clean nose or regular biners?

[Maine-iac]

I am thinking about buying some more wire gate biners for my alpine stuff, and was just wondering if the "new" clean nose wire gate biners are any more prone to freezing than the older ones are (not clean nosed). I am thinking about getting some Wild Country Heliums.

 

Thanks

[Jens]

It has been my experience that Wild Country and DMM biners (all the U.K. brands) don't open under some body weight loads- that's bad!

[Maine-iac]

really? I have a set of Wild Country WIld Wires and they all open under body weight. Is that just a clean nosed thing?

[catbirdseat]

It has been my experience that Wild Country and DMM biners (all the U.K. brands) don't open under some body weight loads- that's bad!

Explain why that is bad? It just means that there is enough flex that the gate engages as it is supposed to. You think that it casts doubt on the gate open strength? I don't think so. That is tested like any other biner.

[John Frieh]

It has been my experience that Wild Country and DMM biners (all the U.K. brands) don't open under some body weight loads- that's bad!

Explain why that is bad?

 

Some situations in aid climbing.

 

My understanding of the purpose of the clean nose is to prevent accidental opening when rubbing across a rock. Makes sense to me but if you read a few years worth of Accidents in NAM and you'll be hard pressed to find an accident that was a result of a biner gate being rubbed open against the rock. If it was a more common occurrence I might consider buying heliums or another clean nose biner but since it isnt I am happy with my cheaper biners.

 

WRT freezing shut I've had all sorts of wire gates "freeze" shut... trangos, bd, etc... A few wacks from your ice tool and they're fine.

 

 

[counterfeitfake]

I think racking with a clean nose wiregate might prevent wired gear from freeing itself and taking the plunge.

 

A while ago I was on a quest to find the ultimate racking 'biner. I thought it would be a clean nose wiregate, and bought about 5 different kinds. I was picky and found all of them lacking in some regard. Some of them have really small gate openings. I know I own a Helium but I can't remember which one that is. I am still mostly using Neutrinos.

[mattp]

I have quite a few Heliums on my rack and I like them a lot. They are light, easy to handle, and the lack of a sharp hook where the gate closes is a real plus in getting them on and off the rack or using them to rack wired stoppers. I don't do much aid climbing and I don't remember struggling with them when hanging on gear mid pitch or at a belay.

 

The biggest draw back with the Heliums I have found is that, as with all wiregates and bent gate 'biners I have used, they unclip themselves more readily than a traditional carabiner. They do so less than some other wiregates I have used, though. They also do not work well for a carabiner break (for rapelling) and the belayer cannot hear a "click" when the leader clips the gear they've just placed.

[jibby]

DMM makes some of the best carabiners on the market. Their Helium Draws are the lightest and the best draws out there. Deffinately made for sport or mulitpitching.

[hafilax]

The only bad thing I've seen with Heliums is that you can push the gate sideways so that it doesn't close properly. It's not a major problem since it's pretty rare to close a biner while the gate is being pushed but something to watch out for.

 

I racked my nuts on notchless biners for a while and one or two would slip off. I'm back to using a wire gate D-oval kind of biner and the notch seems to catch them before they drop. Maybe I'm just careless.

[mkporwit]

DMM makes the Shield, not the Helium, which is made by Wild Country (Well, ok, they're both made by the same company in the UK, methinks)...

 

The Helium is great for draws -- nice wide gate opening, works well when ice climbing and you're clipping with gloves on. I've not had a problem with the gates freezing up. Plus it comes in silver or red, so you know which end goes to the rope and which to the pro. It is a tad cheaper than the Shield, and even cheaper if you buy in five-packs.

 

I use the Shield for racking. Also an excellent 'biner. From my limited experimentation with it, its shape makes it very difficult if not impossible to crossload. The Shield comes in two anodized colors, but they're too close together to be useful as two ends of a draw.