Locking Carabiners

Recent Locking Carabiner Reviews

Metolius Gatekeeper Locking Carabiner

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… Full review

Edelrid Pure Slider

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… Full review

DMM Belay Master 2

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… Full review

Black Diamond RockLock Magnetron

Large auto locking carabiner. Not worth this girl's money. I purchased this biner because of its size and the magnetic catch. I like a larger biner for a double line munter (as a backup plan in case something goes wrong with my Reverso). I thought it may pose a problem for ice but that was not the issue. The magnetic catch is not an ergonomic fit for me. I have small to medium woman's hands and when I reach for release it is just out of my grasp. Only by millimetres! What a pain in the butt! I then… Full review

Simond Spider Screwgate

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… Full review

Omega Pacific Jake 3-Stage Quik-Lok

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… Full review

Omega Pacific Standard Locking D

The Locking D is a decent 'biner at a good price. It does not provide all the [unnecessary] bells and whistles of some other carabiners, but it is going to provide a climber exactly what he needs without breaking the bank. I use these every day on my Adventure Challenge course. They are a dependable aluminum carabiner at a low cost. I primarily use them on my climbing gym wall and on my outdoor tower. I do not use them in my personal gear, because of the cons. The gate is pretty small, making it… Full review

Petzl Delta

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… Full review

Petzl William Ball-Lock

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… Full review