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Black Diamond Magnetron VaporLock Carabiner
  • Black Diamond Magnetron VaporLock Carabiner
  • Black Diamond Magnetron VaporLock Carabiner

VaporLock Magnetron

Rating

My vote: None ( 4.8 avg )

Description

Our lightest pear-shaped locking biner, outfitted with our innovative Magnetron Technology, the Black Diamond Magnetron VaporLock is the ultimate lightweight locker for long free climbs and shaving grams off of your rack. Magnetron Technology uses a steel insert in the nose of the carabiner and two magnetic arms in the gate for a super-secure, super-fast and easy-to-use locking mechanism.

Innovative gate design uses two magnetic arms in the gate and a steel insert in the nose for super-secure, interference-free closure.
Pear shape increases friction up to 30% when lowering or rappelling with an ATC.
Munter hitch compatible on ropes up to 9.4 mm.
Keylock nose doesn't snag.

Retail price

US$ 34.95
Award Image
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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
Auto - 2 action
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
20 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.

No
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.
  21 kN   8 kN    8 kN
AVG RATING
5.04
( 5 avg )
Rating
5.04
( 5 avg )

It works well and feels sexy to use

Pros
Adheres to Rule #1 (always look cool)
Triple action locking is simple and fast
Great size for an all-around locker
Cons
Ease of use declines as you add glove layers
Does not work well in snow or ice
Familiarity
I’ve used it a ton

This is my go-to auto locker for use on rock. Amongst other triple-action lockers I've used, this is by far the best. It's moderate in weight, a good size, effective, sleek, and low-profile.

It feels great, and I even keep one on my desk at work because the mechanism is so damned satisfying to use.
 

I've used this on snow and ice before and it does have a problem with freezing up. I've never had one get perma-frozen, but it's annoying enough that I've just relegated the Vaporlocks to my rock kit. 
 

Despite the rock-only usability, I still give these things 5/5 because of their ease of use, speed, and security. Also because they're just so cool. If they were cheaper they'd get a sixth star. 

Blister Gear Review no rating given just a review

Although I still often prefer a simple screw-gate carabiner for most uses, Black Diamond’s Magnetron technology represents a potential paradigm shift in how engineers think about designing locking carabiners. Although it is significantly more expensive than other locking carabiners on the market (to the tune of 25-50% more), I think the cost is worth it if you are looking for a lightweight, reliable auto-locker that performs well in alpine conditions. For uses like my personal tether, the VaporLock is now my auto-locker of choice.

Outdoor Gear Lab Gear Review rating 5/5

Auto-locking carabiners ensure that the gate is always locked, and for that reason are simply more secure than lockers that need a human to lock them closed. For anyone who needs or wants the most secure type of locking carabiner, we recommend the Black Diamond Vaporlock Magnetron as the best auto-locker available. Not only does it do its intended purpose, but is also lightweight and affordable in comparison to the competition.

Vertical Life Magazine Gear Review no rating given just a review

For the past couple of months Vertical Life has been out and about using Black Diamond’s shiny new RockLock Magnetron locking ‘biner (the only one in the country no less). The Magnetron is BD’s purported paradigm-busting piece of kit that does away with screw and twist-locking mechanisms in favour of magnets as a way of securing the gate of the ‘biner shut. It’s touted as removing the need to make things complicated to make them secure.

Wherever we have pulled the Magnetron out, be it at The Arapiles, in The Blueys, at The gym or around a campfire in The Gramps, people’s reactions have always followed the same trajectory: fascination makes way for wariness, which quickly builds into an attempt to identify potential points of failure, which is rendered into a brief – often heated – quasi-scientific discussion that tapers into stoney acceptance accompanied by covetous glances a la Smeagol.

Splitter Choss Gear Review no rating given just a review

I always try to look for what could be improved in the gear I use, maybe the spots where the design team missed something, but in all honesty there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about this carabiner. It’s not too heavy, it’s not too small, it feels good in your hands. The only complaint might be that it costs $13 more than the standard VaporLock ($27.95 versus $14.95), but since you’ll likely only want a couple, I don’t think that’s too big of a deal. Also, I never had a problem with the gate binding with dirt and grime, though I’ve heard it can be an issue with snow and ice.

GearFlogger Logo

The Magnetron VaporLock is only a fraction of an ounce heavier than the screwgate model - 2oz versus 1.8oz - and otherwise nearly identical. Both models have large gates to accomodate their respective locking mechanisms, and the nose profile on the Magnetron is slightly larger to house the steel inserts for the magnets to grab onto, but you won't notice that on your rack. What you will notice is the ease of use, resistance to snagging thanks to the keylock nose, and large 20mm gate opening. If you're only rocking one locker on your rack, the Magnetron VaporLock is the way to go.

Climbing Gear Review

“It’s like mixing peanut butter and chocolate,” one hungry tester said. “Combine two wonderfully amazing things, and you get something better than the sum of its parts.” Black Diamond added their signature Magnetron technology to a favorite all-around biner to make it even easier to use. Magnetron employs two arms on the gate to keep it from opening, and these arms are magnetically attracted to a steel insert in the nose of the biner. Simply press the arms to open the gate. No twisting or two-hands-required maneuvers. Testers universally loved the Magnetron when it arrived on the scene a few years ago, saying it was a “super-easy locking mechanism that’s quicker and more straightforward than technologies past.” The same praise holds true.

Features of Magnetron VaporLock Carabiner
Magnetron Vaporlock
Black Diamond Carabiner Manufacturing

Video shows how the Black Diamond carabiners are made.