What is the best Abalakov hook?

I have only ever use mine which is the yellow one from grivel. I think it’s a good one and I never had a problem with it but maybe I m missing out on a better one?

What are you guys using? Do you like it? Do you think it’s the best and why?

Please let’s stick to commercially available ones, not homemade.  

Does anyone need the yellow hook from grivel (ideally local to Seattle)? I bought one online and it seems much lower quality than the petzl one. Still with the tag attached.

I haven't used the petzl one a lot yet, but we have two.

Edit: I have lots of grivel gear (petzl too, ex: Grivel K3N + Scream plate + 6mm rope (various) is one of the best rappel setups on the market) and the other stuff seems much better than maybe a one off bad product. 

I tried the following 

 the yellow Grivel, need to remove gloves to unfold  the wire hook (at -20 this suck) , hook needed sharpening to make it pointy enough to bite into the rope. I keep it as a backup in the pack In case I drop my other one 

the Petzl, long and thin, easy to unfold, spring loaded so it stays open. Easy to hook on stuff. Expensive. Worth it. 

 the glacier plastic (long flexible wire with hook at the end ) floppy, the hoop protector slide up too often and hook ends up hooking stuff like puffy or pants. Crappy.

J snare. Tried that thing, does not damage rope, floppy, hard to use if hole is not perfect, can't force a half stuck rope to bend if holes aren't aligned, it needs 2 hands to work, no gloves, sold it after 1 use. Crappy 

Buy the Petzl

I make my own from the spring steel insulation bat  holders. strong enough to clean out a screw. works well.

The best one I have ever used:

https://m.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Anchors/MULTIHOOK

Petzl makes the best one.

Francois Dumas wrote:

 the yellow Grivel, need to remove gloves to unfold  the wire hook (at -20 this suck) 

I have found that you can open the hook by flexing the entire tool (similar to those emergency chemical light sticks).

Cassin is dead simple and won't break. Not the lightest or most compact though.

mbk wrote:

I have found that you can open the hook by flexing the entire tool (similar to those emergency chemical light sticks).

That s indeed how I open it myself.
i also had to reshape and resharpen the hook when I bought it, took me 5 mins of work to get it done for good.
I like that it fit perfect in my 22 cms black D alu screw.

i see the petzl one is well liked. I may try to play with it in a store. 

Petzl multihook has worked great on the handful of V threads and naked threads I made last season. It's pointy enough to snag the rope end but not so sharp as to actually cut or damage the sheath. Worst you'll do is pull a few threads but it's the last 1" of your rope so it doesn't really matter. 

Bonus features include a small serrated knife built into the hook, and the plastic body is the perfect size for jamming into screws to clear out frozen ice. 

Petzl, i sharpened mine to an actually point vs edge at the end of the hook and find it grabs slightly better. 

Best one I've used:

MEC Glacier Plastic Abalakov Hooker

I like my MEC one too, but you do manage to hook shit with it sometimes if you don’t really jam the hood down over it. 

Brian in SLC wrote:

Best one I've used:

MEC Glacier Plastic Abalakov Hooker

That one is decent but on mine, after a while the hook start to straighten out while pulling the cord through, and then one day it broke right off.  At the time those came out I think they were the best but now that petzl makes one I wouldn't bother unless I needed a cheap backup.  The petzl version seems way stronger and also comes with a serrated blade.

I have a petzl like it but prefer a simple one made from coat hanger. Make a small sharp hook then harden it by making it red hot then quench. 

timothy fisher wrote:

I have a petzl like it but prefer a simple one made from coat hanger. Make a small sharp hook then harden it by making it red hot then quench. 

And how many threads does that last for?  My guess isn’t many. 

Definitely the J-Snare!

https://www.jsnare.com/product-page/jsnare

Super-light/non-existent, doesn't fray your rope/cord, doesn't tear your clothes, grabs on hard so you can really pull. Nothing better.

Coat  hangers suck. Too flimsy for cleaning  screws. Try making it from a  wire insulation bat holder. They are made of spring steel.  

I like to use the wire on stopper nuts, it works really well and it’s already on the harness anyways on longer routes. I have also used the wire on a snow picket, that also does the job. 

Dr Logic wrote:

 and have used the grivel for a couple of years and absolutely hate it. 

hi, can you please share why?

The Petzl Multihook is the best I have used. The little blade to cut cord is a nice feature.