Trango Diamond 9.4

Performance: Trango’s new line of ropes goes toe-to-toe with the best cords on the market—and the Diamond 9.4 is the shining star of the group. It handled just right: smooth clipping, easy tying and untying knots, and even feeding through every belay device we threw at it. “This diameter is the sweet spot for ropes: just skinny enough for maximum ease of use and just fat enough to be confident when I see it dragging over a sharp edge,” one discerning tester said. “The Diamond became my favorite cord that ended up riding in my pack for everything from a day of sport climbing to full-value alpine routes.” One 5.13 climber loved it for redpointing projects while a moderate traddie loved it for long routes. The weight (59 g/m) didn’t drag testers down too much on approaches; the 60-meter version comes in at about 7.8 pounds. Although it lost that new-rope shine after a few uses, another month of climbing almost every day in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons of Utah didn’t add any noticable wear. The bright color combined with a distinct middle marker made this cord rise above the rest to become a top pick.
Cons: The Diamond kinked more than the others in the test, especially on the first few pitches. But after pulling it completely through the chains and flaking on every pitch, it evened out.
Conclusion: Bolt-clippers and gear-pluggers will love this line as their go-to cord for working routes, redpointing, and long routes. If you’re looking for one high-end rope to satisfy many needs, this is it.