BD micro hammer/adze

[counterfeitfake]

I just bought a new pair of Vipers. They came with a micro hammer and micro adze. I'm looking for opinions from people who have used them:

 

How much harder is it to drive a piton with the micro hammer?

 

How much harder is it to chop ice with the micro adze?

 

I've seen it argued (dane?) that you don't need an adze... I am probably more concerned about the hammer anyway. I've also seen some people claim that the tools swing better with the full-size hammer.

[Dane]

Only used the newest Cobras for part of one season but partners have used them for the last two seasons.

 

I saw a lot of chipped (Cobras)or dinged up (Vipers) hammer shafts with the micro hammer and the radically curved shafts.

Quarks have faired a bit better because the hammer is standing away from the shaft farther. Don't remember anyone useing the bigger hammer head.

 

As much as I bust on the NO hammer / NO ADZE, when you need an adze, my perspective is a big one is always better and when you really want a hammer a straight shafted one with a decent size head is better.

 

I did however use the micro hammer and micro adze on my Cobras and thought they balanced well and both micro pieces worked as intended if I avoided operator error. In hard ice the micro adze worked well. Now I am most likely to use Nomic's and when required carry a alpine hammer to pound/clean rock pins as my third tool. And I chop steps with a pick....n/ice or hard snow make that a less than perfect technique.

 

Tent platforms or a bivy ledge can well be problematic without an adze...climb fast

 

 

[EastCoastBastard]

I've had the current vipers for a while now and have been using the micro hammer/adze. They work... barely. I've taken several chunks out of my micro hammer from pounding pins with less-than-perfect aim, but it works. The adze is too small to dig anything quickly, but works well for clearing ice away, and yeah, it's functional.

 

As far as swinging better - I dunno, I've never tried. A little more weight in the head might be useful for some, but I like the way the vipers swing as they are. No problems for me there.

[montypiton]

I gave up on adzes on ice-tools back in the early 90s, because even when I used to carry one, it seemed I never used it, while I did (and still do) use the hammer regularly. I've used the hammerheads on a few curve-shafted tools (Quark, Aztar, Cobra, DMM Rebel), and they'll work if I absolutely have to use them, but none have worked well enough for me that I will leave my trusty vintage alpine hammer behind when I expect to be banging pegs. I like the original (heavier head with thicker pick) Chouinard alpine hammer and the Forrest Mjollnir (surpisingly effective on steep ice with the "skye" pick!) I do feel comfortable enough with the curved-shaft hammers to leave the "real" hammer behind on climbs where I'm only carrying iron as an "emergency back-up". For chopping stances, I prefer to use the side of my crampon as a saw to cut a step, as opposed to chopping with a hand-tool, and the old Lowe Footfang excelled at this function, as do the Trango Harpoon, and the DMM Terminator. The new-age ultra-light tech-crampons like Charlet's Dart don't put enough points underfoot to accomplish this function well.

 

Some of these functional issues may be determined by whether you're more of a waterfall climber or an alpinist. I find myself far more likely to carry and use a "real" hammer on mixed alpine climbs than on waterfall climbs. And some of it just boils down to personal "style". Me, I'd trade the adze for a second hammerhead, and I'd go play with the hammer to see how it works for me.

 

And, like Dane says, climb fast, because even with the best adze, if you have to chop a bivy ledge or tent platform with it, you're gonna suffer...

[pdk]

Lots of the Canucks in the early 2000's in central Ontario (Thunder Bay area - check it out, some of the best ice and mixed climbing there is) were climbing with TWO full size adzes. We used to give them a lot of shit for that. But it did help with snow removal on lower-angled ice climbs.

 

I have the new Cobras and after using one tool with the full size hammer and one w/ the micro hammer, decided I prefer the full size hammer better. More natural, efficient swing for me - but I'm a basher, so I like the added head-weight. Try them both, see what you like. And yes, the micro hammer sucks for pins, but it works.

[ann]

I have the Vipers and as a new ice climber have been told that replacing the micro hammer & adze with two standard hammers will help me get deeper sticks with the increased swing weight. Also was told that snow/ice clearing enroute can be done reasonably well with picks, and that having two hammers enables pounding in the pick of either opposite tool to get a deeper placement, and that an adze is a great way to put your eye out. I've been waffling, so glad you started this thread.

Edited December 6, 2009 by ann

[obwan]

I used the Shrike with an OK? adze, and it is not changeable unless you cut it off so left it alone. But with my Rage, I took the big adze off, and tossed it pretty far after it wacked my helmet when the pick bounced off some bullet proof ice. I never used it anyhow, and the two hammer Rage tools now swing equally; and the hammers come in highly useful on mixed routes in those finger to hand size cracks.