Alpinist

The Shadow crossbreed is able to navigate the boundaries of light weight, crazy strength and full size. The end result is less clutter on your rack and less weight in your pack. If they weren't so darned expensive, they'd deserve five stars.
Pros: Hot forged, and therefore strong but light; full-sized 'biners; key lock and recess features on plain gate make for easy clipping; come in two lengths.
Cons: Expensive...." go to full review

I would have given the LiveWire the Alpinist Mountain Standards award, but one of my Dynotrons has become very sticky—albeit after extensive use—and won't shut on its own anymore. I am not sure how common this is, but discovering this problem from an otherwise solid product was a little disappointing.
Pros: Very easy to clip, even with gloved hands; easy cleaning keylock avoids snagging.
Cons: Potentially sticky gates on the Dynotron biners...." go to full review

Overall, I am pleased with the performance of the Dragonflys and would recommend them as a good set of half ropes for ice climbing. Their biggest weakness is that they do not take well to heavy use on rock. But between their light weight and excellent dry treatment they still have a place as an expedition rope, or a rope for summer routes with long approaches. Despite my initial doubts they survived the season in decent shape, and I will continue using them next winter.
Pros: 41.8g/m;..." go to full review

Ultimately, it's hard not to compare the Master Cam to its peers, like Black Diamond's C3 and the CCH Alien. The Master Cam just doesn't have the range that the Alien has. The difference is slight, but important for some climbers. The proportionate range is comparable to the C3. The narrow head of the Master Cam allows for shallow placements, similar to the C3 and Alien. However, those three-lobe cams will always fit in more shallow cracks better than a four-lobe model like..." go to full review

In the end the Rockcentrics performed well. If I am carrying large hexes the Rockcentrics are my first choice. And in smaller, strangely shaped cracks the Rockcentrics definitely fit more easily than angular hexes. My complaint about the stiffness of the slings still stands. The trade-off with the smaller Rockcentrics versus wired hexes is strength, flexibility and weight at the cost of a couple inches of reach. But that is a trade-off that many climbers will be willing to make, especially..." go to full review

Like most new gear, the Offsets do have a learning curve, but once you are in tune with where they can be placed these cams open up a lot of opportunities for protecting cracks, grooves and horizontals. Aside from those two imperfections, I'm very impressed with the Offsets. Adding these to my collection has made my trad rack much more versatile; they absolutely excelledin the granite cracks of Mont Blanc and even tagged along with me in the desert. While they are not the best choice..." go to full review

After more than twenty months of climbing with Edelweiss Performances, I feel pretty qualified in my judgment of the rope. The Performance works well on ice, but not as great as twins. Sport cragging with it is fine. (One should be aware of its elasticity and GriGri crazed partners may be confused by its diameter.) Where this rope really stands out is on alpine rock. When a single rope is required, and the approach cannot be done in sandals, the Edelweiss Performance is my choice. It's..." go to full review

While there are some folks who prefer to avoid GriGris and see them as an insult to proper climbing technique, I commend Petzl on a revolutionary design that spans the climbing world from the greenest beginner to the most experienced athlete. The GriGri2 is just another step in the right direction, building upon a legend of design. While the specific changes from the GriGri do not warrant a mandatory upgrade now, the GriGri2 will probably replace it's predecessor over time and continue..." go to full review

While certainly not a do-it-all belay device, the Cinch is remarkably adept at doing what it does extremely well. If you are in the market for an auto locking belay device that fits on a wide variety of rope sizes and is as smooth an operator as the stud that Sade sang about, be sure and give the Cinch a spin.
Pros: Small and light weight; accommodates a wide variety of ropes; incredibly smooth rope feeding; simple to use*
Cons:* Simpler to use after watching video; small..." go to full review

The combination of longer shaft and slightly smaller range makes these a touch more finicky to place and clean than the Camalot. In all, Wild Country's redesigned Friends have injected themselves right back into the running for best camming devices available today.
Pros: High-quality construction; color-coded Dyneema runners; longer shaft allows deeper placements; extremely lightweight.
Cons: Smaller range than other cams due to single axle; longer shaft allows deeper..." go to full review