OutdoorGearLab

Most dedicated climbers that we know have a rack of 12 or more burly quickdraws devoted entirely to sport climbing, as well as an extra handful or more lightweight draws for use while trad climbing or on multi-pitch or alpine missions a long way from the car. This makes sense — sport draws are too heavy and bulky for long missions, and lightweight draws typically have small carabiners that are harder to clip and also hard to grab while projecting sport routes. But what if there was one ultimate quickdraw that was both durable, easy to grab, and light? There is &mdash; the Petzl Ange Finesse! Made with the unique MonoFil Keylock design that has only a single wire on the gate that keylocks into the nose, these are some of the lightest quickdraws we tested while also providing a large, easy to grab dogbone, and customization for either easier clipping or even less weight.
The downside with these draws is their price, which depends on which of the four carabiner and dogbone options you choose to purchase. Some of our testers also complained about the size of the gate opening itself. While the gate clearance is a hefty 26mm when all the way open, the actual gate opening is certainly less than that, sometimes making for a more difficult clip. But no quickdraw we tested provided as much crossover as the Ange Finesse, with the perfect attributes for long alpine routes as well as roadside sport climbs. If you're searching for the perfect "Quiver of One" draws that can go with you on any climb, these are your best bet.

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Petzl’s Ange Finesse represents one of the biggest advances in carabiner technology to date. The single-bar, keylocking gate not only is lighter than more conventional designs but also makes for incredibly smooth clipping, both on the bolt and rope sides. In short, you’d be hard-pressed to find another quickdraw that offers this kind of performance at such a low weight. For this reason, the Ange Finesse is a superb one-quiver draw and one of our favorite models for longer routes and onsight single-pitch sport climbing alike. Its small nose fits into old bolt hangers and small pins too, which is great for climbing in areas like Yosemite or Joshua Tree.

Our biggest hang-up with the Ange Finesse is price: although Petzl recently lowered the MSRP of their Spirit and Djinn, the Ange stayed in the mid-$20 range. In addition, we do know of some climbers that don’t like the feel of clipping with this particular draw—the gate is so different that it may require some practice. But overall, the Ange Finesse has a premium, confidence-inspiring design at an impressively low weight, which makes it one of our top picks for demanding alpine and multi-pitch climbing. Finally, it’s available in a number of configurations, including your choice of large or small carabiners and 10 or 17-centimeter dogbones.See the Petzl Ange Finesse

Most dedicated climbers we know have a rack of 12 or more burly quickdraws devoted entirely to sport climbing, as well as an extra handful or more lightweight draws for use while trad climbing or on multi-pitch or alpine missions a long way from the car. This makes sense — sport draws are too heavy and bulky for long missions, and lightweight draws typically have small carabiners that are harder to clip and also hard to grab while projecting sport routes. But what if there was one ultimate quickdraw that was both durable, easy to grab, and light? There is &mdash; the Petzl Ange Finesse! Made with the unique MonoFil Keylock design that has only a single wire on the gate that keylocks into the nose, these are some of the lightest quickdraws we tested while also providing a large, easy to grab dogbone, and customization for either easier clipping or even less weight.
The downside with these draws is their price, which depends on which of the four carabiner and dogbone options you choose to purchase. Some of our testers also complained about the size of the gate opening itself. While the gate clearance is a hefty 26mm when all the way open, the actual gate opening is certainly less than that, sometimes making for a more difficult clip. But no quickdraw we tested provided as much crossover as the Ange Finesse, with the perfect attributes for long alpine routes as well as roadside sport climbs. If you're searching for the perfect "Quiver of One" draws that can go with you on any climb, these are your best bet.
Read more: Petzl Ange Finesse review

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Petzl Ange Finesse Review | Gear Institute

REVIEW: The Petzl Ange: a new type of karabiner

The Petzl Spirit Express is a classic among sport climbers. It comes with a keylock carabiner on each end and does everything a sport climber could ask for &mdash; clips are fast and snappy, and the rope never snags on the keylock gate. The wide dogbone is made to be grabbed, and we love the way it feels when we do so. It's one of the lightest sport-climbing specific models that we tested, shaving ounces off your harness in a sport where every gram counts.  
However, even with its latest weight loss, it is still not suited for long or alpine routes, so if that's your primary climbing style, check out the Petzl Ange Finesse, or another lightweight model like the Cypher Firefly II instead. For everything else, the Spirit Express is at the top of its class. Just don't loan them out, or you may not get them back! 

It should come as no surprise that Petzl’s tried-and-true Spirit comes in at the top of this list. What’s not to like about this Cadillac of a quickdraw? The carabiners are super smooth, the dogbones are stable-feeling, and these things are, quite simply, really fun to clip. All the materials are ridiculously strong and durable, including the rubber grommet that keeps the rope-side carabiner from flipping over. The Spirit is equally easy to stick clip or grab when the good holds run out, and the whole unit is so rigid that you can hold onto the bottom end of the draw and still clip an out-of-reach bolt.

Petzl dropped the price considerably this year (from $25 down to $20), but the Spirit Express remains the same draw that we know and love. It’s ideal for sport climbing, but its weight and bulk mean that it’s not a super versatile draw. In fact, we’d be surprised if a Spirit Express has ever made it into the alpine, and we certainly wouldn’t want to clip it to a direction-dependent nut. But for a sport climbing draw, either for redpointing or leaving on a project for an extended period, this is the best model money can buy.See the Petzl Spirit Express

The Petzl Spirit Express is a staple among sport climbers. With a keylock carabiner on each end, it does everything a sport climber could ask for &mdash; clips are fast and snappy, and the rope never snags on the keylock gate. The wide dogbone is made to be grabbed, and we love the way it feels when we do so. It's one of the lightest sport-climbing specific models that we tested, shaving ounces off your harness in a sport where every gram counts.  
However, even with its latest weight loss, it is still not suited for long or alpine routes, so if that's your primary climbing style, check out the Petzl Ange Finesse, or another lightweight model like the Cypher Firefly II instead. For everything else, the Spirit Express is at the top of its class. Just don't loan them out, or you may not get them back! 
Read more: Petzl Spirit Express review

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Switchback Travel | Best Climbing Quickdraws

Black Diamond recently scrapped their entire quickdraw lineup and released five new models to fill the void. We tested the three most compelling versions, and of these, the HotForge Hybrid was our clear favorite. These affordable quickdraws pair a new HotForge solid gate biner on the top with a wiregate carabiner on the bottom, combining easy clipping of the rope through the wiregate, with the easy to clean keylocking design for the top. While the design is simple, effective, and affordable, we received by far the most comments on their looks. Climbers all over the crags we climbed at noticed the hot pink versions that we tested, repeatedly asking what kind they were.
It's hard to ask for much more than an effective sport draw at an affordable price. However, comparing them to the highest performers in our review, like the Petzl Spirit Express or the DMM Alpha Sport reveals that their gate springs are a bit tight, requiring slightly more effort to complete a clip. They are also relatively heavy overall, and their simple polyester dogbone is not engineered to be a fat handle to grasp when you are too pumped to clip. In our experience, however, these attributes only come with the highest priced choices, and we think budget-minded climbers will be more than happy with the performance they get from the HotForge Hybrid.

Black Diamond recently scrapped their entire quickdraw lineup and released five new models to fill the void. We tested the three most compelling versions, and of these, the HotForge Hybrid was our clear favorite. These affordable quickdraws pair a new HotForge solid gate biner on the top with a wiregate carabiner on the bottom, combining easy clipping of the rope through the wiregate, with the easy to clean keylocking design for the top. While the design is simple, effective, and affordable, we received by far the most comments on their looks. Climbers all over the crags we climbed at noticed the hot pink versions that we tested, repeatedly asking what kind they were.
It's hard to ask for much more than an effective sport draw at an affordable price. However, comparing them to the highest performers in our review, like the Petzl Spirit Express or the DMM Alpha Sport reveals that their gate springs are a bit tight, requiring slightly more effort to complete a clip. They are also a bit heavy overall, and their simple polyester dogbone is not engineered to be a fat handle to grasp when you are too pumped to clip. In our experience, however, these attributes only come with the highest-priced choices, and we think budget-minded climbers will be more than happy with the performance they get from the HotForge Hybrid.
Read more: Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid review

If you're new to climbing and trying to build up your gear stash, you'll appreciate the Cypher Firefly II. They retail for only half the price of the Petzl Spirit Express. That's a significant difference, particularly if you're also purchasing a rope, harness, and double set of cams! The Firefly II is light enough for trad climbing &#40;only 2.6 ounces a draw&#41;, and you can still use them while sport climbing if you're not sure which discipline you want to specialize in more.
That said, these draws are much better for long missions — where low weight is of critical importance — than they are for everyday sport use. The narrow 10 mm sling makes them less than ideal for working your sport project, where you may want to grab the occasional draw. And like most other wiregates in this review, the unprotected notch in the nose can get hung up on bolt hangers, making them more difficult to clean. But, considering the price, you may be willing to put up with all of that! If you are looking for some quickdraws that shave the weight for long clip-ups in Black Velvet Canyon of Red Rocks, or for alpine climbs, then consider the Firefly II.

If you're new to climbing and trying to build up your gear stash, you'll appreciate the Cypher Firefly II. They retail for only half the price of the Petzl Spirit Express. That's a significant difference, particularly if you're also purchasing a rope, harness, and double set of cams! The Firefly II is light enough for trad climbing &#40;only 2.6 ounces a draw&#41;, and you can still use them while sport climbing if you're not sure which discipline you want to specialize in more.
That said, these draws are much better for long missions — where low weight is of critical importance — than they are for everyday sport use. The narrow 10 mm sling makes them less than ideal for working your sport project, where you may want to grab the occasional draw. And like most other wiregates in this review, the unprotected notch in the nose can get hung up on bolt hangers, making them more difficult to clean. But, considering the price, you may be willing to put up with all of that! If you are looking for some quickdraws that shave the weight for long clip-ups in Black Velvet Canyon of Red Rocks, or for alpine climbs, then consider the Firefly II.
Read more: Cypher Firefly II review

Climbing Quickdraw Comparison