Climbing
With a median weight and size, the Grivel Plume perfectly straddled the gap between performance and minimalism—it was the sleekest, highest performing ultralight we tested. What first struck me was the biner’s ease of handling: The coating, especially on the black version, has a tacky, almost powdery feel (like primer paint) that made it much less prone to bobbling than the category’s more typically slick or anodized units. The Plume’s pronounced, lopsided teardrop curves provided an ample..." go to full review
Although this biner tops 30 grams—heaviest in the review—we appreciated its value and strength. Rated at 25 kN, the Ultralight Straight Gate marks a good compromise between lightness and burl factor—even with its I-beam construction, it feels like a muscular performer that can handle the wear-and-tear of sport and trad cragging, but is also light enough to be attractive for racking and in the alpine. Testers appreciated the snappy gate, deep, beveled rope cradle, and ample gate opening, as..." go to full review
Looking like a prop off the set of Tron, with its futuristic I-beam “pockets” (seven in all) along the body, the Mission came in just one gram heavier than the lightest-inreview Cypher Mydas. This biner delivers amazing utility for its weight, thanks to its exaggerated trapezoid shape and deep, wide rope cradle—especially given the biner’s medium-range size. The “pocket” design contributed favorably to handling, since you can get slightly better purchase on the ridges between the holes than..." go to full review
The Phantom is a great medium-sized microlight even as it falls near the lightest end of the scale—that is, you get a remarkable amount of biner for very little heft. Testers appreciated this I-beam’s long gate opening and slightly asymmetrical shape, which also yields a broad and well-rounded (smooth-handling) rope cradle. The gate has strong action, and unclipping and rack maneuvers were quick and casual. The Phantom is one of those cases where visible simplicity of design—in this case, a..." go to full review
When you’re at the store comparing two items, you see the less expensive item and automatically assume it’s lower quality, right? In the case of the Climb X HMS biners, you’d be way wrong. These locking biners are a bit stronger than many other lockers (major axis: 25 kN; minor axis: 9 kN; open-gate: 9 kN) and lighter at just under 2.3 oz. And they’re easier on the wallet, too, at about $9 for the screw-gate version and about $13 for the auto-lock. And despite the light weight, their beefy..." go to full review
At first glance, our reaction to BD’s Magnetron technology for locking carabiners was that it might be the most innovative solution we’d ever seen to a problem that might not exist. But after digging deeper and using the biners indoors and out—they won’t be available in stores until July—we’re convinced Black Diamond is onto something. Instead of the traditional screw gate or spring-loaded auto-locking mechanism, the Magnetron relies on magnets (duh!), with a steel bar embedded in the..." go to full review
No matter how many “groundbreaking” new carabiners are released each year, climbers seem to reach for their favorite biners time and again. After using the Photon Screw Gate for the past eight-plus months, our chief tester placed it permanently in her must-rack category. From tying in to a threeman rope team for an ascent of Mt. Baker in Washington to the Yellow Spur (5.9+) in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, this locking biner won points for being light (1.5 oz.), strong (major axis: 21 kN; minor..." go to full review
This is the first ready-to-buy draw using BD’s clever HoodWire technology. A standard wire-gate biner has a hook in the nose that can snag on bolt hangers or gear loops on your harness, but the HoodWire shields this hook with little stainless-steel strips for hassle-free clipping and unclipping. The hood will not trap debris that could cause open-gate failures, and it protects the nose from wear. This draw’s 14mm Dynex bone is slim but not too small—large enough to grab in a pinch but not..." go to full review
The Dash, which was introduced in 2009 and is named after the late Micah Dash, isn't the lightest or smallest biner on the market, but I find it the easiest to handle of all the mini-biners I've tried. Key to this is the Infinity gate, introduced this past summer on several Omega Pacific biners. The gate is pinched in the middle to create an hourglass shape (or inifinity symbol), which provides a sweet-spot for grasping the biner with your thumb or forefinger when you're..." go to full review
After a few trips to the drawing board, the METOLIUS FS MINI is finally coming to market. This little bugger weighs only 23 grams and, as you can see, is about half the size of a standard biner. The “FS” in the name stands for “Full Strength,” as this keychain-biner sized dynamo is rated to 22kN. For the fat fingered (me), the gate was clippable, but obviously not capacious — this guys are probably best for those who really need to watch their weight, of for people with very heavy sets of..." go to full review