Another option to consider is replacing your V-thread kit or anchor screws with Ultralights, which have the same strength rating (10kN) as regular Express screws. 
That particular issue seems to be a function of the thermal properties of aluminum, not the screw itself though one of our testers seemed to have really good luck with the Kailas aluminum screws.
If you go with the Aluminum version the crank is purple where-as its green if you buy the all-steel version. Backcountry Advocate ProgramBreaking Trail, An ice screw for anything from glacial travel to ice climbing, Aluminum shaft and steel tip create the lightest ice screw available, Hanger geometry adds two holes without producing additional weight, Folding wire handle folds into the hanger when not in use, Multiple lengths allow for placement in a variety of conditions, Color coded handles let you designate lengths on the fly. Ultra lightweight, ideal for hiking and mountaineering. Very light weight but still bites well! In these situations, it is common to rack up long before ice screws will be needed, if at all. Of course this will jostle the market slightly, as Petzl and Austri Alpins 21cm screws follow the previous pattern, and are green.
When we write specific place names we will give a land acknowledgement. That said, having a couple of these on your harness to place at the end of that steep project might be worthwhile. Lightest ice screw on the market Also, the wire gate seems as if it may bend if torqued on too hard. When comparing weights between the Express and Ultralight screws, the average difference is 44%, which is pretty damn close to BDs marketing claim of 45%. Call us Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm Mountain Time, You have no items in your shopping cartContinue Shopping, Price as configured: 13 cm, 74 g (2.6 oz): 16 cm 81 g (2.9 oz): 19 cm 89 g (3.1 oz) 22 cm 96 g (3.4 oz), Hanger: Forged Aluminum Body: Aluminum Tip: Stainless Steel, Aluminum forged hanger with two clip-in points, Your shopping cart stored, always and everywhere.
Highly recommended. But I live in Bozeman, Montana, where my main passion is steep ice climbing, so I tested these new screws in Hyalite Canyon, one of the premier technical ice climbing venues in the Lower 48. As a result Ive gotten out of the habit of forcing the last turn, its just not worth damaging the hanger. 
We dont know the exact weight that was cut by utilizing a plastic knobversus a knurled aluminum knob, but Black Diamond said it was a surprising amount.. 
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Cookies | Comment Policy | Site Map. This feature would also be useful in colder temperatures by minimizing the need to handle frozen metal with bare hands.
$19.47, From: Black Diamond's Ultralight Ice Screw was designed because weight matters for those serious fast and light missions. The innovative wire-gate Express handle shaves more weight and also clicks open and closed. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. $15.10, To: Black Diamond Ultralight Ice Screw Lengths: Now the culmination of all the light-weight features that BD employed with their new Ultralight Screws has resulted in an exceptionally light ice screw. To find out more about our privacy policy, including use of cookies, please visit our, Hanger: Forged Aluminum, Body: Aluminum, Tip: Stainless Steel, 13cm (Yellow), 16cm (Blue), 19cm (Grey), 22cm, (Purple). By using our website, you agree to the usage of cookies to help us make this website better.
Larger diameter makes threading V-threads easier. He grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where he fell in love with all things related to rock, ice and snow. As with the Petzl aluminum screws, these new BD screws also tend to bind in wet or green ice on cold days.
This difference in mindset is essential to keeping the stoke (versus being bummed when they get buggered up or wear out sooner). Constructed from the ground up these screws feature a new aluminum hanger and aluminum tube thats attached to a hardened steel cutting surface. 
Hanger: Forged Aluminum Body: Aluminum Tip: Stainless Steel, Aluminum forged hanger with two clip-in points. 
Of course this is a speculation as I havent sent in any of these screws for sharpening yet nor had any tooth issues. The hangar geometry has been updated to provide the strength required and still boast the double openings that come with Black Diamond's express ice screws. It will go: yellow-blue-gray-purple. He has been ice climbing for 20 years and exploring the frozen drips of Montana from his home in Bozeman for more than 11 years. The Ultralight ice screws are expected to be released in October, 2018. Newly designed "reservoir tip" cap allows for easy removal while wearing gloves.
You wont find elitist or gatekeeping writing here, we welcome all climbers. This means that with very little sharpening of the steel tip will expose the interior aluminum tube and may weaken the teeth. Lastly, the hangers on the Ultralights do not pivot as far off the shaft as the Express hangers do and this limitation causes the Ultralights to bind on the ice sooner. 
Black Diamond clearly states that these screws are designed primarily for ski mountaineering, glacial travel, and fast and light alpine pursuits. Built for ski mountaineers, glacial travel, and gram-shaving alpinists, these screws feature an aluminum body with steel tip and an innovative wire-gate color-coded Express handles to differentiate length.
The innovative wire-gate Express handle shaves more weight and also clicks open and closed. This new tooth profile is amazing! Banana Fingers and the Banana Fingers logo are trademarks of Banana Fingers Ltd. We use cookie on this site to enhance your user experience. By using this site we assume you are OK with that (scroll to accept). The Ultralights are also easily identified by length with the classic BD color scheme. [Photo] Jim Menkol. Times when I was fatiguing and needed the screw to go in quickly or when the stance was a bit awkward. However, for some strange reason BD decided to deviate from their standard colors with the 22cm screw. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Do inquire for a current shipping address. Reviewing the TX2: Wearing Down La Sportiva Approach Shoes, Approach Shoes for Small Feet and Big Feet, Neon Speedrack Gear Sling The Organizer You Never Knew You Needed, Review: Yates Speed vs Yates Bigwall ladders, Review: The Worst Hand-Tied Aiders on the Market, How to Recycle and Upcycle Used Carabiners. Copyright 2022 Vertical Addiction Although everybody is itching to test these Ultralight screws, there are no reports yet on the durability of the integration of the steel tip to the aluminum body. The result is actually a different tooth profile from BDs Express (steel) screws. Aluminum forged hanger with two clip-in points. Available in 13 cm, 16 cm, 19cm, 22 cm.
[Photo] Chris Luehder. From: Similarly, if you really crank/torque the wire handle, it will bend. Weighing in at 45% lighter than our Express Screws, the Utlralight Screw combines a steel tip with an aluminum body and forged aluminum hanger that features two clip-in points. Theyre 42-45% lighter than the equivalent size Express screw which is simply amazing! Ice screw threads seem to stand up reasonably well in general, even on aluminum screws. This will produce greater torque, but also requires more uniform ice or clearing and can limit some placements in narrow clefts. Were often mobile. 
The Ultralights are also easily identified by length with the classic BD color scheme. Black Diamond is working to make their entire product line follow exactly the same color scheme, so their cams match their nuts, nuts match ice screws, etc. The flip-out wire gate, which feels as if it might bend if torqued on too hard (especially in wet, actively forming ice or on the longer screws), also discourages hitting the screw to clear ice. For example, if you swapped two full sleeves (12 screws) of 16 cm Express screws with Ultralights, you would save 780 grams (1.7 lbs); roughly equivalent to a three-quarters full Nalgene bottle. The Ultralights are also easily identified by length with the classic BD color scheme. 
Weighing in at 45% lighter than the Black Diamond Express Screws, the Utlralight Screw combines a durable steel tip with an aluminum body and forged aluminum hanger that features two clip-in points. The crank on the BD aluminum screws is also a bit more delicate than that on their steel Express screws and so wont take as much abuse either. 
Note: The steel tip is not replaceable. No additional delivery or customs fees will be added by the courier. Theyre now the lightest screws on the market and, even better, have an absolutely fantastic tooth profile that really bites into the ice making placing easy In the right kind of ice anyway. 
Not trivial, but this amount of weight savings may not justify the additional $300 (price difference between 12 Express and 12 Ultralight screws). Muerden bien y son ligeros, el ojal es un poco pequeo, pero no incomodo, EpicTV Shop Returns: EpicTV, Unit 8 Whitehall Trading Estate, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol BS5 9DF, United Kingdom. The Ultralights are perfect for ski mountaineering, glacial travel and high-end alpinism. My first impression of the Ultralight screws was the weight, or lack thereof. Black Diamond designed the Ultralights to fill a specific nichemainly ski mountaineering, glacial travel, and big alpine adventures.
Black Diamonds Ultralight Ice Screws promise to debut as the lightest ice screws on the market as theyre nearly 45% lighter than BDs steel screws and 15% lighter than Petzls Laser Speed screws. Overall: Lightweight and functional screws that really bites into ice making placements quick and easy, definitely my new go-to screw. The hangers on the Express screws are steel forged in a sharp 90-degree bend that is excellent at clearing/shearing ice during the last few rotations of insertion. Amount to free shipping $99.00Total excl. The Ultralights also have a larger driving circumference, as the hanger is approximately an inch longer than that of the Express screws when the wire gate is open.
Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. #StopAAPIhate. All threads on the Ultralights will be the same length as the Express screws. The Ultralights also have a slightly larger diameter than Express screws, which makes threading a V-thread that much easier. Door to door. Designed for ski mountaineering, glacial travel and high-end alpinism, the Ultralight Ice Screw says it all in the name. What you see at the checkout is what you'll pay.
Suite 23131 Aluminium body with steel tip Theyll retail at $84.95 US. Another thing you'll notice when you look at the Ultralights is what we quickly dubbed the "reservoir tip" on the screw cap. 
That said, it could mean thatit will try to shut on its own while cranking into sticky ice and your hand wobbles.
The weight savings on a single 22 cm screw is 79 grams. Based on the design of a wire-gate for a carabiner the crank is not only lightweight but also snaps open and closed. Large selection of products and fast shipping! 
Weigh My Rack LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The flip-out wire gate creates a longer driving radius than that of the Express screws. By continuing to browse this website, you are confirming your agreement. Along with the new Ultralights, weve been told that the knob on 22cm Express screw will also become purple in the near future. The drastic weight savings are the result of pairing a steel tip with an aluminum body and a wire-gate Express handle that is color-coded according to size. Possibly because the screws are green? Alison (she/her) runs WeighMyRack from her 17' travel trailer. There are no tests that directly compare ice screw durability, but you can expect that these Ultralight screws will get dinged up and dull faster than the full steel version. The main issue that I heard about was a separation of the stainless steel insert from the aluminum tube though there was also some talk about broken cranks.
Theyre also lighter than the Petzl Laser Speed Light screws by about 18% but of course a straight comparison is only possible on the 13cm screw as the sizing doesnt line-up on the rest of them (see below table). Previously, Black Diamonds 22cm Express screws were green, not purple.
That being said, if you dont abuse them I expect that the crank will stand the test of time. 
For these pursuits, where weight savings can be critical, the Ultralights are clearly the new gold standard, and I would rate them 5 stars. 
Rounded hanger does not clear ice as well as the Express screws Crucial for fast and light objectives in the mountains.
- Powered by The Ultralights are also easily identified by length with the classic BD color scheme. The Black Diamond Express screws will stay at $59.95.
30 N Gould St 
Weighing in at 45% lighter than our Express Screws, the Ultralight Screw combines a steel tip with an aluminum body and forged aluminum hanger that features two clip-in points.
For the Ultralights were using the estimated/planned weight, as production is not yet finalized so its not yet set in stone aluminum. The E-Climb Klau2 14cm is 116 grams and the Klau2 18cm is 126 grams per screw. Designed for ski mountaineering, glacial travel and high-end alpinism, the Ultralight Ice Screw says it all in the name. Additional weight was removed with the introduction of analuminum hanger,wire handle, and plastic knob. The below table gives you a feel for the various ice screw tube diameters.
EPICTV, the EPICTV logo and all other EPICTV marks are trademarks of Elisa Oyj. A few rocks and sharpening cycles at home and youll want to send the screw to a pro to get a proper sharpening job done. $169.95, To: Not to be left behind in the light-weight ice screw game, Black Diamond has released their own version of a composite, aluminum-steel, screw that theyre calling the Ultralight Ice Screw. With composite aluminum-steel screws there are definitely limitations to the amount they can be sharpened. Tax $0.00Checkout, You can compare a maximum of 5 productsStart comparison, Copyright 2019 - Theme By DMWS - RSS feed.
email: support@epictv.com, Company information: Banana Fingers T/A (trading as) EpicTV, Unit 8 Whitehall Trading Estate, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol BS5 9DF, United KingdomVAT GB930689110. Be the first one to hear about our weekly deals on climbing gear. 
The screws are very easy to start as the teeth really bit into the ice. However, after several days of climbing frozen waterfalls using both Ultralights and traditional Express screws, I noticed some design limitations that, in my opinion, were not offset by the reduced weight when used exclusively for this application. View all posts by Monte Johnston. 
Which, from a use-standpoint, is totally fine. Monte uses the combination of his guiding experience and civil engineering background to critically analyze equipment and apparel providing in-depth reviews on exhaustively tested gear. Sheridan, Wyoming 82801. The basic design features include: The new aluminum hanger sports two large clip-in points as well as a cool and unique crank. Its clear a huge part of the weight savings was moving to an aluminum body (with a steel tip). Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site! (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[7]='MMERGE7';ftypes[7]='dropdown';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true). So far, this is a problem that has plagued any and every manufacturer trying this hybrid solution so well have to wait to see how well BD does. 
But you grind the teeth into some rock and youre going to be spending some time sharpening.
After climbing with a variety of different screws from different brands dangling from my harness this winter I found that Id gravitate to the new BD aluminum screws when it really counted. Nothing in this world is free, and Black Diamond had to pay a cost to achieve the reduced weight of the Ultralights.
Wire-gate Express handle With the new BD screws I expect that they would have similar issues with bending but I never reefed on one hard enough to find out. Pros Functionality-wise, a nice perk is that the wire handle is spring-loaded and it pops into the open and closed positions so theres no guessing of when its in the optimal position. The hanger on aluminum screws are made of aluminum making them more delicate than their steel brethren. 
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Ice screw technology, like all ice climbing equipment, has come a long way in the last decadeand the Black Diamond Ultralight ice screws are no exception.
Pros: Easy to place, lightweight, fantastic hanger design. 
[Photo] Jim Menkol. The steel tip provides the same sharp bite and easy starting as previous Black Diamond ice screws, while everything else is engineered to shave weight. 
Looking to shave weight wherever they could, Black Diamond constructed this specialty ice screw out of aluminum with a steel tip so as to not compromise drilling efficiency while also dropping weight in critical areas. Therefore, these screws will prove ideal for specific audiences and applications, but do not look to the Ultralights to become the new workhorse screw at your local ice crag. Support WMR: Click before you buy at REI and Backcountry. That said, there are folks out there (like our recently profiled Kurt Morrison), who prefer to climb with aluminum screws in most scenarios. $0.00, The lightest ice screw in the world, the new BD Ultralights are crucial for fast and light objectives in the mountains. Instead of featuring distracting ads or creating a paywall to monetize our site, Weigh My Rack LLC links to relevent products via affiliate marketing (if you click a link and then buy, we get a commission). 
Tube Diameters for some Common Ice Screws: Now because BDs Ultralight Ice Screws have a larger tube diameter than their steel brethren, the tooth profile had to change a bit. 2022 Outdoor Gear Exchange, Inc., All Rights Reserved. This weight savings would certainly be noticed on a sustained alpine push; however, in the world of steep ice at your local crag, a full rack of the Ultralights probably does not make a ton of sense. By keeping the screws capped on your harness while you travel up steep couloirs or across ice sheets, you could minimize snagging on other equipment and protect the points, yet the cap could be removed easily with a gloved hand when needed. A folding handle shaves more weight when you thought the product developers couldn't keep finding ways to cut back, and the handles are color coded so you can choose the correct length and drill the screw on the fly as you fight the pump. Unlike most screws, where the cap is flush with the points, the Ultralights have an extension on the cap that allows for easy removal while wearing gloves. Lightspeed. Cons Note: The Ultralight ice screw in this photo is a prototype and has threads going high up on the tube.
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Designed for ski mountaineering, glacial travel and high-end alpinism, the Ultralight Ice Screw says it all in the name. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a56b3731f30cd08df8acb381c89bda5d" );document.getElementById("d6e3358e87").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The author places a Black Diamond Ultralight Express screw in Hyalite Canyon, Montana. Out of stock (0) Available in store: Check availability, Make a choiceSize : 13cmSize : 16cmSize : 19cm. So the question is: are you the type of person that doesnt mind your lightweight gear needing to be coddled?