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What are your thoughts on blue ice screws?
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I’m thinking about picking up some blue ice screws to lighten up my ice rack. I’m curious what people think about how they perform, and would you recommend them over the other ultra light screws. Are they sticking in wet or really hard ice? Do they start faster? Have you broken the handles off? How do the aluminum ones perform compared to the new steel ones? Any input from people who have been putting them to use would be appreciated. |
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I like them. I think they are close to the Petzl screws in terms of speed of placement. My ranking of screws based on speed of placement, racking: 1) Petzl Laser lights 2) Blue Ice 3) Cassin Rockets 4) BD aluminum 5) Grivel / BD express |
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I'm curious about the performance of the steel (Aero) vs. aluminum (Aero Light) as well. |
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Hmmm. Not sure why Robert prefers the Petzls. 1. Blue Ice Aero 2. Blue Ice Aero light 3. Petzl Laser Speed Lights 4. BD ultralight’s 5. All steel screws regardless of mfr. too close to worry about subtle differences for something I’d never carry anymore other than for the super stubbies I had made (plug for Gunkiemike’s offerings) |
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The steel blue ice are crazy light compared to other brands of steel screws. I have enough Aero and Aero lights now to use only them i like them so much. |
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I have 6 Blue Ice Aero Lights, rest of the rack is BD steel. I have not broken a handle on the Aero Lights (though they feel pretty flexy compared to BD Express) but have broken off the steel tip when removing a screw. They seem to be glued on. I emailed Blue Ice to warranty a week ago and haven't heard anything back yet. I have heard of several other similar warranty claims which were honored but that's not trust-inducing for a committing climb ... I still like them, they are super light and generally go in easily but like any aluminum screw they bind more and clear with more difficulty in some ice conditions. I will always have at least some steel screws on me because of that. Blue Ice rack well with BD, Petzl screws seem to hang poorly in weird orientations when mixed with BD. |
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I love them. Some notes
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They make me feel safer than red ice screws that's for sure |
Robert Meshew wrote: I 100% concur with this ranking. I don't own any of the Blue Ice steel screws, but they have the same handles as the aluminum which I find too flexy and spring loaded for my taste. The Petzl laser lights have the nicest handles. FWIW I own both 3 and 4 teeth Petzls and can't tell the difference. |
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Anyone on here having issues with flaking plating on their blue ice screws? I'm also interested in opinions on cassin rockets |
mtnmandan wrote: Yeah, have been having issues with flaking plating as well. Hasn’t seemed to affect placement, but I have noticed they are more likely to rust than my BD express screws if left in a screw wrap after a climb. So far I would give the blue ice screws two thumbs up, though. I quite like the handle (and especially the fairy rigid flip out for the knob). |
mtnmandan wrote: I have a bunch of rockets and they are my go-to, until I had my buddy's blue ice steels on my clippers. Rockets are totally equivalent to the new petzl for placement and feel. The only downside is the knob gets floppy and falls open when it shouldn't. |
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I have one 10cm Aero screw. The rest of my rack is older gen 4-tooth Petzl Laser Speeds and Laser Speed Lights. As far as ease of placement and removal goes, I don’t really notice a “significant” difference between the Blue Ice and Petzl steel screws. I haven’t experienced any durability issues with the Aero yet, but I have only had it for a few months. I am satisfied with the Petzl screws, so I don’t have any plans to replace them. If I was starting from scratch, I would probably get Aeros. The Aeros are light enough that I wouldn’t bother with Aluminum screws for screws 17cm and shorter. I would just get one longer Aluminum screw (probably an Aero Lite) for building V-threads. |
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Curious about those mentioning the Cassin Rockets. I seem to hear about them. That’s the one screw option that I have no examples of, but it seems (by specs and pics) as just another “also ran” std version of all steel, 4 tooth screw (compared to BD, Petzl, Grivel), maybe a few grams lighter but not nearly in same league as Blue Ice Aero in weight and performance or price. What am I missing? Edit: And why would you choose over BD Aluminum? (Assuming Older tip issues corrected). Not a huge fan of BD’s vs other options, but I’d still buy them over any other steel option except BI I understand the concerns about warm soft ice, but I haven’t had the binding issue in years with any aluminums since adapting my technique. We’ll see if I didn’t just jinx myself this weekend, as I’ll have 4 days of warm soft ice. |
Mark Pilate wrote: When I bought them they were about $20 cheaper per screw vs BD\petzl. I had no other reasoning such as bite, weight, racking etc. It turns out they're great screws minus the knob that goes floppy. I don't see a lot of them, but I'm always happy to use them. |
Mark Pilate wrote: Their diameter is smaller than the BD steels and they go in really fast especially in variable ice -- where it is wet on the top and dry below. |
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I have a full rack of steels that I've used for about 3 seasons now. I love them, no complaints. I don't need to worry about wet ice, and also the steel gives me peace of mind as it is generally a stronger material than aluminum when considering how ice screws are loaded and fail. |
Eliot Hack wrote: They’re all rated for the same loads… |
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I have a full rack of steel Aeros and love them. I also have 5 Camp Rockets (4x17cm, 1x13cm, 4x7cm) which I really like and will use to supplement the Blue Ice rack at times. The rockets seem comparatively fast to start, and none of mine have loose handles. The smaller diameter is a little more prone to icing up than the BI screws. My rack was all Petzl screws prior to the Blue Ice screws hitting the market. I personally feel that the Aeros are better than every other screw. I don't see the point to having aluminum screws now so I've gotten rid of all of mine. |
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No one on this thread has had problems with the plastic knobs coming off blue ice screws? It was an early problem that I thought they fixed but based on what happened yesterday, it still seems like it's an issue.  |
Ben Podborski wrote: Yes the thread pullout strength is the same for all screws. But when considering how they actually fail, Steel screws are stronger. To summarize the science, when a screw is loaded the front 3-5cm of surface ice cones out, leaving the first inch or so of the barrel unsupported and there is a large lever moment. Aluminum is more brittle than steel in ice screws, so they are more likely to snap and fail catastrophically than steel screws. So while they are all rated to the same strength, 10kn, the failure point is the barrel, and the material. Article: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/stories/qc-lab-aluminum-vs-steel-ice-screws/ |
