Blake Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 Anyone know or hear anything about this tool? I'm in the market and can pick one up (w/hammer) for $120 but don't want to get hosed on my first ice tool purchase. http://www.mtntools.com/cat/alpineice/axes/griveltaakoonicetools.htm Quote
BillA Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 It looks like they took some extra handles from the old rambos they had lying around and then attached the upper shaft from the machine. Kinda lame, but then again I haven't used them. Quote
TrogdortheBurninator Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 Everyone Ive met that has them loves them. Ive swung em at the base of some climbs and they feel great. Based on what I've heard probably one of the top 3 not so radical leashless/leashed tools out their along with vipers and quarks. NEice.com had a thread on them if you search through their gear threads. Quote
John Frieh Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 It looks like they took some extra handles from the old rambos they had lying around and then attached the upper shaft from the machine. That or one of the most brilliant resource allocation managements. I agree 100% they are machine/rambo spawns... if you look long enough on the web you will find pics of some with black handles (musta been the really old stock of machine handles ) Good price for a good tool Blake Quote
DonnV Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 Blake, I just got some Quarks but was really down to a coin toss between those and Takoons. I've never climbed with Takoons, but I just PM'd you with some responses I got from some Takoon owners on neice.com, plus I ran across lots of other discussion about them in various places. Some other random thoughts I had and comments I ran across: I found the pinkie rest (the Horn) to be too tight even with a thin glove and I know some folks have cut them off a bit and turned them into more of just a platform. They're some kind of plastic, so I was going to try heating them up and bending them out a bit, otherwise I would have shortened them, too. The Horn covers up any spike hole that would allow you to clip in keeper slings or to clip into the spike as part of an anchor. The Mixte pick is the burly one and was originally made to be unbreakable for mixed climbing, but it was apparently so bad on technical ice that Grivel thinned it out a bit and it now climbs ice much better. The Cascade pick is still the better pick for ice, but I saw some complaints about its durability. The hole in the head isn't really big enough to clip for harnessing the tool, but the hole in the pick seems to work fine for that. The grip is the most comfortable of any tool I tried. I assume you've been able to swing some in a shop. If not, and if you're still down south, they have some at both Climbmax and US Outdoor right now. Like I said, I came down to Quarks or Takoons, and a price of $120 would have made that choice easy. Donn Quote
fishstick Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 In my own biased opinion, it's certainly one of the top two ice tools I've ever tried. I prefer the version with the mixte pick. It tends to be stickier than a Quark, but I found overall that it inspired more confidence (especially at first). It's very good in the sense that it can be run as leashless, but the hand thingy can be removed for mtn use. It has a bit of a burly feel. Negs are small hammer and so-so adze. Otherwise, the stick is nothing short of brilliant (even at full retail). GB Quote
NYC007 Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 (edited) I have a set and love them. Clearence is great. Once you get used to the trigger you get a more precise swing then any other tool. I havent had any problem with the horn and glove neither has anyone who has used it. Grivels tools have a slightly different swing but I have always found it more effortless. The Mixte pick is sweet for mixed and alpine routes but a lil thick for pure ice unless its wet. My GF has the Light machines and sorry to say not the same parts but dunno about the bottom. Edited January 31, 2006 by NYC007 Quote
fenderfour Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 The machines, the tech wings, and the Ta-a-koons are all the "same" tool. The relative angle/location of the handle to the pick is the same. I have some Tech Wings with the trigger and horn. With insulated gloves, the horn would get in the way. I normally use atlas work gloves or BD Drytool gloves with the tools and have had no problem. If you want a bigger hammer, you can buy the normal hammer from any tool Rambo and newer. It will fit. The Mixte picks are beefier towards the handle. The width at the pick is about the same. The Mixte pick is much taller at the point. It could be a (small) concern if you are DT on really small stuff. Quote
NYC007 Posted January 31, 2006 Posted January 31, 2006 The mixte are 5mm taper to 4mm and Cascade is 4-3 Quote
chris Posted February 10, 2006 Posted February 10, 2006 I got to use a pair earlier this season and I'm sold on them - their my next purchase for next winter. Quote
Blake Posted February 10, 2006 Author Posted February 10, 2006 Just picked one up for $120... anyone have a second one to sell? Quote
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