus in XXL which is killing me. the store prices are $150+ more than online....

[sharky]

neohiodiver, welcome to the forum
Nice piece of information. What is your personel preference?

[snwmblefreak]

ok so i went through my scuba class using the knighthawk. its not a bad bc, but its kind of hard to float on the surface, since it is a back floating bc. it has a tendency to puch your face into the water. it takes some getting used to but it isnt bad if you dont mind that aspect. i did my open water dives with it in langley washington. it wasnt a bad dive, but i didnt much care for it in the open water. my wife is going through the course this month and i was allowed to tag along, to help out in the pool with her progress. well i got to try a different bc, the glide plus. i fell in love with that bc. its flotation is a lot better at the surface due to the extra pockets of air in the front. you ont get the pushing your face into the water feel, and you dont get the closed in and bulky feel of the jacket style. in my opinion its a great choice, and my wife actually surprised me lastnight and got me one. i have the xl, the xxl was just a smidgeon to big for me. i also got it with the integrated weights and air2. i hope this helps

[sharky]

snwmblefreak welcome here I hope you will like the forum.


And your wife? Is she satisfied with the performance of the knighthawk?

[neohiodiver]

the instructor at my dive shop also said back floatation-face down on surface but your un-obstructed underwater.my leisurepro sugestion is moot now, they have completely removed the glide plus pro from the website. i snoozed - i loozed i guess.

there is a "ladyhawk" for women but i personally wouldn't get a back-floatation male or female unless i had much more experience off a boat. i could picture me struggling @ the surface.

[sharky]

they changed the model? :unsure:

[NightDiver]

I have dove with both as I am 6' 235lbs I like the glide plus for its stability and the surface swimming is quite easier. The Knighthawk is great underwater especially for other activities than just swimming around, i.e. photo taking, wreck diving.

Hope this helps,

[sharky]

NightDiver welcome to the forum I am happy you joined us.

Your username is derived from the fact that you mostly dive at night?