Petzl ascension vs Black Dimond Index

As the title says. Which do you think are better. Have you used both? What are the pro and cons?

I think the index looks kinda cool but you can get the same sort of effect by just using your left hand on a right handed ascension. Petzl's is the enduring classic with even Tommy Caldwell still using last gen petzl ascendors, Personal experience tells me i like the nice big hole at the bottom and it feeds very smooth though i cant say i have tried the BD one.

I use the Petzl for rope access and yard on it in all kinds of directions and ways it maybe shouldn't be used for and it's always been super confidence-inspiring. No experience with the BD though. 

Ive used both--Petzl is better than bd.

Best jumars I've used are the yellow Jumars from back in the day. Heavy but super silky action and easy to unlock.

I wish black diamond still made the nForce ascenders. They were so smooth. Rattle like crazy on your harness though.

Patrick Mason wrote:

I wish black diamond still made the nForce ascenders. They were so smooth. Rattle like crazy on your harness though.

funny, when I said I liked the petzls better than the BDs, I was referring to the nforce model. I found that they would lock up all the time on me... maybe i was doing something wrong? 

mpech wrote:

funny, when I said I liked the petzls better than the BDs, I was referring to the nforce model. I found that they would lock up all the time on me... maybe i was doing something wrong? 

They can be gimmicky to get off of the rope, but it seems to take way less 'rope weight' for it to slide up smoothly compared to the petzl. At least for mine. I use the petzl for the top hand, and the BD for the lower hand for this reason. The petzl tends to just lift the rope without progressing up.

As far as the new BD, I have no experince, but will note that the Petzl has widespread usage and many happy users. It's the defacto standard. 

I've used both of the new versions quite a bit. I have found that they work almost exactly like each other. The Petzl gets the buy in my book simply because it has a big hole in the bottom, which I use to clip my ladder and daisy to. You don't NEED to clip both there, but it's nice.