Omega Pacific "Doval"

[olyclimber]

Anyone here use them? I'm thinking about getting some to rack up with. They're pretty lightweight...and a little smaller?

[Gerg]

i like them. they are a nice, lightweight piece for aid too if that floats your boat

[olyclimber]

Should have used the search function before asking. Thanks Gerg.

[snugtop]

looks can be deceiving. The gate opening is really small. Much smaller than normal ovals. So for anything other than skinny ropes they get relagated to racking biners. Vroom!

[Blake]

I think you are losing it Snuggy. The Doval's gate opening is 25mm, which is larger than a standard oval, and the same size as the BD wiregate oval. It's also within a couple mm of the helium, and superfly, as well as larger than the JC and Neutrino.

 

I think that the Doval, Superfly, and Helium are among the best biners out there, and all weight in at 30-37 grams.

[EWolfe]

I just reracked all of my pieces with them. My rack is now 30% lighter!!!

[snugtop]

I stand corrected about the gate opening. Rather than the gate opening, the total gate clearance is the issue. Looking at a Nutrino, JC, Doval and BD wiregate oval, the doval has MUCH less total area between the nose and the "top" of the biner. If you have ever tried to clove hitch an 11mm rope you'll know what I mean. Its really tough to even get the gate closed.

[Dru]

You mean the top clearance is snug ?

[Alpinfox]

I just reracked all of my pieces with them. My rack is now 30% lighter!!!

 

I have fingered and fondled Mr.E's dovals.

 

I like them, but my one complaint is that it is tricky to tell which way "up" is with them. That is, which side the gate opens on.

 

Otherwise, nice lightweight functional biner that is good for racking gear and general stuff. For biners on draws/slings, I prefer an asym biner like neutrinos, trango superflys, whatever.

[olyclimber]

I like them, but my one complaint is that it is tricky to tell which way "up" is with them.

 

I read this in a review of the Dovals on another website. I'm going with the Dovals, and I'm just going to put my "fingernail polish mark" on the opening side to address this issue.

[luwayo]

As stated already it isn't easy to tell which way is up when clipping. In fact all my climbing partners complained about them. They irritated me enough that I replaced them with the more asymetrical DMM, nicely annodized for colour coding (which in reality doesn't help much).

 

This season I'd like to add some Superflys to the Mammut Bandschlingen dental floss system.

 

There's also the DMM shield at 32g; and

Camp Nano Wire at 1oz....gate looks really small (April's Rock and Ice), but its speciality is clpping pro.

[Dustin_B]

I use em and love em. I've never had any problems telling which end opens. I agree the ends look 'similiar' but you can still tell the difference. Thats like saying you can't tell which end opens on a standard oval!

[minx]

love 'em, use 'em, buy 'em. we marked ours w/polish on the end that doesn't open so we can identify it easily. if my partners can't figure it out screw 'em.

 

unlike snugtop i haven't found the gate clearance to be much of an issue. then again, i don't climb on an 11mm rope. i have used them w/a 10.2mm.

 

happy dovaling

[willstrickland]

These things are light, but not the lightest option and I only have a few of them. The reason I have them is shape, and only shape. They are there in case I need to make a biner brake or garda or something else that won't "behave" on an asymetric biner.

 

Otherwise, for an ultra-light biner, you can't beat the Trango Superfly wiregates IMO. They are essentially a lighter neutrino. At 30g, they are about 20-25% lighter than other ultra-light offerings (from memory, neutrinos are around 36, dovals are about 35? I think, JCs are about 37).

 

My free rack is now almost entirely JCs, Neutrinos, and Superflies, and all new additions will be Superfly.

 

Dovals, IMO, have no advantage except shape. They don't clip or handle well, and there are lighter alternatives.

[tomtom]

Another vote for "annoying". The only advantage is the red color matches my double runners.

[olyclimber]

I like them, but my one complaint is that it is tricky to tell which way "up" is with them. That is, which side the gate opens on.

 

Dovals have the little "Omega Pacific" logo on the hinged side...so this effectively marks which side opens or not. Is this a new feature to the newer Dovals, or is it just hard to see that when you're trying to clip it?

[Alpinfox]

Dovals have the little "Omega Pacific" logo on the hinged side...so this effectively marks which side opens or not. Is this a new feature to the newer Dovals, or is it just hard to see that when you're trying to clip it?

 

Imagine trying to find the little OP symbol in this mess:

 

 

edit: Can anyone guess the climb I'm racked up for in the pic? Shouldn't be hard...

Edited March 16, 2005 by Alpinfox

[Dru]

outer space!

[tomtom]

Da Toof!

[dbb]

incredably crumbly handcrack?

[Alpinfox]

incredably crumbly handcrack?

 

Dave, do you recognize any of your cams/biners?

[Chad_A]

I just reracked all of my pieces with them. My rack is now 30% lighter!!!

 

I have fingered and fondled Mr.E's dovals.

 

I like them, but my one complaint is that it is tricky to tell which way "up" is with them. That is, which side the gate opens on.

 

Otherwise, nice lightweight functional biner that is good for racking gear and general stuff. For biners on draws/slings, I prefer an asym biner like neutrinos, trango superflys, whatever.

 

Noticed that, too. Had some stoppers on some, and glanced at it...opened the gate the wrong way, and promptly dumped a few off. Able to retrieve them later, but still...guess maybe "which way is up on a glance" comes with using them all the time. I don't trad lead that often.

[willstrickland]

It's either the start to IHC or Supercrack. First impression is IHC. But the real question is: Why would you haul a #3.5 camalot up either of those routes? Only place I can think of to use it would be on the last 15-20ft of Supercrack, not sure if it would even work there.

[dbb]

Dave, do you recognize any of your cams/biners?

 

yes! now stop bleeding on them, will ya?

[dbconlin]

I HEARD that wires from nuts can snag in the gate-hook thing on these 'biners and break off the nose... But this was supposed to be remedied after the initial production. Anyone?