|
Top Rope Hero
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Was Estes Park, now homeless
· Joined Jan 2009
· Points: 1,150
So Im at the point where I finally have the will and the means to replace the random, hodgepodge of racking 'biners in my collection. Yea for me! My choices are two: The Black Diamond Hoodwire, color-coded rack pack or the Oz. (And just to stave off periphery discussions, the choice really is between these two. I agree, the gate tension IS a bit much. And Ive considered others--the DMM Alpha and the Wild Country Helium--but have declined these for reasons. It really is between the Hood and the Oz. Theyre both color-coded to match my all-BD rack, theyre both superlight wire gated, and though neither are truly snub-nosed, the hood wire feature is snag-free enough for me. Sold.) So? So whats the problem. Well? The larger Hoodwire seems an obvious choice. Its full-sized to match my clumsy mitts. And its certainly the stronger of the two. But? But the old, snaggletooth, swami-belt codgers who raised me right on the rock always always insisted that light is right! So? So the Oz. Badda-boom! You shave that critical, send-or-surrender .3 ounces and? And anyways, its not tiny. In fact, in real-world application, it's got about the same rope-bearing surface and max gate opening. But the Oz IS a bit smaller. And its not THAT much lighter. And you do pay a hefty, 4 kN price for that negligible(?) weight savings. 4 kN? Thats almost a thousand real-world pounds, brutha! Still, the Oz has a claimed gate-closed strength of 20 kN, and thats nothing to sneeze at. In fact, Ive run some numbers, and probably the WORST case scenario, me with forty extra pounds (I dont think Ive ever climbed with forty extra pounds) taking a factor 2 (in twenty years of climbing, Ive never taken a factor 2), that still tops out at under 12 kN. More than enough to spare. Right? (Right?!?) O the dilemma! OK. So weigh in, people of MP. What are your thoughts, your recommendations, your howls of grief. Is the Oz to be trusted? (Because, ifn I didnt make this clear, I DO sometimes clip directly into my pro, when rope drag/cam walking isnt much of a consideration.) Do your big hands flip the Oz open easily enough? Enough that you DO appreciate shaving every ounce possible from your already bourgeoning rack? Or would you just get the larger Hoodwire rack pack and to hell with the minimal/negligible weight savings? Or, possibly, would you split the rack, and buy Ozs for your X4s and C3s, Hoodwires for all your C4s? What say, people?
|
|
Ray Pinpillage
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
West Egg
· Joined Jul 2010
· Points: 180
|
|
Top Rope Hero
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Was Estes Park, now homeless
· Joined Jan 2009
· Points: 1,150
|
|
Ray Pinpillage
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
West Egg
· Joined Jul 2010
· Points: 180
This post violated Guideline #1 and has been removed.
|
|
Luke Stefurak
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Seattle, WA
· Joined Jan 2006
· Points: 2,573
Hoodwires suck. The nose is huge. Good for sport climbing only. Get the OZ. The real question is why arn't you looking at the DMM Phantom. I've got half Phantoms (color matched) on C4's and half colored OZ on C3's. Weight matters. - Luke
|
|
Gunkiemike
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Unknown Hometown
· Joined Jul 2009
· Points: 3,492
Whatever you do, don't climb until you've sorted this out.
|
|
Petsfed 00
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Snohomish, WA
· Joined Mar 2002
· Points: 989
Since the overwhelming majority of the time, you'll be using a sling, and the times you'll be clipping directly, you won't be running it out, go for the lighter option. Moreover, in the factor 2 fall scenario, you'd better have more than just one piece in the belay, so the ultimate breaking strength of the single carabiner is irrelevant. The only reason I'd go with the Hoodwire is if I had like 6 cams total on the rack, so the difference in weight would work out to be like a single extra locker, but with a big rack (e.g. doubles from tips to fists), that's an extra mid-size cam you'd be carrying, that you can't even place. Not a huge difference, but on a long hike in, the difference matters.
|
|
303scott
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Unknown Hometown
· Joined Mar 2008
· Points: 195
I just bought some new OZ biners and I have found that the wire on the nose hangs up on my thumb a bit when I pull gear off my sling/harness. Not an issue when I clip the rope. More of an annoyance than anything else, but I would recommend going somewhere and try racking up with them to see what you think.
|
|
Abram Herman
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Grand Junction, CO
· Joined May 2009
· Points: 20
Like you, I was worried about fumbling with small biners, but after having outfitted my entire rack with CAMP Nanos a few months ago, I've never looked back! I don't feel like I've compromised anything with the tiny biners.
|
|
mountainhick
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Black Hawk, CO
· Joined Mar 2009
· Points: 120
I went through racking biner analysis a little while ago. Most trad climbing I use draws or runners on most pieces, but places like Indian Creek often clip right to the racking biner. CAMP photon wire gates are MUCH easier to clip than my BD neutrinos and hoodwires, and narrower than the BD hoodwire nose. I sold all my nanos for the same reason, don't like fiddly clipping. The photons are light and color coded. Likewise, I save the hoodwires for sport draws.
|
|
Ralph Swansen
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Boulder CO
· Joined Nov 2012
· Points: 761
|
|
Jeremy Bauman
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Lakewood, CO
· Joined Feb 2009
· Points: 1,067
|
|
teece303
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Highlands Ranch, CO
· Joined Dec 2012
· Points: 596
Hoodwires don't suck: they rock. The new Oz is a hoodwire. The Oz and the Hoodwires are just about the same size. The Oz is lighter and thinner and racks better. I'd go for that one. And I did, but I have some of both. Either are great racking biners and feel full size.
|
|
Locker
·
Sep 24, 2013
·
Yucca Valley, CA
· Joined Oct 2002
· Points: 2,349
|
|
Nate Reno
·
Sep 25, 2013
·
Highlands Ranch, CO
· Joined Oct 2008
· Points: 156
Locker wrote:I just use these. You don't rack w/ lockers? sketchy...
|
|
Ray Pinpillage
·
Sep 25, 2013
·
West Egg
· Joined Jul 2010
· Points: 180
Locker wrote:I just use these. Do you even locker, Bro?
|
|
Locker
·
Sep 25, 2013
·
Yucca Valley, CA
· Joined Oct 2002
· Points: 2,349
Some nicknames are well deserved. :-)
|
|
Garret Nuzzo Jones
·
Sep 26, 2013
·
Salt Lake City, UT
· Joined Feb 2012
· Points: 1,436
I like the CAMP Photons for my cams. The Phantoms are very nice feeling, but a pricier option.
|