Complete Guide to Carabiners - Shapes, Styles & How they Fail | Ep.2

[@HardIsEasy]

Thanks to multiple comments - Little correction: Heat Treated Aluminium that is used in Climbing 7000 series T6 is actually much more brittle than Steel (Opposite of what I said in the video). However I still wouldn't panic about Microfractures - based on how rare we see a broken carabiner or old carabiner breaking under its Ratings.

[@Ric4562]

2:18 I have exactly the same mammut To open a three-stroke carabiner with one hand, you need to place and press your little finger on the bottom of the carabiner, and your thumb, middle and ring fingers on the gate, which you can lift and turn

[@laurensvolders9932]

Yes, the heat treatment will induce internal stress in the aluminium which makes it more brittle. But it also makes it stronger (some types of tempered aluminium are stronger than mild steel). I would worry more about microfractures with aluminium because no aluminium can undergo an infinite amount of cycling loading as (stainless) steel can (if properly overdimensioned). Nevertheless you would probably not be able to do this many cyclic loads in your entire lifetime. Your advice to listen to the manufacturer is probably the best advice anyone could give.

[@skyltdockan]

Thanks for the update. I think you can and should pin your comment to the top!

[@alexanderpafatnov1044]

the microfractures myth is known to go back to titanium carabiners which could have such an issue. But they are completely off the table by now. Great video!

[@notamouse5630]

Yes, and 7000 series T6 will corrode too whereas 6061-T6 will not. Microfractures will eventually happen because aluminum does not have a load below which fatigue will not occurr. Any climbing carabiner will have a load rating of 2x the rope to prevent fatigue from happening in the average climber's lifetime. This all assumes normal load direction. Bending loads will cause a failure at a fraction of the capacity.

[@Lorenzo-yw8qd]

Dude, you deserve a lot of compliments for what you are doing with this channel. The way you explain is phenomenally clear and pleasant to follow, even if you aren't an English native speaker. Keep up with this amazing, educational work!

[@zorkan111]

I'm an engineer, so a little bit about microfractures - your friend tested it with static load - i.e. he pulled until it broke. There's something called dynamic load, which is basically a fancy term for when the load changes over time (for example, you load the carabiner, then unload, then load, then unload, which is what happens to every carabiner in normal use). When something goes through many load-unload cycles, it can break below it's rated load. I.e. if something is rated at 20 kN, and you load and unload it repeatedly at 15 kN, at one point it might break. That's called material fatigue. It is theorized that these load fluctuations expand the microfractures to the point of breaking. It especially affects aluminum. Steel can be designed for infinite life under dynamic load, but aluminum has no infinite fatigue limit. So, microfractures will not affect a carabiner in static load scenario, but it might affect the amount of load-unload cycles it can take before it breaks. But whether dropping the carabiner on the ground actually does anything to the microfractures or whether you can introduce enough load-unload cycles to the carabiner during normal use to break it (in machine design, engineers usually talk about hundreds of thousands of cycles), I don't know. But probably not.

[@bungyportugal]

We have always used two rotated steel binas with bungy jumping... does anyone recommend alloy instead and why?

[@paulojacobsilva3018]

That is true. Also Al alloys would be slightly more brittle than any steel. But a proper mechanical metallurgy study would have to be performed. I wonder if the manufacturer did it. Fatigue is definitely a bigger issue than micro-fractures. I'm a bit skeptical they occur on such low energy impacts. All can be tested.

[@BalloonDraw]

There's also the fact that steel can be hardened which makes it stronger but more brittle and rope wear on steel would happen much more slowly than on aluminum. So, there's a lot to consider when it comes to metals.

[@ΧρήστοςΣοράγιας]

Almost 30 years ago, I excecuted a similar experiment as the above, after throwing aluminium alloy carabiners against a cement wall, for about 80 times. Then compared their breaking strength with same type ones, in unused condition. The result as I remember, was a reduction of strength around 15-17%.@@paulojacobsilva3018

[@ermisak]

Wöhler curve for Al alloy says that when falling with 6 kN (i.e. very hard, unusual fall - approx. 315 MPa used), it survives 10^5=100 000 cycles. So you would have to hard fall hundred thousand times to fail the carabiner due to fatigue. I would say, that your spine breaks first

[@lukasbormann4830]

From a german : This was probaly one of the best pronouciations of a hard german word ive heard from an english speaker. Also i just learned that hms means something german😂

[@EirikJeppesen]

This answers every question I did and did not have about carabiners. Great amount of detail and lovely to see test results used as a source of information rather than some pass-me-down knowledge. Keep up the good work!

[@JustusRudolfFilms]

Quick tip for the screw gates from an industrial climber: do not screw lock it under load. The screw can easily get stuck (just like when you have sand in there). If you do get it stuck, put the carabiner under load and try unscrewing then. Usually does the trick.

[@joshuacilliers2723]

More of a concern with older carabiners and steel ones, no? I've always thought the ones that have some wiggle when locked up (click click when you test it) are less prone to seizing up like this. Though it's definitely still something to keep in mind.

[@Krekkertje]

@@joshuacilliers2723 exactly. In every screw gate i've ever seen the screwing bit is only ever threaded to the gate itself and doesn't really make contact with the nose.

[@DaOndee]

As alpine climber, I do want to carry a quick link on my harness. It comes in smaller and lighter shapes than the one shown. The advantages are the the weight, cost and lockability of the quick link compared to a normal carabiner. Also, the HMS (munter hitch) is of a much greater importance in the alpine environment. You save time and potentially the weight of the belay device (I do still bring the MegaJul or plate). Make sure to always keep the strands in parallel to avoid twisting of the rope due to the HMS.

[@danielkaras5002]

Well, this is one of the greatest KZbin classes on Climbing, I have ever seen! Carry on with what you're doing, it's amazing! Looking forward to the next videos! Would love to see a complete class/playlist for complete beginners covering all the essentials all the way up to "I'm autonomously going to pack what I need and head on a sport climbing trip with my buddy" - to show to newbies in advance real life beginner courses.

[@FT4Freedom]

Dude. You seem totally chill and cool. Plus caring about the people.

[@wchunko]

I have been climbing for a very long time (decades actually). And over that time I have come to be aware of most of this. But it is very nice to see it all in one place and very well explained. Thank you! Good job! I will forward it to one of my old friends. I think he'll appreciate it too.

[@joji_okami]

man this is exactly what I was looking for. thanks so much for this series. can't wait for the next episodes. will definitely donate to you in some way.

[@dk2428]

I needed this video in the 80's :-) Just wanted to say this series is amazing, the best content on the web. Educational, fun to watch, great content,...everyone who's considering taking up climbing - and some 'belayers' here at the local gym - should watch your channel!

[@runepetersen516]

This is great, thank you so much. Being a new top-rope climber, edging towards lead climbing, it is extremely nice to know what you can expect and how you can trust the equipment, which is half the battle for me. :-)

[@HardIsEasy]

Slow and steady is the best - also Climbing with more experienced people and or take a course - helps a lot

[@zacharysilverzweig7715]

Ben, I feel like this course is missing one really critical video: How do you actually belay?! What’s the ideal (or really just your) technique for top rope, sport and lead? Love the channel dude, keep it up.

[@HardIsEasy]

Hey, thank you so much for your support, I'm working on actual belaying videos, I have them filmed, but I want to launch few important videos about belay devices first and then will jump into action, so coming really soon

[@danahollister4084]

I have been climbing for 50 years and this is some of the best information I have ever seen. Thank you. Well done!

[@livi39]

Holy wow, this is fantastic! Can't wait for the rest of the series. The balance between entertainment, storytelling, and technical information is top notch. Kudos, Ben

[@kavemanthewoodbutcher]

A year after posting, and with 17 years of trusting my life to these things, I learned a lot. Thank you.

[@rogerhughes7743]

I am not a rock climber, but I must say that this was one of the best videos I have seen on this subject. Absolutely excellent level of detail, excellent camera work and great explanations.

[@Niviral]

I never climbed in my life, yet I spend last 2h watching you. Amazing, I want lose weigth and start climbing.

[@outdoorandrade6229]

Took a break from climbing and decided to go through basics again. Glad I did, as I'm learning things I wasn't fully aware of. Thank you for making this video series! Hopefully, everyone can set their egos down, continue learning, and climb safer.

[@bechelliz]

Great content. Very thorough indeed. I'd just point out that hot forging (@ 2:20 ~ ) isn't just about giving shape to a piece of metal, more important than shaping is that forging produces a very refined microstructure which contributes very much to attain those UIAA mechanical properties with minimal cross section. E.g. a machined (nobody actually does this ok, just for the sake of the argument) carabiner with the same alloy and exact same dimensions should fail at much lower levels than the forged one.

[@HardIsEasy]

Well without hot forging you would have to have heavier carabiner to be able to sell them for climbing... ;)

[@frisbeedan8905]

This course is awesome. I consider myself a relatively experienced climber, but these videos go into tons of detail and I find myself learning tons! So thanks for the great content and information!

[@zaiohellgren9266]

Thank you for these super awesome videos! Scared me a bit when i saw the bad examples in the beginning and realise how grateful i am of this free education.

[@_burd]

8:30 A little note for trad climbing: hook nose carabiners are very useful for wires where a clean nose can result in you dumping your whole wire set down the crag. I can't stand them for quickdraws and locking carabiners, but they're great for wires.

[@superformOG]

as a bloke who just wants to climb my boats mast and has no idea about climbing this video was one of the most helpful videos i have seen, thank you.

[@pavlodeshko]

one carabiner related detail you forgot to mention - always clip your screwgate with gate facing down, esp when its left unattended(ie when building your anchor or for top-rope masterpoint) so when jiggled it closes itself under gravity, not opens. It really works - even if you forget to close the gate it will screw itself tight after some time

[@HardIsEasy]

It's also easier to clip the rope / sling to upside down carabiner ;)

[@static_motion]

7:15 - would love to see that video! Nearly came across a situation where me and some friends wanted to try a route we weren't sure we could complete, but none of us knew what to do to clean up if we couldn't and ended up not trying it at all. Hope you'll make it soon!

[@trxe420]

I am a saddle hunter and just wanted to get more educated from you sport climbers, this video was very helpful. Thank you, I feel more confident now :)

[@furiousmat]

amazing content man. I've been climbing for a few years and I find the whole gear environment so hard to navigate. It's so difficult to find people who know what they're talking about and it often feels like everyone has a different take on everything. As I often say, there seems to be as many theory about what's the right gear or belaying techniques to use as there are rock climbers. This video series seems to be very well done and I get a feeling that you've got an engineering background. You explain the "why" behind stuff and that makes stuff so much easier to remember and make sense of.

[@HardIsEasy]

The fact is that there are many right ways to do things in climbing and lots of arguments between experts... which sometimes lead to safer solutions, but sometimes also ego clashes. What I wish that people understand the basics enough to be able to make safety judgments them selves

[@brentonclark2103]

Great video… after 10 years of doing industrial rope access and now beginning my journey into climbing, I learnt something new about krabs.

[@ferdinoh3704]

You sir, answered litterally every question I had about carabiners. During the video a some point I thought about question saying myself : "this videos is very useful, but I don't know if he will talk aboit this and that..." And, well, you did!!! I subscribe right away. Very nice job. Wish you the best. Cheers from France.

[@FusterCluck92]

Wire-gate carabiners are not just a question of taste! The difference is, that a wire gate would not open for a sec if jammed against a rock. The solid gate opens up (for 1s) if you hit the carabiner against your hand for example, try it.

[@sharg0]

A couple of notes on aluminium and corrosion. Pure aluminium do corrode, it is not due to alloy materials - those can both improve and compromise corrosion resistance. The reason for aluminium to be considered corrosion resistant is that in air aluminium forms an oxide that has some very good features: It inhabits further corrosion, forms a sealing layer and is transparent! IF however that layer (microscopic thin) gets damage and there is an environment* that speeds up corrosion we get another type of oxide, a white powder that lacks the beneficial effects of the first type. (* Like saltwater and air mixture.) Another common cause for nasty oxidation problems are different metals! As an example if you store aluminium and plain steel mixed the aluminium will oxide "to protect" the steel. The more different metals are mixed the higher the risk is (not within an alloy but between different parts). So if you get that dreaded white powder* on your gear make a careful inspection or discard it as compromised. (* As in aluminium oxide, not chalk). Also when talking metals and strength several different types are needed, it's not just stronger/weaker. Long story short here's the different types: Elastic deformation (springy) / Plastic deformation (shape changed) / Break combined with Hardness / Tensile strength / Impact resistance Conclusion, an alloy might be good in one situation but not the other... There are four ways to change the properties of alloys: It's composition, hot working, cold working and heat treatment. Addition: Microcracks - the major risk for these in this application is due to work hardening due to repeated elastic deformation (or fewer plastic with return correction aka bending back). So after many very hard falls on the same carabinier it might be time for retirement. But not for a bunch of drops.

[@drevil8519]

Because of your channel i started climbing at age 54. Love it and thanks a million.

[@danielwhettam1564]

Incredible series, not been able to find this level of detail all in the same place anywhere else!

[@Seth99curtin]

Thanks for making all these masterclasses, I’ve just been getting into sport climbing more and after watching a lot of your videos I feel like I have the knowledge to be much more aware of mine and others safety out on the crag!

[@fletx8858]

01:00 Thanks! 06:59 In Catalunya we call that a maillon (like in french i guess) 27:55 That's amazing!!! Congratulations! Also glad to support you, I wanted to see this series since I found your channel more than 1 year ago!

[@HardIsEasy]

Thank You so much for you support! It took longer than I wanted, but now I have multiple videos already scheduled for every week ;)

[@kedpik]

Very clear and complete ! Thank for that, I already wait the other videos with excitement

[@HardIsEasy]

coming in few days

[@Yarrownew9759]

DMM rhino carabiner is by far my favorite for preventing cross loading. Just has a little horn to prevent a gri gri from slipping around but doesn’t involve messing with the little spring clip mechanisms. Quick, effective, and sturdy!

[@darrickschlossmann2302]

Thanks for a great video. I'm a mechanical engineer who is new to climbing. I like to do some research before participating in dangerous activities to get some base knowledge. (Sorry, climbing is dangerous. Doing things correctly can mitigate most, if not all, of the risk.) This helps to tell the difference between those who know what they are doing and those who think that they know what they are doing. You provide good info and back it up with facts and testing. This really sets an engineer's mind at ease. The break testing in the video helps to set my mind at ease. It would be interesting to break test a carabiner with some rope wear to see how much strength is lost. Regarding microfractures, there is a nondestructive test called Magnaflux. This would be a good test to check for microfractures. Then, you can break test carabiners with confirmed microfractures. I'd hope that the manufacturers have performed this or similar tests and base their recommendations off of actual testing. Thanks again and I look forward to the rest of your series.

[@ronaldmoody4766]

Thanks for making these videos! I’ve climbed off and on for many years. As a result, I’ve taken a number of indoor and outdoor beginner’s classes. Though I’ve quite enjoyed climbing, I’ve not made time to progress past the top roping stage. Your videos are motivating me to start again and develop Sport climbing skills.

[@ΧρήστοςΣοράγιας]

Give it a try, with suitable trained company.

[@akhmadullin]

Thanks from Russia. Your explanation is very clear and simple. Keep going, dude!

[@souad7643]

One of the best Chanel to educate basics about climbing , thanks .

[@swaspc7618]

You are a great communicator! Your channel is undoubtedly one of the best in its field.

[@franztrischberger8023]

Great video, thx. On wiregate carabiners I wanted to add that the main benefit isn't weight saving. The wire has less mass than a solid traditional gate, which results in smaller inertia. This can be a safety issue, because on a fall the carabiner can crash against the rock, then the traditional carabiner will open - and reduce strength dramatically. Slap the carabiners into your hand (backside into your hand) and you can hear the traditional gate click (open and close) while the wiregate stays silent.

[@HardIsEasy]

Thanks and yes, I'll talk about that in Ep.4 - coming on Wednesday ;)

[@rakeshdhiman1307]

Excellent and highly technical. You are helping a lots of people like me through these video!

[@tomasbengtsson5157]

Thanks

[@jonathansteiner1779]

Wow, ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass der Unterschied so groß ist, wenn Karabiner falsch belastet werden. Gut zu wissen 😄 Danke an Hard Is Easy für die reingeschnittenten Tests💪

[@schmushenmush]

So much information packed in here with straightforward explanations and demonstrations. Answering the "why" of lots of these features will allow people to make better decisions for themselves in the future. Thanks so much.

[@namffp]

Thanks!

[@MO_Climbing_Stuff]

Thank you so much for this series! Very useful and I am sure you will save a couple of lives by this.

[@Rycamcam]

Hey guys, just wanted to add a note about microfractures. The way I understood it from the materials science & metallurgy classes from my mechanical engineering program, is that once a microfracture is present, it grows under time as a consequence of experiencing fatigue. Presumably, the engineers working for these rock climbing companies are responsible for fatigue testing these carabiners, and have determined that you should retire your carabiners after dropping them on solid surfaces as a result of their fatigue testing. Basically the more times you load the carabiners after a microfracture is present (e.g. from taking lead falls), the more the microfracture grows. This is why those carabiners that his friend Rian tested didn't show abnormal signs of failure immediately after his drop tests. However, given a half year to a year of use, then he would probably see failure from testing those same carabiners at lower levels of loading. It could take one month, one year, or one decade, but you can rest assured that a dropped carabiner (with a microfracture) will fail at much lower load levels that an intact carabiner. TL DR: It's safer to retire your carabiners after dropping them because of potential microfractures that may be present. The dropped carabiners won't fail immediately after, but they'll assuredly fail at lower load levels in the distant future. Stay safe guys

[@HardIsEasy]

Thanks for sharing, super interesting... What loads do you think are required to grow microcracture? We rarely load carabiners anywhere close to what might stress them to much.... Do you know any testing done to demonstrate your theory?

[@Rycamcam]

@@HardIsEasy You're welcome! I don't know of any fatigue testing data on these carabiners-- I wish the climbing companies would make some of those readily available to the public. They'd be interesting to review. I would wager a guess that a microfracture would grow at loads roughly a 1/3 of the material's ultimate tensile strength. As far as I know, the engineers for these climbing companies are required to run fatigue tests with cyclic loading at a much lower strength than the material's tensile strength to simulate lead falls. I'd suppose they test at a big simulated load fall of around 4 kN, but they'd also test a bit higher to account for a factor of safety. They'd run the cyclic loading on both the minor and major axes of the carabiners. I'm guessing they determined that carabiners with microfractures should be retired based on the strength rating of the biner's minor axis, but that's just a guess. I theory, it wouldn't be safe to use dropped carabiners for very long if you suspect they have experienced heavy impact. Especially if you throw them into the granite on top of Yosemite :-). The bigger the microfractures present, the more vulnerable the carabiner. Btw, I love your videos! Thank you for putting in so much love and care into them. I've learn a lot in each episode! And the Fear of Falling episodes are super inspiring and relatable. Made a humble student donation to show my support. Keep up the excellent work!

[@Rycamcam]

@@HardIsEasy Also, I reviewed my metallurgy textbook's sections about environmental stresses that also cause crack propagation, like from corrosion (stress corrosion cracking) as mentioned in your videos. Like you said, if the carabiners get salty water on them, then you should wash them off-- because corrosion will cause the microfractures to propagate from the tips of the microfractures. In addition, you should also wash the carabiners off if they ever get dirty or gunky outside because of additional chemical reactions that might occur from the different elements present in the gunk and aluminum alloy, especially if you're climbing when it's hot outside. These are super careful precautions, but I guess it only takes 1 failed carabiner to ruin your climbing day/life. ;-)

[@RC-gl1mi]

Great Video, I have not used my climbing gear since the early 1980's , starting some basic low level stuff. Interesting , all of my old gear has hooks on the carabiners, so I am upgrading everything as needed, new ropes and new carabiners. and a few other goodies. L.E.O. S Tactics have changed a great deal. Your information is outstanding ,Thank You. Please keep up the good work ! ! Two bad falls, has MADE me rethink everything from a safety stand point. Thank You Again.

[@adrianofranca3182]

This is the best video ever. Many thanks to share your knowledge. A warm hug from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

[@En3ki]

Yo man, u really helped me to work more safely, I rig motors for luminar/sound/video structure for events n stuff like this , where the standard are high in security already but all your little tips aid me to be a guy that my team tend to lean on cause I always have your decisive information to ensure safer ways to make our day or just have a topic to discuss on pause n that is why I love your Chanel n all usefull info that It offers :)

[@mihax209]

When I saw the first video was a 28 minute long video about carabiners I was a bit disappointed, but I legitimately learned some new things. And even the parts about the more commonly known things was interesting enough to enjoy watching. Thanks a lot! Keep at it!

[@HardIsEasy]

Yea, un/fortunately other videos are coming not short as well :D

[@MariaSlijper]

I have no climbing friends yet (started my beginners course last week) but I sure will be recommending your channel whenever I can! This is gold!! 😀 especially when you are new to the sport and you have to go and buy your own gear and remember all the names of techniques and knots and devices and you are massively overwhelmed 🤣 I'm getting addicted already.. whoops 🤭

[@DerekWatson-r4c]

Great, comprehensive video! Thank you for your effort to demystify the range of carabiner types. I'll be sharing this course/channel with my climbing partners.

[@thomasbannelier4625]

Thank you so much for this channel. This is just 10 times clearer than any other climbing video I've seen or book I've read!

[@MrCyberspion]

Great educational content. I really like how calm an collected you present all the information.

[@jdryak]

Absolute best instructional and informational video on the subject anywhere! Thanks for all your effort and expertise!

[@korbendallas1210]

I really appreciate your efforts to make such great and informative videos. It's always a pleasure to donate to such content maker. Thank you!

[@Needafollower]

Can’t think you enough for these videos man. Really educational for a newbie

[@usprodrigo]

Not a single word said in this video could make me happier and enjoy watching it. It is just brilliant. I think it is important to add that when buying carabiners one should consider its rate with the gate open, since it´s a rate that can actually be reached in a real situation as you mentioned, and gates can open (by facing a rock, a bolt, a leave, whatever). Hence, A 10KN with the gate open carabiner is a lot safer that one with just 6 or 7KN. Oh, and it´s not stupid to carry a quicklink when you live in a country where the cheapest carabiner is $100 and the quicklink is $15. It is wise ;) Thanks for this great video, I have no words to thank you enough for posting that content. Amazing and complete, for real. Thank you!

[@HardIsEasy]

what country has cheapest carabiner for 100USD? I think it's a business opportunity :DDD Thanks for the comment ;)

[@usprodrigo]

@@HardIsEasy that's in Brazil. Good Luck with 100% import taxes, weak currency and federal bureaucracy! 😔

[@lukaswieg4845]

Hey Ben, absolutely great video. I really enjoyed every single second! Your content is amazing. But I've got one single nitpicky point: I think steel ist less brittle than aluminium. In Rian videos on how not to highline his steel carabiners are bending while the aluminium ones are snapping. Therefore the steel in carabiners must ne less brittle. Only hardened steel like on knifes ist brittle. Anyway fantastic video. I am really looking forward to your upcoming content :)

[@HardIsEasy]

Interesting... I thought this panic for micro fractures came from old school steel carabiner times.... Thanks for nitpicking - That's how we learn ;)

[@HardIsEasy]

after more research turns out that heat treated Aluminium used in Climbing T6/T7 is indeed much more brittle than Steel. However I still wouldn't panic about Microfractures - based on how rare we see a broken carabiner or old carabiner breaking under its Ratings.

[@ZeroChaos87]

@@HardIsEasy this is a sign of a real expert. knows his stuff but is willing to research and adjust. big thumbs up and keep it going.

[@jwr778]

Your giving the next generation of new climbers a huge help in understanding the real basics in gear use that is not taught in many classes ! Your clear and informative,thanks also to sponsor’s! Back in my day most of this was information was not talked about , just trial and error! Thanks for your time I don’t climb anymore but I do take the grandkids to the climbing gym so they can explore a great activity I in joyed!

[@MEOWavk]

your videos are super helpful and you have a great voice for teaching! Thank you for doing what you do and for your dedication to the furtherance of SAFE climbing culture!

[@deprouty]

Great video, been climbing for 35 years and still learning!

[@bsuarez3455]

The first episode of the series got me through my belay class like a boss good looks 💪🏾

[@jamc666]

I'm not doing any climbing at all but I bet i'll still watch the whole serie .... very interesting stuff and well explained. Kudos.

[@svendkaffke5862]

This was way more educational than I expected. Good Video!

[@FunnySimbaOne]

Looking forward to watch next episodes!! Great work!

[@cl91000]

Wow I just started this series and I'm already obsessed! Learning so much.

[@petervilla5221]

FASCINATING. I have no idea how I ended up here, but I'm glad I did.

[@XxZeldaxXXxLinkxX]

Hi!! One thing I *really* want to point out is that in the "belay carabiners" section, at 6 minutes you show the Black diamond gridlock. Specifically, if you're using that for the GriGri (or similar device) you actually want to FLIP it, so the big section goes on the belay loop and the small section is attached to the grigri. I just learned that today (should've read the device manual earlier , that's my mistake). Just got lead certified at my gym last week. Learned a lot from your videos so just trying to help spread some awareness. Thanks for the great content.

[@xXxbastek]

2:30 forging does change internal structure of material and makes it much stronger, this is not only for shape!!

[@zacheddy9685]

My first time out lead climbing in 2015 i was with someone who had nearly a decade of experience climbing outside. He told me he never saw a cross loaded carabiner. That day we saw a couple climbing and they somehow managed to cross load AND bend the carabiner over a face (which was the top non-locker of a draw) with a pretty small fall. sometimes the climb's you're on may be bolted for specific gear, so be sure to always have knowledge of the route you're going to climbing on before you go, otherwise you may end up in a situation you're protection becomes compromised.

[@Blyledge]

I'm not even a climber and I found this video incredibly informative and entertaining. I just wanted to know a bit more about carabiners. Now I'm an expert in a subject I didn't think I cared about.

[@igorello74]

Thank u for the series! You're an amazing mentor From Russia with love

[@taraskozachuk6960]

some from Poland) unfortunately I don't speak English, that's why I use Google translator but I know Russian and in fact subtitles are available in this language. back to the topic, I want to thank you very much for your videos! They are wonderful! thanks to you, I learned a lot of interesting things that will make climbing even more enjoyable and safer. and if you ever find yourself in Poland, we invite you to the "go up" wall in Legnica)

[@shamharoth]

I've enjoyed a lot of your other videos, but this is a really excellent tutorial series! I've just subscribed to the Patreon to support it. Keep up the great work!

[@HardIsEasy]

Ahh thank you for supporting - super helpful!

[@Harka666]

Little correction: the forging process is done not because of the shape or design you want to achieve (the same shape you could achieve also with casting, for example), but in order to improve the microstructure of the metal, the grain flow and as a result to increase the strength and fatigue resistance of the component.

[@zorkan111]

2:20 "Main goal is to remove material or achieve a certain shape"... There's another big reason. One of the main reasons why metallic parts get forged is because forging improves the mechanical properties of the material. So if you need something strong (like a carabiner), forging is one way to do it. Though it doesn't matter to you as the end consumer as long as the product adheres to relevant standards and is rated for a certain load you need. So, look for standards, look for load rating, and buy from reputable manufacturers. Don't worry about the manufacturing method.

[@Alex_Vir]

0:08 which part is true, are they indestructable or are they magic?

[@tobiashofs2766]

Thanks a lot for your excellent work! I am a tree climber. And I learned that when the carabiner is worn off more than a mm or has scratches this deep, it is time to replace it. To see the carabiners with a huge worn off area you showed is somewhat shocking to me. 😮

[@lululiz8603]

Thank you this was so useful as i'm looking to upgrade my first carabiner. You explain things so well and extensively and have the cutest accent ever. 🤘🤭

[@yushy5816]

amazingly thorough and helpful. this is a great primer for all climbers.

[@tainopr4356]

Thanks for this video. Straight forward, very informative & fun to watch. I will definitely share it with my climbing community, and my peers at work.

[@ianhamilton1997]

I was surprised at your comment at 24:58 that a small groove in a carabiner is not a problem. It seems to me like as soon as material is being worn away, the maximum load would start to decrease. Especially because the inside edge is one of the more important areas (which is why they leave more material there). Then again, maybe the manufacturers know this and they leave extra material in this spot for this reason. Or maybe they underrate the load so that even after sustaining some wear, it still performs to spec. Anyway, fantastic video!

[@HardIsEasy]

Yep, manufacturers add more material where they know it's needed ;) Thank you so much for the comment and support!

[@banalestorchid5814]

@12:49 I don't know why anyone would want to use locking carabiners for the bolt-hanger end of the anchor; non-lockers are perfectly safe due to the redundancy of having two of them. As for the rope-end then a locking carabiner MUST be used or failing that two non-lockers configured with the gates "opposite and opposed" as per @9:18 Great video by the way! :)

[@geronimoooooooooooo9052]

Didn't even think about a nose clip. I have wire gates and now I'm aware of their problems! Great series

[@TheReal_Sn0w_Wolf]

This is gold! Thank you for all the work that went into these videos!

[@joleylight300]

Been going through and freshening up on your master classes. Thank you again!

[@Flagen579]

Great production value. Exactly as much as is needed. Love it

[@randomslavicguy2166]

A good way to open a screw gate carabiner that was screwed too tight is to put some load on it (for example yourself) again and unscrew it with the mass attached. This method worked for me every time.

[@tanjapick6680]

Thank you for your videos . I am coming back to climbing after 25 years and now just turned 50. It has been a hard journey back aside from getting my body physically fit it has been an emotional journey getting my fear of a fall and making a saftey mistake . Your videos are helping me refresh my knowledge from many years agao and also are helping me to become independent where I can go out with my daughters and lead routes ( still working on it at the moment). Can you post a video on setting anchors? Can you give a quick tip on how to avoid back clipping? Or how to spot it quickly?

[@TheBucktrot1]

I didn't know much about carabiners... now I do, thanks to you buddy! Great job!

[@hopelesswanderer6891]

Love these videos! Such good information and very well explained. Thanks for making these and helping spread the knowledge man!

[@leoguerrero3511]

Man....we really appreciate!! Sending love and best wishes from Costa Rica!!

[@TheGoobiestGoofyGoober]

saw one of your videos in my recommended again, decided to click on it just to subscribe because you've taught me so much :)