Cassin Blade Runners: worth it?

I am sure this has been discussed, but have not found the topic.

thinking of throwing down cash on the Blade Runners. Up till now, I’ve done just fine with monopoints and Petzl sarkens. 

Anyone have experience with all of them? Worth the cost?

my future objectives include both ice and mixed this season. Appreciate the feedback. 

Stick to what you got. I used them and they were just as good as my M10's, Rambo's, cyborgs, lynx, and G20's. Not worth going to them if you already have a couple of setups. Also when I ordered them I didn't know they came in 2 sizes.... I had to return them and get the bigger size, not anyone's fault but my own...

I do recall them being a little more stable on mixed routes. So I guess if you're doing some rock scratching, they might be worth it.

i'd second that thought on mixed/rock---they're amazingly stable and precise. that said, they also climb water ice really well...i think they're worth the weight penalty, personally, to have the options to go mono-, dual-, horizontal, or vertical....Cassin is also coming out with an alpine/lightened version this year, i think....similar functionality, but pared down a bit....anyway, love the things. 

 Find someone that will lend you a Cassin Bladerunner for some TR laps. Wear your M10 on one foot and Bladerunner on the other. What foot slips more? What foot feels more confident? Do you even feel a difference?

 I feel like my Bladerunners are more precise and stable than other pons. They shine on chandeliered ice or any hard move. I tried Rambos last year which compared to Bladerunners felt like wearing Phantom 6000s to Rebels. 

 The best thing you can do is try them out for yourself.

A few years ago Kirby convinced me to swallow hard at the price and get them.  I more or less refuse to climb ice in anything else. I have since sold my Cyborgs, Lynx, and G22s. My only knock on them is that packing them takes up more room than traditional 3 piece crampon construction - but they are just so great on ice it's worth dealing with.

I've yet to use mine, but my initial impressions upon receiving them were 'dear sweet jesus these are nice.' Head and shoulders above the Stinger/Cyborg/Sabertooth/Snaggletooth. The latter two get a pass for being 'do it all' crampons...but the former two, as the more technical offerings, really just aren't on Cassin's level. I'm expecting Rambo performance without the Rambo drawbacks.

There's a lotta good stuff out there, though...just don't write the Bladerunners off on price. I've seen then sell down into the low $200's, which is what I paid through a Backcountry pricematch. If other 'pons are 150-200 and these are 200-250...man, strongly considering ponying up the little bit more cash.

coppolillo wrote:

i'd second that thought on mixed/rock---they're amazingly stable and precise. that said, they also climb water ice really well...i think they're worth the weight penalty, personally, to have the options to go mono-, dual-, horizontal, or vertical....Cassin is also coming out with an alpine/lightened version this year, i think....similar functionality, but pared down a bit....anyway, love the things. 

They are?  How do you know? 

Saw 'em in the office and the dealer catalog for the upcoming year...I'll try to get more details this week....I need to go mooching down there again! 

coppolillo wrote:

Saw 'em in the office and the dealer catalog for the upcoming year...I'll try to get more details this week....I need to go mooching down there again! 

Wait, these? 

https://www.camp-usa.com/product/crampons/cassin-alpinist-pro-crampons/

yeah, that's one version, for sure--no way, already out?! 

Apparently.  Not much lighter, sadly... 

Also not a huge fan of non replaceable front points when they wear out. Same thing with darts, and G20, sarken, etc... The cost way more to replace.

Bladerunners are cool. They are extremely ridged under the foot and provide a very stable feel while climbing. That is probably the trade-off for them not being able to collapse. 

The question “is it worth it” is always a personal one though. For me, I need every possible edge to be even hopefully half decent   

I don’t really see the purpose of their Alpine crampons for the average user. They are a lot heavier than other offerings and their lack of ability to collapse would make them harder to pack. Maybe if one were climbing really really aggressive mixed terrain in the alps..? 

Shepido wrote:

A few years ago Kirby convinced me to swallow hard at the price and get them.  I more or less refuse to climb ice in anything else. I have since sold my Cyborgs, Lynx, and G22s. My only knock on them is that packing them takes up more room than traditional 3 piece crampon construction - but they are just so great on ice it's worth dealing with.

 Thanks, it’s good to hear someone listens what I say and that the advice helps.

Nice crampons.., super hard materials they can get very skate"y" on bullet ice especially as they dull, additionally the hard materials create vulnerable spots on the stamped surfaces. I have broken points off the rear areas of the blade runners and during spring crag trash clean up have found multiple points from these laying at the base of climbs.

coppolillo wrote:

yeah, that's one version, for sure--no way, already out?! 

I just ordered a pair - I will let you know what I think when they arrive in. My bladerunners secondary points / other points etc are actually somewhat worn and I was mulling over getting a new pair... I usually rock them in dual mode anyway.

IMO, Bladerunners are the best at:

- Do it all, quiver of one

- Thin ice / hard brittle ice climbing tool, where you don’t want to shatter the ice.  Front points don’t displace much ice and they hook well.

- Standing on funky mushroomed ice. The wide platform with good distribution of points under foot works well for this.

The biggest issue with them is that the front points wear extremely quickly on rock (when compared to Grivel front points).  I managed to wear down the front points halfway to the replacement line on a single 5 pitch granite mixed climb.  

The secondary points, which provide a stable platform on ice limit range of rotation when twist locking on harder mixed routes.  Not a big issue, but there are other monopoints that allow a greater range, when pivoting on front points.  

I would argue that no one buys gear for necessity. People buy gear they feel most confident using. For example, I could get up grade 4 ice with straight shaft tools and Foot Fangs. There are days we actually go out and mess around with that stuff. Most days I use XDreams because I’ve tried every tool on the market and I feel most confident climbing with them. I do like the Trango Raptor though. If I’m confident I’m having fun.  Everyone climbs to have the most fun they can. I always advise that people go out, try as many tools, boots, crampons, draws even, and buy what feels best for them.

 The Bladerunners are expensive. I think they’re the highest priced crampon on the market. I also feel the most confident wearing the Bladerunner and the Scarpa Rebel GTX. Ive worn lots of boots and feel this setup is the best for me. Cost had nothing to do with it as Rebels are one of the most inexpensive boots out there.

 I can’t imagine spending all the money it costs to climb ice and decide against something like the Petzl Darts because of money. I would recommend looking at your monthly bank statement and making some changes if the Darts work the best for you.