DMM Belay Master

[Stumper]

Anyone have any experience with this biner? The pics and specs I've seen look impressive.

Also, in another thread someone(Tom Dunlap I think) said that screwlocks don't meet the requirements of the Z. Perhaps I haven't seen the most recent edition but what I have available says "two seperate motions" My screwlocks all take more than a complete revolution to fully lock/unlock which means several thumb and finger movements. The proposed ammendments for 2000 did say 1/4 turn twistlocks were unacceptable but I can't see the prob with screwlocks-all of mine seat up 'hard' and require a deliberate attempt to start loosening.

 

[kf_tree]

is that the biner with the plastic piece that swings over the gate? if thats the one your asking about, i feel its kind of gimicky. tree gear gets abused abused abused. i feel after a few weeks of hard use the plastic would get worn and just flip flop around. it might be nice when its new, but after a while it would just be a pain.

 

[Tim Gardner]

The biner looks like a good idea. The plastic gate locks on my Petzls seem to take the abuse pretty good. But, I would have to see one that has been used by a tree climber a while before I spent the $$ on one.

 

[greenguy]

If you climb on screwgate biners enough eventually one day you look down and the gate will be open. been their done that not a good feeling at 50ft.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Scre gate biners are out for sure.

Before the thread jumps over to screwlinks, in or out, this is what I've found and has been accepted at the ITCC [for what it's worth, see the "Rated..." thread at Tree**zz]

The threads on screwlinks are much finer and they tend to jam with finger tightening. It takes many more full turns to unlock a screw link. Screwlinks can be snugged up with a pliers because of the flats on the collar without distorting the biner. Also, screwlinks can be opened after loading much easier than aluminum biners. The threads on biners are much more coarse and don't tighten down as snug. Historically, screw gate biners don;t have a good rep in the trees.

I've seen that DMM biner. That's a good design but I don't have any idea if it would pass the Z 133 standard. Seems like a better choice than a screw gate biner by a long shot.

I'm not too concerned with the use of plastics in biners. Petzl and DMM both have a very good history of product development and testing. Rarely do they miss the mark when they release a new product. Besides, ripping on "plastics" is like grouping all "trees" together. We all know there are many different trees and there are many more plastics. Each has individual differences.

All of our gear requires us to monitor and inspect it on a regular schedule. How often do you climbers inspect your gear? Mine is inspected every time I use it and often during the day. Wear doesn't show up in the morning, it was there the night before.

Ive read about rumors of carbon fiber biners being developed. The weight savings is there but they cost too much is what I've read. Some day we'll see them. If we want to see the future of our gear, look at what is being used and developed for large, off shore and around the world sailing competition. That is where the R&D money is being spent. In time, we'll benefit.

Tom