The carabiners are very light weight and combine the traditional gate carabiner with the classic wire gate carabiner. This is done by using just a single, straight piece of aluminum as the gate. This both reduces the weight and provides a smooth clip often associated with a traditional gate carabiner.
This quickdraw incorporates an Ange L on the bottom and Ange S on the top
Other notable features include the keylock system which helps eliminate the possibility of the nose getting stuck on a sling or bolt. There is a subtle indent on the bottom of the carabiners that helps keep the rope or sling in place. Also the nose of the carabiner has a hole in it that allows ice, snow or dirt to be cleared out.
At 28 g, the Ange S is the lightest and smallest. The Ange L is 34 g and slightly bigger. The quickdraws come in four different styles, with different lengths and combinations of Ange S and Ange L available. As a comparison, Black Diamond’s Oz is 28 g and their Neutrino is 36 g.
The Ange S is on the left and Ange L is on the right
After using these on a variety of sport climbs and multi-pitch trad climbs, the Ange L has become my favorite. While it takes a bit of getting used to when clipping the rope into the carabiners, I am starting to get really comfortable with them. The Ange L seems to be a little easier for clipping due to its larger size. I haven’t quite gotten used to the smaller sized Ange S and my partners with bigger hands have commented that they have almost dropped them due to their small size. However, the Ange S does work very well when being clipped directly into a bolt. That being said, I think I would tend to prefer a little extra weight in exchange for ease of clipping.
Bottom line: these are super light and I will continue to use the Ange L on runners and slings for long mulit-pitch and alpine climbs when limiting extra weight is essential.
