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Petzl Attache Full View
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Attache 2023

Rating

My vote: None ( 5.6 avg )

Description

Thanks to its compact shape and SCREW-LOCK locking system, the ATTACHE is designed for multiple uses related to belaying: connecting a belay system to a harness, belaying with a Munter hitch... It has an H cross section to reduce weight, as well as the Keylock system to avoid the carabiner snagging during maneuvers.

Carabiner optimized for lightness and durability:
- very compact shape is ideal for belay stations
- H-shaped cross section offers an improved strength/weight ratio
- wider contact surfaces for better rope glide and reduced wear on the carabiner
Easy to use, for efficient handling:
- nose and Keylock system helps avoid the carabiner snagging during maneuvers
- carabiner designed for better rope glide and to ensure good positioning of the belay device
- shape adapted for easy tying or untying of a clove hitch

Specifications
Material(s) : aluminum

Retail price

US$ 17.95
Award Image
Weight (g)

Weight (g)

In grams, the weight, as stated by the manufacturer/brand.

56 g
Shape

Shape

Rule of thumb

Almost every carabiner you use will be non-locking offset D’s, with the exception of a Pear/HMS locker as your belay ‘biner.

Offset D (aka Modified D)

60% of the market

A modification of the standard D shape, the top of an offset D is much wider, allowing for a larger (and superior) gate opening. When loaded, most of the weight is transferred to the spine of the carabiner making them stronger than most other shapes. Used for top and bottom quickdraws, as racking carabiners, and lightweight lockers.

Pear / HMS

22% of the market

The Pear/HMS carabiner is used primarily for belaying and/or setting a powerpoint in an anchor. The wide top means they can hold a lot of gear. They are almost always locking and are generally heavier (than D/offset D's) because they need more material to gain back strength lost due to their shape.

Oval

8% of the market

The first carabiner shape to be mass produced. When loaded, the pressure is shared equally on both sides of the ‘biner. Since the weaker gate shares the load with the spine, oval biners aren’t as strong as shapes that direct the load to the spine. The bonus is, your gear rests squarely in the middle, so it's great for holding nuts, pulleys, and prusiks.

D (aka symmetric D)

7% of the market

D’s have a symmetrical shape that sets the rope closer to the spine, putting the load on the spine (versus sharing the load with the weaker gate side, like the oval). Since the strongest part of the carabiner carries the weight, D’s are the strongest shape. Downside: Smaller gate openings than the offset D.

Quick Link (aka Oval link, Maillon Raptide)

1% of the market

Although most climbers wouldn’t refer to this shape as a “carabiner” they are certified by the same EN standard as all the other carabiners. These semi-permanent links ensure the gate will not accidentally open. They're used when setting up a semi-permanent rappel station (not used while climbing up).

Semi-Circle / 3D

less than 1% of the market

Semi-circle: Mostly used by Search and Rescue as this is a great way to secure a chest harness.
3-D: Designed to increase the gate opening and to reduce the chance that the rock will rub your rope and/or the locking gate open. Buy if you’re the curious type; they’re not cheap, and there’s not many in the US.

Learn More

Pros and cons of each shape, graphs and more examples
Pear / HMS
Locking

Locking

main non-locking carabiners uses:

  • quickdraws
  • to rack (hold) your gear on your harness
  • part of an anchor setup

main locking carabiners uses:

  • belay carabiner
  • main anchor powerpoint
  • when you need the gate to stay shut

screw gate vs auto-locking gate

Screw gates are generally lighter and cheaper.

Auto-locking gates are usually considered safer as they automatically snap shut, not counting on one's memory to close and are harder to accidentally unlock. The debate comes on opening speed as some are much faster while others can be a struggle.

Learn More

See the newest auto-locking gate technologies
Screw
Straight or Bent

Straight or Bent

It's easier to see the difference between straight and bent gates on solid gate carabiners:

Straight Gate

The standard. Always used as the bolt-end of the quickdraw, and still sometimes used on the rope-side too. Also used for racking gear such as cam and nuts.

Bent Gate

Created to make it easier to put the rope into a quickdraw with their larger gate opening. Primarily used on the rope-end (bottom) of quickdraws.

Extra Notes

  • Choosing a bent or straight gate does not significantly change the weight, strength, or price of the carabiner.
  • All locking carabiners have straight gates.
  • Today, many wiregates have a hybrid almost-straight-but-kinda-bent gate and are offered in this version only (not as a classic a bent or straight option). We have classified these as bent gates since they're not totally straight.

Important Note

Many manufacturers are now making the bolt-end carabiner come standard in silver (to match the bolt color), and are coloring the rope-end with other anodizations.

Do not mix (interchange) bolt-end carabiners and rope-end carabiners. This can be very dangerous as small abrasions made by the bolt can easily wear your rope. DMM put out a great video/write-up on this issue.

Straight
Full Size

Full Size

Full size carabiners are easier to hold but generally they're also heavier.

This is a totally debatable field as there is no official size, weight, or gate opening necessary to be full size. There are no certifications and this isn't a standard the manufacturer's normally describe specifically.

We did our best to compare (descriptions, in-person use, etc), as a way to help give more information about this carabiner. Like always, if you see something that seems totally off, send us a note.

Yes
Keylock

Keylock

A keylock nose means the nose is smooth. Keylock carabiners are also known as: snag-free, notch-less, and hook-less.

Keylock Benefit

The lack of a hooked nose makes for less snagging on gear and bolts – a dramatic improvement.

Keylock Drawback

Given that they’re more complicated to manufacture, keylock designs often come at a higher price, especially in wiregates.

Worth Considering

There are more design features necessary to guarantee a snag-free experience, like the curvature of the nose. Some keylock carabiners will still catch on the nose because of the lack of a smooth nose arc (smoother the arc, smoother the clip).

Learn More

Check out our blogpost that goes over carabiner nose design to get all the details
Yes
Solid or Wire

Solid or Wire

Solid Gates

Generally on beefier carabiners, so they're usually heavier and more durable. They can also feel more substantial in your hands while clipping. Often favored by sport climbers.

Wire Gates

Featured on the lightest carabiners, so they're favored by trad and alpine climbers.

Some considerations

If you want keylock nose carabiners, then solid gates will be much cheaper compared to wire gates.

When wiregates first came out they were not trusted (too new, looked too simple). Now, it's proven that wiregates have less gate flutter and gate shutter than solid gates.

Learn More

Compare gate flutter and gate shutter
Solid
Gate Opening

Gate Opening (mm)

Gate opening refers to the distance between a carabiner’s nose and the fully open gate.

General Guidelines

top of your quickdraw: 17 mm – 22 mm
bottom of your quickdraw: 23 mm – 26 mm
as an anchor holding webbing/gear: 19 mm+

Adding bias towards a larger gate opening is a great option once you’ve narrowed your choice to a few similar carabiners and need help determining which one is the best.

Learn More

Gate opening comparisons, examples, averages, shape, sizes, graphs, and explanations
24 mm
Number of Colors

Number of Colors

The number of different colors that you can find this carabiner in. This color-coding practice was started with just 2 colors, usually silver (that goes on the bolt side of a quickdraw) and another color for the rope side. Now, carabiners come in 5+ colors sets known as "rack packs" so your carabiners can match your cams.

Climbers can also match their carabiner color to their harness or other gear just for fun.

Learn More

Carabiner Rack Packs Explained
1
Lock Indicator

Visual Warning

A lock indicator is a visual warning only seen on locking carabiners. It adds some sort of visual to show if the carabiner is unlocked such as the color red, a danger sign, an unlocked image, etc. When the carabiner is locked the visual indicator is hidden.

Only a small list of manufacturers add this safety feature, although you can easily add one yourself with a permanent marker.

Yes
Strengths (kN)

Strengths (kN)

In kilonewtons, the strength, as stated by the manufacturer/brand.

Major Axis Closed Gate Strength

This is the strongest orientation and the way carabiners are designed to be loaded.

Major Axis Open Gate Strength

This strength is measured because while climbing, carabiners lying against the rock can be opened slightly as they move across an uneven surface. A carabiner can also open slightly during a fall as the ‘biner starts to vibrate, dispersing the energy (also called "gate flutter"). A weak gate closure (due to a poor/failing spring or an over-stressed wire) could also leave the gate ajar.

Minor Axis Gate Strength

Carabiners are not intended to be loaded along the minor axis (cross-loaded), but it is possible for a carabiner to unintentionally rotate during use, especially while belaying. Of all accidental misuses of a carabiner, cross-loading is the most frequent suspect, which is why there is a rating for it.

Generally wire gates are stronger than solid gates in the minor axis. During the test, the wire gate bends, absorbing some of the force, as compared to a less pliable solid gate.

Learn More

How carabiners are rated, recommendations and strengths.
  22 kN   6 kN    7 kN
AVG RATING
5.76
( 5.8 avg )
Rating
6
( 6 avg )

Fuck yeah!

Pros
+ Fits 2 clove hitches and a sling or two at the wider section.
+ Lightweight
+ Great price (around 15 euros)
+ The red mark on the gate
+ Handling
Familiarity
I’ve used it a bunch

Best HMS-carabiner ever!

Found one of these hanging in Chamonix in 2019. I quickly bought one more. If I were to only have one type of screw carabiner, this would be the one!

Best HMS-carabiner ever!

Found one of these hanging in Chamonix in 2019. I quickly bought one more. If I were to only have one type of screw carabiner, this would be the one!

Rating
6
( 6 avg )

Great belay/anchor carabiner

Pros
Lightweight
Can rap with munter
Wide enough to be used as masterpoint
Cons
Gets stuck closed every once in a while
Less rolled edge not ideal as dedicated belay biner
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

Love this carabiner for anchor building and belaying. Works well, lightweight, and is comparable with a munter in a pinch

Love this carabiner for anchor building and belaying. Works well, lightweight, and is comparable with a munter in a pinch

Rating
5.04
( 5 avg )

Good, but the old one was better!

Pros
Lightweight
Cons
The shape of the carabiner could be improved
Familiarity
I’ve used it a ton

Lightweight, smooth screw gate and wide pear shape makes it easy to belay with a munter hitch. However the completely round shape of the old model is much better.

Lightweight, smooth screw gate and wide pear shape makes it easy to belay with a munter hitch. However the completely round shape of the old model is much better.

Rating
6
( 6 avg )

Awesome !

Familiarity
I’ve used it a bunch

Love this carabiner. Light, and large enough to accomodate a double clove or munter from my 9.9 rope. I like the red marker you can quickly tell if it is unlocked. 

Love this carabiner. Light, and large enough to accomodate a double clove or munter from my 9.9 rope. I like the red marker you can quickly tell if it is unlocked. 

WeighMyRack Gear Review no rating given just a review

The most wanted carabiners tend to be light and/or expensive carabiners. The most owned carabiners tend to be carabiners that are easy to find at most climbing shops. Black Diamond would dominate the most owned list if they had not completely changed their carabiner lineup in 2020.

Outdoor Gear Lab Gear Review rating 4/5

The Petzl Attache has been one of the most popular locking carabiners on the market for a long while, and it will continue to be so, thanks to its light weight, versatility and performance in most all tasks it was used in. It is a perfect choice for users looking to retain all the functionality that they expect from a full-sized locker, but at a fraction of the weight for those endeavors where shaving every ounce is critical, as well as for the everyday climber who wants a quality locking carabiner for their safety systems. 

Blister Gear Review no rating given just a review

The redesigned Petzl Attache is a nice addition to the Petzl line, but is not suited to every use. For top-rope anchors, or for casual cragging, larger round-stock carabiners are a better choice as they are more durable. But for multi-pitch climbing where space and weight are more important, the Attache is a good choice.

Watch a tour of Petzl's facilities as they explain all the testing involved

Warning: This video is dubbed in English. If you're getting antsy, skip to section 7:40-8:15 for one of the most interesting parts, where they show a hardware specific camera inspection.

The UIAA equipment standard provides a baseline for equipment performance in a test lab under controlled conditions on new equipment. Although these test conditions are relevant to the conditions encountered climbing, conditions encountered at the crags and the condition of the equipment are equally important. This recommendation from the UIAA member federation The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) provides vital equipment information that is NOT explicitly addressed in the standard, particularly failure modes of the equipment and recommendations for the use, inspection, maintenance, and retirement of equipment.