Overall, I give the Metolius Offsets a solid 3 stars out of five because the other brands with the thumb loops are easier to handle, have narrower head widths for shallow placements and their trigger sleeves are less likely to affect the placement when that part of the stem is bent over an edge. That said, the lobes of the Metolius Offset Master Cams do have great holding power, the units are among the lightest on the market and the price point is about $10 to $20 less than the..." go to full review

As far as negatives, I can't really find any, which is an uncommon experience for me with my practiced critical mind. I could say that one downside is that the Akilas have fixed picks and can't be replaced should the picks become dull. But doing laps in the Ouray Ice Park are not what these axes are made for, nor should they be grinding on rock very often because of their Type 1 rating. Used as designed, the picks should last decades. So yeah, I'm at a loss. Blue Ice has created a quality..." go to full review