steel belay carabiner

Im looking for a steel carabiner for belay, Im all about strength, I could care less about weight, can I get some advice? thank you

What kind of forces do you plan on putting that biner through?   I would suggest instead of steel get a belay specific biner that won’t allow you to cross load while belaying, that’s the weakness whether steel or aluminum.  

My advice would be to use aluminum because they are are far stronger than any forces you would see on your harness in a climbing situation. If your harness experiences forces that mess up an alu biner those forces will also mess you up real good.

A good reason for a steel belay biner is if you’re a guide TR and lowering people all day 

This is what you're really looking for.

Stephen Prater wrote:

Im looking for a steel carabiner for belay, Im all about strength, I could care less about weight, can I get some advice? thank you

Cheap,  long wearing steel $8

https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-gear-supplies/camp-accessories/tarps-rope-tie-downs/liberty-mountain-classic-steel-oval-sg-carabiner/p/107019?channel=shopping&msclkid=9cbf6698a7ba1abe0e860723c070609a&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bing%20-%20Shopping%20-%20NB%20-%20CampingGear%20-%20Med%20-%20Stores&utm_term=4580909046691028&utm_content=Camp%20Accessories

The nice thing about steel carabiners is they don't get grooves in them. Note: The Edilrid Bulletproof will see some grooving; more than an all-steel carabiner.

There are several steel lockers on the market which are good for belaying or use at the masterpoint for toproping.

Here is one:

https://www.metoliusclimbing.com/steel-locking-carabiners.html

Thanks all !!!

You still haven't answered the key question. When you say "Im looking for a steel carabiner for belay, Im all about strength,...", what forces are you anticipating that would make a 24kN aluminum biner inadequate?

I dont know, is my answer. I just want above and beyond what I would need. I climbed in the Marines using a carabiner and a munter hitch, nothing else. no prusik. Now Im going to join a climbing gym where they let you use the belay device of choice after you show proficiency with the device. Like I said before, I will take strength over weight every day. I am not going to multi pitch climb, just gym and crag fun. I just want gear that is impossible to break. Im still researching a belay device. IMO price is not indicative of quality, so because something cost more doesnt mean its better. But another thing I’ve learned is the best place to get advice on a subject is a forum of real life people, because youtube videos could sell me the Brooklyn Bridge, lol

Stephen Prater wrote:

I dont know, is my answer. I just want above and beyond what I would need. I climbed in the Marines using a carabiner and a munter hitch, nothing else. no prusik. Now Im going to join a climbing gym where they let you use the belay device of choice after you show proficiency with the device. Like I said before, I will take strength over weight every day. I am not going to multi pitch climb, just gym and crag fun. I just want gear that is impossible to break. Im still researching a belay device. IMO price is not indicative of quality, so because something cost more doesnt mean its better. But another thing I’ve learned is the best place to get advice on a subject is a forum of real life people, because youtube videos could sell me the Brooklyn Bridge, lol

Aluminum biners meet all those requirements.

I use the Bulletproofs for rapping or for the top rope anchor.  It is especially important to have steel when climbing in sandstone areas as aluminum will wear quite fast when running weighted rope through.  There are cases where sand in the rope has worn through GriGri plates, so avoid that as well.  +1 for Bulletproofs.

Christopher Chu wrote:

I use the Bulletproofs for rapping or for the top rope anchor.  It is especially important to have steel when climbing in sandstone areas as aluminum will wear quite fast when running weighted rope through.  There are cases where sand in the rope has worn through GriGri plates, so avoid that as well.  +1 for Bulletproofs.

Totally agree. OP, notice that not once was strength mentioned.

I sympathize Steven having started with the same rig myself, but I would recommend against the carabiner from sportsman’s warehouse. That steel carabiner is only rated to 23KN, which is weaker than any number of aluminum pear shaped carabiners purpose built for belaying.

The minimum breaking strength of almost all aluminum carabiners is 22KN, that’s 4,950 lbs. To put that in perspective, your rope, harness, and gear will all explode into pieces before you ever get anywhere close to that big of an impact. And if you were climbing on cable instead of rope and none of that happened and you actually put that much force on the carabiner, your pelvis would shatter so cataclysmically you would most certainly die. 

Just buy a regular belay carabiner or the Edelrid bulletproof suggested. They are all strong enough many times over. Putting all your focus on steel and ignoring the shape and other safety features of normal belay carabiners is going to make you less safe overall.

Furthermore, there are few belay devices that are made of steel. A couple figure eights, but I’d be surprised if your gym allowed you to use one. The old DMM V-twin from the late 2000s also comes to mind, but why bother tracking down a 10 year old piece of kit just so it’s steel?

That said, if you want steel because you want steel, and it has nothing to do with an illusion of strength or safety, then by all means go nuts. I still climb on gear from the 80s for giggles. You do you. 

Alec Baker wrote:

Fully steel - Edelrid Megajul 

Steel wear points - Mammut Norwand, Edelrid Gigajul, GriGri +

GriGri is saferor

I stand corrected regarding the megajul.

I didn’t include those with wear points, as the OP didn’t seem interested in the bulletproof.

The CAMP Matik is a steel competitor to the GriGri, but personally, I use a GigaJul in sandy areas and take my GriGri for granite. *Ba dum pshhh*

The nice round bar stock and shape of the liberty mtn oval (sportsman’s. Warehouse ) makes for a smooth belay with an atc and keeps aluminum off the rope and hands. It is not a pear shaped biner (many of which are weaker due to the wider opening) so wouldn’t work for your Munter hitch. 23 KN is strong enough and won’t be losing strength over time like an aluminum carabiner as that becomes grooved.

I've been using steel auto-lock belay - rappel biners for a couple decades. It's frustrating to buy a $25 Magnetron locker and have it get huge grooves in two years. Steel avoids groove marks and basically lasts forever. But I only have one. For my other lockers, I'm all aluminum. That Edelrid Bulletproof looks great though!

I have GriGri's, but I like my REVO  better. It has steel on the side plates.