Krukonogi Picks are cheaper.than my stock BD picks

I just ordered a set of Kruk picks.

The armor steel picks are 2200 RUB or 60 USD.
If you convert the two currencies it doesn't quite add up 2200rub equals $35usd. [as of today]

Paypal does work with the Ruble and I managed to save 40% on some new picks.
After shipping the picks came to less then $45usd each

I have quite a few Kruk picks, they are great and yes way cheaper than some ice picks out there! ( Grivel Master/Force blades 100$ us per blade from Grivel compare to 60, thats a 60$ saving for a pair!) but keep in mind, they are by far the best drytool blades out there but their ice version are horrable! like almost totally useless on ice! whay to thick, they displace an amazing quantity of ice!

if anyone needs more info on this subject feel free to PM me!

Any other sites to check out? Kruk is pretty cleaned out.

Theriault wrote: ice version are horrable! like almost totally useless on ice! whay to thick, they displace an amazing quantity of ice!

Crap! I wish you told me that yesterday.
Maybe I can modify them.

rocknice2 wrote: Crap! I wish you told me that yesterday. Maybe I can modify them.

Yea, and you thought filing down Petzl picks took time! Haha..

Pretty sure you can't file hardened armor plate.
You forget I have a machine shop.

rocknice2 wrote:Pretty sure you can't file hardened armor plate. You forget I have a machine shop.

Not even.. I just figured filing would take the least time. I thought it took lots of time to setup a CNC? What else do you use?

Yeah CNC setup takes time but for personal project, it's worth it.
Most likely I'll grind it. :-)

Bill Kirby wrote: Not even.. I just figured filing would take the least time. I thought it took lots of time to setup a CNC? What else do you use?

A 2x72 belt grinder with quality abrasive will make short work of the hardest steels. Ceramic belts like the Cubitron II have a grinding aid built in to the matrix which helps keep the workpiece cool and your grinding strokes smooth and controlled.

Rocknice, you'll have to tell me how the grinding goes. I end up regrinding all of my picks anyway. If I could get better steel for a lower price, it seems like a no-brainer. As long as there's no fundamental issue with the Krukonogi geometry, it should go well. There's certainly plenty of steel to work with.

Whoa.. I'll just stick with hand file. Dont you have to use oil to cool the metal?

The Cassin picks only need a minute with a file anyway. Hehehe..

Bill Kirby wrote: The Cassin picks only need a minute with a file anyway.

That's good because they get dull after every pitch. HAHAHA

Bill Kirby wrote: Whoa.. I'll just stick with hand file. Dont you have to use oil to cool the metal? The Cassin picks only need a minute with a file anyway. Hehehe..

A good sharp belt really does grind cool all in its own. The finer belts like the Trizact can't even be used with liquid coolant. For fine work like straight razors, I slow the belt speed to a crawl. Surprisingly, aggressive filing or sanding generates more heat.

My day job:


I can't really recommend a $3000 grinder just for ice tools, but it sure is handy to have.

Let me know how it goes with the machine, I destroyed 4 hand files and dident do much to the blades while trying to thin them out.... even tho their web site advertise some "standard" blades, they are still more aggressive than the stock blades ( talking about Grivel Master\Force and Petzl Nomic blades )

rocknice2 wrote: That's good because they get dull after every pitch. HAHAHA

My dull picks displace less ice than your sharp ones.. BURN!

Dobson, I'm looking for a 10 3/4" buck knife. Can I PM you about details?

Bill Kirby wrote:Dobson, I'm looking for a 10 3/4" buck knife. Can I PM you about details?

Sure.

Theriault wrote:Let me know how it goes with the machine, I destroyed 4 hand files and dident do much to the blades while trying to thin them out.... even tho their web site advertise some "standard" blades, they are still more aggressive than the stock blades ( talking about Grivel Master\Force and Petzl Nomic blades )

I can't do anything to the angle but pretty sure I can thin them..
I'll let you know. Maybe I can add it to my screw sharpening service.

i would be really interested in that, good timing as i have a batch of screws to send at the end of the season!

Any up-date on this?

So I modified a set of Kruk ICE picks made for BD tools. They are so fat in their original state, I thinned them out, a lot. Went pretty easy with a die grinder and a sanding drum bit. Forget about filing the metal.
I thinned the tips to a 3mm width and made a cross section shaped like an acorn or spade. This 'acorn' shape has a smaller area then a stock BD Laser pick, since those have a 'house' shape [rectangular body capped with a triangular roof]. I swept that shape back for about 1.5" and blended. Then polished them to a shiny finish.

The good news. The modded blades stuck deep into the ice with one swing. Producing confidence inspiring sticks and cleaned reasonably well. Even my buddy who was swinging the X-Dreams was jealous. I think it was a combination of things that gave them a great stick. 1: The blades are quite a bit heavier than Laser picks. 2: The stiffness of the alloy might contribute to it's punch?? 3: The shape and polish helps. I did the same shape and polish to a Fusion pick but it wasn't as good as the modified Kruk. The modded Fusion was better at penetration than a stock Fusion. duh. These modded Kruk picks took a beating on the rock. Full swings into thin ice [oops] hardly dinged the alloy. Even thinned out these things are super tough. Any stock pick would have been toast and needed some heavy filing.

The bad news. They swing like shit into the ice. Worse than the Fusion picks. I had to really come down on the swing. While it was OK for a short period, climbing a long multi pitch hurt my elbow. If you didn't swing down they would just bounce off the ice. They also performed worse on the rock than the stock Kruk pick. They didn't feel as solid in crack or on an edge.

The stock Kruk ice pick.
They worked great on vertical mixed routes [didn't do any really steep stuff]. The alloy is incredibly tough. If you were so inclined, I think the metal could chisel pockets into rock, without a scratch. Hooking and torquing felt solid with these picks. I could lean hard on the torques and feel the stiffness of the alloy.
What did come as a surprise is that they work pretty good on the ice with a few caveats. Like I said before, they swing like shit BUT with a downward swing they do stick nicely into the ice. They definitely don't penetrate as well as a stock factory ice pick. Its hard to get them deep into the ice. They do feel secure in somewhat shallow sticks. These shallow sticks were actually really easy to get consistently. I know you can get a factory pick to stick shallow but the Kruks felt solid and stable in these types of sticks.

Conclusion:
These pick suck ass as a pure ice pick modded or not. I think they shine as a mixed pick where you get some hard steep ice sections. You just climb the ice as if it were soft rock, swinging the pick properly to get a solid ice hook. They felt solid on the rock whether you were in a crack or on an edge. On the ice they felt good even if they didn't visually give the inspiration of a deep tuning fork stick. As long as you don't look at them, your fine.

Something about the way they fit a BD tool.
They don't fit well at all. The tolerances are terrible. One I couldn't get on, another wobbled no matter how hard I tightened it. This may not be an issue with other tools. The BD tools have a single bolt and a V notch. The attachment needs to be quite accurate for the BD tools. For other tools that use a double bolt, it probably isn't an issue.

Thanks for the good info! I have to say i do agree and second all that you are saying. I have 2 sets ( Nomic and Grivel Force/Master ) and i love them for mixed. That metal is just indestructable!About the fit problem, its probably a BD thing, my Petzl and Grivel have perfect fits. I'm about to purchase a set for my Force Carbon with the super sexy titanium cheeks! Ill try to get some reviews on here soon, mixed season just started !