Locking Carabiners

Reviewed by Jon 4

Excellent product, vey well designed and made. it's perfect for the job (belaying/rappelling carabiner).

Bought the Master 2 exclusively for my tube-type belay device and love it. I've used it now for a few weeks and plan to get a second one soon (backup in case of loss or theft). The "pivoting catch" assures me that my 'biner is locked properly and will not cross load whether belaying or rappelling. It's foolproof because of that folding catch and thus provides visual peace-of-mind for me and the climber—I can lock it and forget about it. I've read elsewhere that the folding catch is a PITA, but I don't see that at all.

Read more: DMM Belay Master 2 review (1)

Reviewed by Bill S

This carabiner, the Petzl William Ball-lock is the metal sleeve successor to the plastic-sleeved ball-lock. This is my primary locking carabiner, which I use with belay devices, with munters (it is an HMS, designed to take munters readily, even on double ropes), and many other situations. The action is quick and easy with one hand - just push the ball on the sleeve and twist, then release and it locks automatically (do a squeeze check to be sure, of course, as with all lockers). I did find in Antarctica that in the cold (-30 and below), it was sometimes a bit sluggish.

Read more: Petzl William Ball-Lock review (1)

Reviewed by G00se

The Petzl Delta Link provides a 25kN working load at a mere 5.29 oz. It serves for multiple connection points in a Frog Ascending System. Lightweight, tough, and reliable.

I use these for a number of applications—mostly climbing. They are an essential part of of a Frog Ascending system for rope climbing. One is used as the connection point between my Petzl Ascension ascender and the footloop. The other is used to attach my chest ascender (Petzl Croll) to the chest harness. With the triangular shape, there is no risk of crossloading. So you maintain the full working strength of the link at all time. I own several of these, and I find some of them screw open easily, while others are really frustrating. I actually carry a small crescent wrench on my gear loop in case I find myself in a bind. Other applications include using it to hang my hammock and store heavy gear in the rafters of my garage.

Read more: Petzl Delta review (1)

Reviewed by Tommy G

Does well at keeping the carabiner from rotation while belaying. The spin lock is OK but doesn't turn as smoothly as others. The paint on the carabiner wears off almost immediately, and grooves from the rope appear faster than expected.

This is a nice design for preventing your carabiner from rotating while belaying. It attaches to the harness more easily than the other gatelock style carabiners I've tried. However, the green paint wears off from the rope almost immediately. Mine has no paint left where the ropes run after two days of use. Additionally, grooves wear into the carabiner from the rope faster than expected. I had to stop using this carabiner after two years of once or twice a week use due to the grooves from the rope getting deep enough that I was concerned about their edges against the rope and about the effect on the strength of the carabiner.

Read more: Metolius Gatekeeper Locking Carabiner review (1)

Reviewed by Scott Dickie

Lightweight, excellent screwgate locker that has a perfectly shaped nose to make clipping extremely easy. The best locking beiner for personal anchor systems at the top of a long difficult route.

This carabiner is the best I have used to attach a personal anchor system at the top of a route. The nose is shaped in a way that it is quite open (bent out) compared to other screwgate lockers, so clipping is extremely easy. The diameter of the carabiner is around  a medium sized thickness. Since the body of the carabiner is round and not an I-beam construction you do lose some strength, but the diameter is great if you have to clip multiple pieces of gear onto a single anchor. The carabiner is fairly light for a screwgate locker so you barely even feel it on your harness.

Read more: Simond Spider Screwgate review (1)

Reviewed by Kevin K

It's an easy to use and lightweight autolocker, perfect for a more secure alpine sling or to use in anchoring.

I bought four of these mainly to use for anchoring and having secure carabiners for whatever I need them for. I can easily open them with one hand by putting the spine in my palm, and using my middle finger to push the slider down and open the gate. There could potentially be a scenario where a rope or rock can do this as well, but you'd have to pretty much purposefully place it in a situation where that could happen. Opening it on a rope is potentially a plus if it's really cold out and you have gloves on, you can just slide and clip.

Read more: Edelrid Pure Slider review (1)

Reviewed by G00se

The Omega Pacific Jake is a big, throaty 'biner. The offset gate is a great innovation that makes clipping in much easier than a standard "D" or "Pear-shaped" carabiner.

My feelings about this 'biner have evolved since I originally posted a review on it. My original, 3-star review focused on the "backwards" feel of the offset gate. However, over time I have come to realize that, like all gear, experience is key. Today, I feel the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The Jake is a "throat-y," 3-stage auto locking aluminum 'biner. Even for a standard pear-shaped 'biner, the Jake is big. The large throat makes this an ideal carabiner for Munter hitch belays. The offset gate gives a lot of clearance to get the 'biner clipped in.

Read more: Omega Pacific Jake 3-Stage Quik-Lok review (1)