|
stymingersfink
Jun 2, 2007, 12:20 AM
Post #51 of 126
(2795 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 12, 2003
Posts: 7250
|
as the initial reports come trickling in, i'm curious how the upcoming field tests will be reported. who's going to take the longest whipper for the "team" in the spirit of thorough testing? word to the wise: back that shit up, as one would do with any critical piece of gear. especially if one is planning an intentional whipper.
|
|
|
|
|
camplicated
Jun 2, 2007, 12:40 AM
Post #52 of 126
(2785 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 5, 2007
Posts: 30
|
Got mine today! I have to agree, they're pretty good. Incredible, in fact, for the price (even without a discount). I personally prefer full size biners, but these have a wide enough gate opening and ease of handling that I can't really complain. Nice, smooth gate action, maybe a little on the light side if I have to be critical. Beautiful finish and light as hell. Overall, great piece of gear, especially at the price. P.S. I have to go against billcoe_ and say that I expect all biners I buy to be tested and I don't find this extraordinary in Madrock biners (despite Aliens and other QC issues)
|
|
|
|
|
krosbakken
Jun 3, 2007, 2:49 AM
Post #53 of 126
(2741 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 1, 2006
Posts: 581
|
jakedatc wrote: I got my tracking # to work finally.. i guess it took a bit for it to register on fed ex's system.. Picked up in cali today.. didnt give a delivery date.. will probably get that once it leaves cali. this weekend got rained out for outdoors anyway so it doesn't really matter How did you get your tracking number? I can't seem to find one for my order.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
patrickm
Jun 3, 2007, 9:19 AM
Post #55 of 126
(2681 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 12, 2007
Posts: 30
|
I had the opportunity to climb on them a bit today. Spent a lot of the day on cracks and I only have them on my sport draws, but I got one sport route in with the "madcrap" biners as they were affectionately called. I took stymingersfink's advice and backed everything up. It was tough putting two qd's in every bolt though...but then when I thought about it, I was backing them up with Omega Pacific Draws. Which was scary because of the OP link cam problem, so I didn't trust those so I backed them up with my BD quicksilvers. I never knew that you could fit 3 biners in each bolt. The 75' sport route only took 35.3 minutes but was great. BS aside, functionally the wires were great clipping, lightweight and easy to handle. No-snag gates were a bit stiff and heavy, but not out of line. I think it was more of an issue of the fact that I had 5 wire qd's and 2 no snag gate biners and the weight difference is significant. I'll post a review when I get a bit more time on them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
stymingersfink
Jun 3, 2007, 11:12 PM
Post #57 of 126
(2572 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 12, 2003
Posts: 7250
|
yeah, that was pretty good. i just meant to whoever was planning on taking a jump over one, but I applaud your determination to use every piece of gear you had at your disposal!
|
|
|
|
|
desert_bat
Jun 4, 2007, 7:22 PM
Post #58 of 126
(2479 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 15, 2006
Posts: 9
|
Got my madrock 'biners in last Friday, and they look really sweet!! I dig the stylish Mad Rock logo thats part of the design. I got 3 bent gates and 3 straight gates, but there's pretty much no difference between the two except the the color. I used them to replace the bent gates on some of my sport draws and climbed on them yesterday. I difintely can tell the difference with the weight. They are easy to clip. The only thing I might not like about them is that you can't really use them with wide dogbones, but this is not a big deal. Some of mine sqeak, for whatever that's worth. I didn't take any falls of them, but so far they have my approval!
|
|
|
|
|
jakedatc
Jun 4, 2007, 8:01 PM
Post #59 of 126
(2451 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 12, 2003
Posts: 11054
|
desert_bat wrote: The only thing I might not like about them is that you can't really use them with wide dogbones, what's this mean? I can't imagine what could prevent you from using a normal nylon draw rather than the skinny spectra ones.. (my 2 bent wiregates should be here thurs according to fedex woohoo)
|
|
|
|
|
sungam
Jun 4, 2007, 8:08 PM
Post #60 of 126
(2442 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 24, 2004
Posts: 26804
|
WE WANT WHIIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COM'ON suckazzzz, take one for the team! we want 50' PLUS! go on, you know you want to, the winner get's an official "MagnuS seal of approval". Keep that in mind! -MagnuS
|
|
|
|
|
mtnjohn
Jun 4, 2007, 8:39 PM
Post #61 of 126
(2428 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 17, 2002
Posts: 230
|
The only thing slower than the Mad Rock website is their order shipping! May 18th I ordered the 'biners! I know that in the grand scheme of life waiting 3 or 4 weeks for 'biners & shoes is no big deal, but THEY LIE as well. Surprisingly, every time I'd call or email they told "they just shipped today." I'm in CA. Do they have one guy who walks across the state and hand delivers? Not to mention they've "just been shipped" twice. And when they finally did ship, the FedEx pick up date is different again from the last "just shipped" date! i won't be reviewing the quality of the product, assuming it ever arrives, since I'm clearly jaded to company as whole! Who blatantly lies to their customers?
|
|
|
|
|
fulton
Jun 4, 2007, 8:51 PM
Post #62 of 126
(2418 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 26, 2004
Posts: 210
|
Here's a question: What to they sound like. My friend got some cheapo quickdraws - "Faders," or 'Shaders' as they have come to be known. They Sound like TIN. Regular biners make a sort of dull sound when they bounce against the rock, but the cheapos sometimes make a tinkling sound very disconcerting.
|
|
|
|
|
longroper
Jun 4, 2007, 9:45 PM
Post #63 of 126
(2399 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 31, 2004
Posts: 23
|
I placed my order on May 18th. I received an email on the 25th that said my order had been processed. I got them on Tuesday(Monday was a holiday). So the shipping took one business day. I would say that is pretty darn good service. I took them out on Saturday and I can't say that I have any complaints. They are nice and light. The gates on the wires are small but I still didn't have any trouble clipping.
|
|
|
|
|
longroper
Jun 4, 2007, 9:46 PM
Post #64 of 126
(2396 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 31, 2004
Posts: 23
|
Oh yeah I forgot. No they don't sound like tin.
|
|
|
|
|
fenderfour
Jun 4, 2007, 10:11 PM
Post #65 of 126
(2381 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 12, 2005
Posts: 177
|
I recieved mine last week. I got a few of the solid gate and a couple of HMS lockers. The carabiners look very good. I might not be a good person to comment on the aesthetics since my favorite /biner is the BD Ovalwire. The action isn't quite as smooth as a Petzl or BD, but I will overlook that for the cost savings. The lockers are about the same size as BD min-pears, not as big as I expected, but still ok. No major complaints. They are solid. I took a short sport fall on the non-lockers. They held. I didn't die,
|
|
|
|
|
caughtinside
Jun 4, 2007, 10:20 PM
Post #66 of 126
(2375 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 8, 2003
Posts: 30603
|
anyone want to post some photos?
|
|
|
|
|
ja1484
Jun 4, 2007, 10:20 PM
Post #67 of 126
(2375 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 11, 2006
Posts: 1935
|
Recieved mine today boys. Ordered 8 of the straight gate keylock barrel-gate 'biners, and 8 of the straight gate wiregates. Let's get right to the first impressions: The appearance is nice. A chromed finish, very smooth on the inside with an ample rope-bearing radius. kN ratings and a QC "tested" stamp are found on the side along with the CE logo. Overall, they look and feel very nice. The gate action is a bit of a mystery, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. There is no slop in any of the gates of my batch, but the tension does differ on a few biners - that is to say, some of the wiregates seem a bit "springier" than the others. The straight barrel-gates all seem to have the same tension (which I might note is very stiff - these guys take a squeezin!), though a few of them feel "smoother" to open and close. However, I want to be clear and say that they all feel solid and seem well within the ranges of gate tension that you see from other manufacturers. It's just kind of odd to see this variation, even if it is very small, within the same model. As for someone concerned with the sound: They sound like aluminum, like they should, not tin. Nice and dull. The wiregates are quite light, and do remind me a lot of the WC Helium without the no-snag nose. However, at the price they're offered at, you can't really complain. Overall, I'd say these 'biners so far are good for the price. I still prefer the feel of my DMM hardware, but that's just a preference. Anyone who prefers a stiffer gate may well like the Mad Rocks better. Next climbing trip is this Sunday. I'll be putting them to use on both sport and trad climbs, so usage update coming this weekend. So far: Worth the money. EDIT: Seems the differences in gate tension are due to lubrication. They could use a bit more. Was working over one of the less smooth ones and got some squeaking out of it. Gonna dump some lube on em and see what that does.
(This post was edited by ja1484 on Jun 4, 2007, 10:49 PM)
|
|
|
|
|
mtnjohn
Jun 4, 2007, 11:58 PM
Post #68 of 126
(2336 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 17, 2002
Posts: 230
|
In the spirit of fairness... My order arrived today. About three hours after my online rant. I guess it worked.
|
|
|
|
|
diebetes
Jun 5, 2007, 12:43 AM
Post #69 of 126
(2314 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 18, 2007
Posts: 106
|
I've been happy with my faders...
|
|
|
|
|
angry
Jun 5, 2007, 4:37 PM
Post #70 of 126
(2239 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 22, 2003
Posts: 8405
|
I'm currently looking at a BD Nuetrino, Trango Superfly, Camp Nanowire, and Madrock wiregate. As per specs and feel in the hand the Superfly is the lightest, followed by the Madrock. Gate action, by feel. Lightest to stiffest. Nuetrino, Madrock, Trango, Camp Rope bearing surface, visual inspection. They are all pretty much the same. The BD is more rounded while the rest are square then tapered. On a rope, not a steel cable, I can't imagine this making one bit of difference. Overall finish. The Trango is a dull silver grey matte color and look a little tinny. Not a dis, I have 40 or so of these, I really like them. The BD nuetrino is bright (well it was before I got ahold of it) anodized, and has the sound and feel of a normal biner, just smaller. I've got probably 30 of these too. The Camp has a stamped and pressed look. It also has a shiny finish. Not bad. I only use these to secure tethers to my leashless tools, I don't like them on ropes or on my harness. The Madrock is far and away the sweetest finish of these biners. They have the I beam shape, the raised logo, a finish color that resembles polished titanium. These are the pimp biner of the 4. Based only on appearance. Finally, not sure what this means. The Madrock have a more acute angle heading into the basket area. This should work to "focus" the rope into one spot. This is also why someone mentioned that a wide dogbone wouldn't work. It would have to be a really wide dogbone to cause a problem though. Overall, they'll be integrated into my rack and used without hesitation. I only wish I bought some of the other models to play with too.
|
|
|
|
|
ckirkwood9
Jun 5, 2007, 5:03 PM
Post #71 of 126
(2220 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 10, 2004
Posts: 262
|
Got mine yesterday - delivered to NJ. Initial impression: Pros: ---------------- Very nice finish Cool colors (red bent gate and chrome straight gate) Good gate action Very light weight Inexpensive Cons: ---------------- - some of them did squeak... but I don't care - some of my other wiregates do too - a LITTLE side to side slop in the gates, but again I don't care as long as they close properly (and other wiregates also have a little side to side slop) - my climbing buds will make fun of me for having shiny new gear while secretly wanting to steal them from me at the end of the day. Notes: - there's not much difference between the bent gate and the straight gate, holding them next to one another... it seems the wiregate on the bent gate is only slightly different than the wiregate on the straight gate biner. BUT the SLIGHT bend in the bent gate does make a difference in handling the biner for clipping. - they’re not quite full size biners (larger than my camp nanos probably about the same size as the one or 2 neutrinos I have) - I probably would just go with all beng gates if I were to order more.. they handle a little easier, plus they're adonized red. - More to follow after I get on some routes with them.
|
|
|
|
|
helios
Jun 5, 2007, 5:15 PM
Post #72 of 126
(2210 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 3, 2005
Posts: 56
|
Received mine on June 4, just as the fed ex tracking predicted. I bought 4 straight and 4 bent of the ultralight wires with the JimDavis code. Will be using them for extendable trad draws. First impressions: I like the size, somewhere between a helium and neutrino (see attached photo). The gate on some of the biners squeak a bit and are much easier to open than the neutrino and slightly easier to open than the helium. I'd prefer a stiffer gate to prevent accidental unclipping. The gates of the straight and bent are much more similar to each other than expected and the gates protrude from the nose of the biner more than other wires I have. I weighed one biner of each on a scale at work today (don't tell my boss!). BD Neutrino: 36.30 grams WC Helium: 31.97 grams MR Ultralight straight: 31.37 grams That's 1.28, 1.12, and 1.11 oz, respectively. So the Mad Rock essentially ties the Helium for lightest of my current light weight biners. I will be climbing on them this weekend, though I won't be taking any huge intentional whippers. Even though I was planning on getting more WC heliums I think I will instead buy more Mad Rocks for my future wiregate needs. I will continue to rack my cams with the neutrino, since I like a small biner for that. The cleanwire nose of the Helium are awesome for clipping bolts, but these Mad Rock's are just good all around biners for half the price! Attached is photo of Helium, Mad Rock and Neutrino from left to right. [Edited to reweigh helium and neutrino biners without tape;) Apparently, you can save 1.25 grams by taking off your tape, kind of puts the numbers in perspective...]
(This post was edited by helios on Jun 5, 2007, 5:30 PM)
|
Attachments:
|
MRbinercomparison.jpg
(89.4 KB)
|
|
|
|
|
ja1484
Jun 6, 2007, 1:59 AM
Post #73 of 126
(2134 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 11, 2006
Posts: 1935
|
Guys, just wanted to point this out: The reason most of the wiregates squeak is because it appears they are not lubricated at all from factory. Get some DuPont Teflon Multi-Use lubricant or any dry graphite lubricant and give the gate hinges a good dose of it. You'll notice an immediate improvement in gate action and smoothness, and the squeaking will disappear. DO NOT use oil-based lubricants! They will pick up dirt FASTER and gum up your carabiners after only a few trips, requiring a cleaning session. Pain in the ace. Anyway, Joe, if you're reading this, you might want to consider lubing the wiregates from factory, as it'll improve the overall "fit and finish" of the 'biners.
(This post was edited by ja1484 on Jun 6, 2007, 2:03 AM)
|
|
|
|
|
minexploration
Jun 6, 2007, 2:20 AM
Post #74 of 126
(2121 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 15, 2006
Posts: 54
|
Okay, Everyone has basically commented on the wiregates and solidgate biners. I received my shipment today with 8 locking biners and 4 wire gates. I am impressed by the locking biners. The keylock feature and the smooth action of the locking mechanism have created a placed for them on my rack. (I have down graded my old lockers to my whitewater rescue kit.) I can't wait to see how the wiregates clip. Will post pictures of them in use and keep everyone updated on how they feel and clip.
|
|
|
|
|
moose_droppings
Jun 6, 2007, 2:29 AM
Post #75 of 126
(2116 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 7, 2005
Posts: 3371
|
Got mine this morning (light wire gates) and just got in from climbing all day. No falls though. 1st, I'd prefer a little bit stiffer gate, and the side to side slop is more than any other wire gate I own, a little concerning. Maybe if they had a stiffer action this might correct itself, don't know. 2nd, the rope bearing radius is not a true radius. Since it is a little flatter in the middle, this leaves a sharper radius on the outside edges which won't be quite as easy on your rope. 3rd, they are sharp looking and light. I've always liked the I-beam over the barrel shape for grabbing and orienting, especially with gloves on. I paired them up opposite a superfly on my draws and used them today for the rope end. In the future they will be delegated to the pro end because of the radius. This might not be a big deal, but I'll give my rope a less sharp bend when possible.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|