UKC

Had a quick fondle in a shop, quite impressed by the build quality, and 'feel'. Not quite as good a balance as the more technical Nomics, but I think I prefer it to the Quarks.
Anyone had a chance to use one in anger yet?

In reply to dek: I like them too. considering a 30th birthday present to myself in the new year and can't decide on these, the quarks or to go all out and get a pair of Nomics

In reply to dek: Thoroughly unimpressed with them.

In reply to LJC: Why though?

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

I really can't see any negatives about them. Perhaps our unimpressed critic just prefers foreign made axes?!
It'd be interesting if anyone who's used them, posted a brief review of how they they got on with them .
Thanks.

In reply to dek: I can't say they look that different to anybody else's though. Or in fact to anything DMM have done before. Seems like a game of catch up to me mixed with stepping away from an axe that most likely had high financial costs - the Rebels must have been expensive to manufacture. To me at least it feels like a retrograde step. So they've got a nice handle - to be honest in this day and age they should do. And if their head system is anything like the fly of old, the picks will be an absolute arse to change. In my mind at least this has nothing to do with UK made or not - they just doesn't look like there's anything earth shatteringly different from what's already out there...

In reply to dek: I wasn't impressed with the build quality or feel. I didn't like the fact they are fairly curved but lack a big jug handle, but the upper rest isn't moveable like a quark. I don't think they are aesthetically pleasing either. To me, they seem to have produced a set of axes which fit around the currently available ones from other companies. Worried your nomics won't plunge? Buy an apex, etc.

In reply to LJC:

That does give us more choice, though. Not necessarily good, I grant you, and we can easily get too hung up on the superficial differences, but at least it means there's maybe something for people who don't feel the Quarks or Vipers (or whatever) are for them.
Presumably DMM designed them to be equivalent on purpose (I imagine they'd claim 'better', but you know what I mean) - something radical would probably alienate as many people as it would attract.

As for build quality, I'd say they seem as good as anything else. Not as light as the Quarks, maybe, but perhaps a little more solid, and the adjustable trigger on the Quarks strikes me as a bit flimsy, so the Apex's fixed upper hold may be a boon in this regard (and easier for the designers to predict the balance of for matching, I'd expect).

In reply to nufkin:


+1
The build quality of the apex seemed pretty good to me, there were no workmanship faults that I could find. The overall finish of the ae was imo really good. I've not used a pair so I have no idea how the would perform in practice.

In reply to dek: I've only had a quick fondle in a shop but to me it seem that the angle of the pick is far too steep. Most axes since the dawn of time (or at least mountain tech vertiges) have had roughly the same effective pick angle (bottom of handle in same place and pick in the same place) with just minor variations. If you have the chance pick up a MT vertige and put it over a nomic and you'll see that the important bits are exactly the same. The apex however just seems slightly off and the upper curve is too big. With this I imagine they'll be more difficult to get into ice and especially low angle ice but will be pretty amazing for hooking.

They look good though otherwise but I seem to remember that I was afraid something in the handle would fall off with time.

I used my Apex axes first on 25th Nov. They've since been used on mixed and ice from I to V. I financed buying these by selling my Quarks. I also own Nomics and use these on both ice and mixed, but find the Apex's better suited for steeper ice, than mixed. I have found the Apex a little overkill for grades I to III, and a Quark/Fly etc would be better here. A drawback I have found to the Apex is the hammer - I've found it awkward to use (nomic is easier), but this is a small price to pay for the benefits gained from the shape helping climb steep. On steeper mixed I prefer an ergonimic handle. The adze is small but does a job, it is small, but better than nothing. So it's not an all rounder, suited to the steeper climb, preferably ice, and preferably with no need for the hammer or adze.

In reply to Max Hunter:
Thanks for actual user feedback. More or less how I thought they'd perform. The other model (Switch?) looks very similar but with an ergo hand grip, and steeper T rated pick option for mixed hooking. They sound like excellent tools.