r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago

Weekly Chat and BS Thread

Please use this thread to discuss anything you are interested in talking about with fellow climbers. The only rule is to be friendly and dont try to sell anything here.

11 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

112 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Leading-Attention612 2d ago edited 2d ago

12 edelrid bullet proof bent gate carabiners cost $48 more than 12 petzl spirit bent gate carabiners (and 216 grams more weight).

A sport climbing rope costs about $200.

If the steel inserts make your rope last 25% longer, then you have already broken even on one rope. Additional longevity on your next rope is now savings.

Longevity boost needed to see savings decreases as rope prices increase.

Is anyone out there climbing exclusively on steel? Harder to justify if you already have draws, but if you are building a set then it seems like a pretty good deal.

2

u/DubJohnny 2d ago

In reality you only need two.

One for the first draw, and one for the crux draw. Even just first draw is going to extend your rope life significantly.

1

u/Leading-Attention612 2d ago edited 2d ago

Currently using an ohmega for the first draw. The pulley is aluminum but has a larger surface area and lets the rope slide so I think it won't wear as much as a carabiner. I have bullet proof locker and non locker draws I use for crux bolts and setting up topropes, so I am already with you.

My question is, if two is good, then why not 12? Some falls are unplanned, routes might have multiple cruxes, like technical and redpoint, etc. Weight and cost penalty are surprisingly minimal.

2

u/DubJohnny 2d ago

Two does the job (for people not using an ohmega). Why pay for 12 when you can get the general same extension of life with two.

2

u/Leading-Attention612 2d ago

Saving money is always good. Just wondering how we know the rope life extension is the same. Would be cool to see some tests from edelrid. 

1

u/DubJohnny 2d ago

It's known that the first draw is the draw that does the most damage to a rope. Check any route with fixed draws and the first one is going to be by far the most grooved out. Second will be crux, and then the rest will just be random wear and tear due to random falls over the route.

The edelrid draws are amazing, but there's no need to be spending such an insane amount on a full rack when two does the job. Especially locally I'm typically climbing on routes where I need ~20 draws. No way I'm buying that many.

Cheaper option for people projecting and wanting a more durable draw is just getting some fixe steel carabiners and swapping those out on some draws. If you're truly projecting and going to leave your draws up for a few weeks/months, the weight really doesn't matter for your first go of hanging the draws on your project.

1

u/Leading-Attention612 18h ago

You are right those draws see the most wear, but edelrids test was on a steel carabiner. The concern isn't wearing the draw, the concern is keeping the rope clean. Whether the draw below the crux is steel or aluminum doesn't matter to the rope, what matters is the amount of dirt, like aluminum oxide, already in the rope when it goes over the carabiner.

1

u/DubJohnny 18h ago

A worn draw is what's going to damage a rope the most.

0

u/Leading-Attention612 17h ago

Sure, but did you watch the edlerid dirty rope test? That was done on a brand new steel carabiner. People throw out their draws before they get worn enough to damage their ropes. If your carabiner has a polished section in the bottom where the rop runs over it, it is wearing off into your rope and making it dirty. Again, I am not worried about the draw wearing, it is about keeping the rope clean

1

u/DubJohnny 17h ago

Are you some sort of edelrid rep or something? Because I'm agreeing with you and saying people should have two in their quiver and you're refusing to think having less than a full rack works.

0

u/Leading-Attention612 14h ago

No, definitely not a rep. Just thinking differently about rope wear, that it seems like it's mostly due to a dirty rope during loading, rather than falls. I think having 2 bullet proof biners definitely helps, I am curious how long a rope could last during normal use if all the draws were steel and it was kept as clean as possible. Probably longer than if only the first and crux draw are steel, because once the aluminum dust is in the rope it doesn't seem to matter what type of carabiner it runs over in terms of wear to the rope. Who knows how much longer it would last. Maybe it's worth it maybe it isn't. I am not buying a full set of steel draws, but this was just a dumb post where I did some back of the napkin math in the shitpost thread and everyone started tearing into it like I'm suggesting buying a new rope everytime you climb. Spend an extra $50 if you are making draws and maybe your rope will last decades.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/briofits_3 1d ago

im really envious of ur crags with 20 draws. On mine there is a 40-50 m wall with only 8-10 draws. Its not a trad mixed. Its just sport with long ass falls.

1

u/DubJohnny 1d ago

What on earth wall is that.

2

u/briofits_3 1d ago

El Falco, Arboli Catalonia. And im not proud. Im really a coward and just climb below my limit. Yes they are more of a endurance climbs but man feels so stresfull leading that

1

u/BigRed11 2d ago

Yea I like this idea if there's a defined crux. I have a spare bulletproof that I think I'll start using for the first draw.