The Petzl Summit is a sweet all-around axe that will perform well for a wide range of trips and conditions. This former Editors' Choice winner remains a strong contender for our award and is still lighter than our current winner, the Petzl Summit Evo. This axe works just as well on 85% of routes that the Summit Evo excels on; unless you are getting into complex glacier routes or routes with extended steep snow climbing, the Summit is a worthy choice. While it's entirely possible to utilize..." go to full review

The Black Diamond Swift is a stout ice axe that excels on complex glacier routes and steep snow climbs. It's burly, and its heft does have several benefits when it comes to digging snow anchors, pounding pickets, swinging it into firm snow, and inspiring confidence. With that said, it's not as versatile as other high scorers due to its weight. For those who have a lightweight axe in their quiver for alpine rock climbing or ski mountaineering, the Swift will complement it nicely; it's one of..." go to full review

The Sum'Tec is the best option for folks who want a more technical ice axe or a lighter-weight ice tool for moderate routes. The Sum'Tec is stellar for a wide-range of mountaineering and alpine routes that truly blur the line between an ice axe and an ice tool. It can be used independently for basic glacier climbs, provides security on steeper snow routes, and can be used as a pair for steep alpine climbs, moderate alpine, and waterfall ice. Its weight and price mean it might be a little..." go to full review

One of the best all-around mountaineering axes out there, the Air Tech Evolution does nearly everything well and was very nearly our Editors' Choice, only barely losing out to the Petzl Summit Evo. We liked the ergonomics on the shaft of the Summit Evo better for steep snow climbing, and it was slightly lighter; however the Air Tech Evo remains a very close second and a rad all-around option. If extreme toughness and top-notch steep snow performance are priorities, then this is a fantastic..." go to full review

The Petzl Summit Evo is our best scoring all-around ice axe and stands out for its overall performance. If you have a quiver of ice axes, you can buy specific models that will excel at distinct applications better than the Evo; however, no other models in our fleet will provide the range of applications that the Summit Evo will. Simply put, if we could only own one ice axe, (or even multiple for that matter), the Summit Evo would be it.go to full review

The Sterling Nylon Sewn Runner is a quality product that is a solid choice for budget conscious dirtbags who can't afford to spend an extra $30 on their rack of extendable runners and buy a product made from Dyneema. However, if money is that big of a deal, then you can also buy the Black Diamond Nylon Sewn Runner for even less, which is a no brainer. You could also consider buying strips of one-inch webbing off the spool at the climbing shop and simply tying your own slings for even less..." go to full review

The Camp USA Nut Tool takes a basic nut tool design and adds some ergonomics. The result feels like holding an ice tool made for babies. The rubberized handle feels nice, but our testers didn't find themselves actually holding the tool in its intended position and prefer a tool with a more rounded end for hammering on to bash out stuck nuts.go to full review

The aptly named Metolius Feather is the lightest tool in our review, and while it does compromise a little in the durability factor, we feel it's plenty tough for freeing the occasional stuck cam in the alpine or working out a nut or two your partner weighted after whimpering our favorite four-letter word for shame (take). We didn't try to break this tool, but it sure feels like we could if we tried hard enough. It got pretty bent out of shape after freeing a stuck tri-cam, so for most folks..." go to full review

The Black Diamond Wiregate nut tool is an effective, gimmick-free nut tool that has a few features that differentiate it from its competitors (Metolius). Foremost is the generous clip-in point, which is the largest and easiest to remove from your harness. The hooked end of this tool is also a bit longer than the other tools, making it great for hooking cams, or in a pinch, shoveling food into your mouth.go to full review

There are no gimmicks here with the Torque, just a well-designed little piece of equipment that needs to live on your trad rack. Whether you're new to the game or you're a seasoned "booty master", you can't go wrong with this nut tool.go to full review