UKC

My rack is mostly made up of cheap but heavy crabs. Thinking of replacing some with a lighter model.

What biner is best for racking wires? I know some have a nose on the open bit of the gate which can snag the loop of the wire.

Also, am I right in think that the wires don't move around the crab so well if it is a wiregate crab rahter than a solid gate, or is that rubbish

Any recommendations please are welcome.

In reply to Owen W-G: I've only ever used Black Diamond Hotwires. Never had a problem with snagging, and they're wiregates too. Not sure about other brands/models.

In reply to Owen W-G: DMM Shadows work great, but any keylock will do.

In reply to Owen W-G: DMM prowires, nice and cheap from needlesports

http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Rock-Climbing-Equipment/Karabiners/St...

In reply to Big Steve:

I have to admit that they are the one krab I don't really rate for racking wires. They are too small at the bottom and the wires bunch up and hang at odd angles. Also, any more than 5 wires and things get really irritating.

Other than that, I tend to prefer solid gates for racking wires for some reason, although I actually don't have any particular preference over clean or hook nosed varieties (most of mine are clean though) apart from when very occasionally a wire will catch in the hook nose and prevent the gate from shutting properly. I would say that pretty much any krab with a base wider than that of the prowire works well.

In reply to Owen W-G:

Been racking wires on wild country heliums, haven't had any issues yet to complain about.

Some folks think oval solid gates, are they really the best? Can't say I own any.

In reply to needvert:

One of the disadvantages with solid gate ovals is that you can't tell so easily which way the gate opens. I use Black Diamond OvalWires to rack my nuts and find they all hang much more neatly than on Prowires. I haven't found the nose to be a problem, some people on here have said a notched nose can catch wires and help you avoid dropping them unintentionally.

In reply to Owen W-G: I've moved to ovalwires for my wire racking too, way neater than a normal Krab. Mate of mine uses a screwgate oval as his belay biner, he reckons they don't 'fall over' and crossload as much as a HMS Krab does.

In reply to Owen W-G: I use BD Wire Ovals as well. Can fit lots of wires and keeps them neat. 45g. Friend of mine used my rack last weekend and did not like them as he could not tell which side the gate opened. But after 3 routes worked it out and then loved them. You can also put a little nail varnish on the biner to show you what side it opens.

In reply to Owen W-G: What ever snap gate crab i have to hand.. dont do multi pitch/climb hard enough for my rack to bother me weight wise.

In reply to Owen W-G: I use DMM ovals, very neat and you can easily clip stuff into the krab when building the top anchor, I have however dropped a couple of nuts a few times for some reason when taking it off the harness, I found all of them again but it was a bit annoying

In reply to Owen W-G:

Not sure if they are available in the UK, but I use these and they are perfect!

http://www.madrockclimbing.com/products/product.asp?_item=100047

Light, oval, keylock gate and the gate is colored so easy to find the opening.

In reply to Owen W-G:

Another vote for BD oval wiregates.

In reply to Dan Lane: Me too, makes a big difference in terms of things sitting neatly, loops not getting inter-thread and quick selection. Easy to tell which way up with tape / marker at the top.

In reply to Owen W-G:

I think its a very personal choice. I like a really big old skool solid gate DMM krab for racking (and bail out in extremis!). Other people swear by wire gates and ovals - personally I hate them.

In reply to Owen W-G: I use oval, not D-shaped, big, not small, wire gates with a big tooth. I've tried krabs with no tooth and sprayed them over all the crag.

In reply to David Coley: Surely better to be careful with how you handle your nuts (ha ha) than rely on the nose notch to stop you dropping them?

In reply to Owen W-G:

On reflection I'm not sure why you are even bothering to ask - surely you have more than enough experience to know what works for you and if not you must have amassed enough different krabs (retired, on quick draws or crag swag) to be able to try different combinations on short outcrops where you can easily pick up dropped wires ?

Every time the subject comes up one is reminded of the fact that, like arseholes, everyone has their own opinion

In reply to GrahamD:

So what is your arsehole's opinion about which snapgate biner for racking wires?

In reply to EddInaBox:

See up thread about 4 or 5 posts ^^