Pongoose Climber Clipstick Review and How to Use

[@richardeden1453]

I have but, but I'm blown away at the price of their brushes. Its made me get a cheaper climbing brush and drill my own thread. Saving about a tenner

[@TheClimbingNomads]

👍

[@pongoose6466]

Hi Richard, thanks for the comments on this. We appreciate the brushes may seem expensive but the cost of buying them in, especially to have them ethically made in the UK, is very high so this is reflected in the price. We are also competitive in the market if you look at the overall range of brushes being about third/fourth down in price from the most expensive. Great job on fashioning your own threaded option though, we are always up for innovation! :) All the best. Team Pongoose.

[@richardeden1453]

@@pongoose6466 I get that. It’s all about profit margins and I understand your not a charity. Thanks for the reply. The stick is awesome!!!

[@slowmonkey111]

Loved this clipstick ever since I got it. So easy to use and to teach anyone that has never used it before. My only gripe is that in cold weather sometimes the twist mechanism to lock the rod sections in place freezes and you can't extend or collapse the stick. I wish they would move towards the clips design that beta stick have moved towards. Other than that I love this stick. It is heavier than other sticks but it is much more robust is the only other comparison remark I would have. Great review. Have loved using this stick for a few years.

[@TheClimbingNomads]

It is amazing how much easier it is to use. Your point about the cold weather is interesting, we have not noticed that with ours. I know that they recently updated/improved the pole so that may have addressed the issue you were having.

[@slowmonkey111]

@@TheClimbingNomads ahhh hopefully that's what it is. I bought it March 2018 so it's been a few years. It was quite often that it would get stuck and not retract in the cold. But if yours is newer I would guess it is fixed. Wonder if others have had similar issues.

[@pongoose6466]

Hi Slowmonkey, thanks so much for your positive comments, we are so happy you like your clipstick. Re the sticking in cold weather, yes this can be an issue as the mechanisms can contract and expand depending on the temperature. Also, it's worth making sure that you're not using it when your hands are too covered in chalk as this can also get inside the mechanisms and cause them to stick. Re the other types of locking clips, we have been trialing them but they also come with their own limitations so it's a balance of which is best and they seem to come out similar during testing. Do drop us a line if you are continuing to have problems. All the best, Team Pongoose.

[@slowmonkey111]

@@pongoose6466 thanks for the response. I'm back in Australia and will hopefully go rope climbing this weekend and will be using the pongoose. If I find it an issue again I'll message here or contact you on your website. Do you have any advice for maintenance of the stick if my hands are chalky when using it, which has definitely been the case?

[@pongoose6466]

@@slowmonkey111 Oh I didn't realise you were in Australia. OK well essentially whatever dirty and chalk is already inside the pole will be difficult to clear unless it's completely taken apart, which is something we can do here in the UK but not so easy for you in Aus. I would just suggest from now on to keep it as clean as possible, including the chalk side of things by wiping your hands first or applying chalk after use, and also not using it as a walking stick in mud and dusty areas. Just taking care of it and keeping it as clear of dust as possible will help extend its life. Feel free to contact us via our website in the future if you have any more queries. Enjoy your climbing! :)

[@bfoles506]

Awesome! Are you using the long (14ft) or short (9ft) one??

[@wailenhalen18]

I can't wait to start using it for not only stick clipping the first bolt, but also for stick clipping entire routes that are too challenging for me to climb at the moment.

[@TheUnknownFactor]

With this type of video, it would be good to explicitly say at the start of the video whether the video is in any way sponsored or compensated for, or if not (which seems to be the case here?) that the video is not compensated for and purchased with your own money. This is a good video, but it almost looks like an advertisment. If it is, that has to be stated, if it is not, then that makes the message of the video much more powerful.

[@TheClimbingNomads]

Thanks for your comment and you're right, it is something that we should have made clearer. Not sure how we missed it in the filming but we will endeavour to make sure we include it in our future review videos. To answer your question, the video was not paid for or sponsored. We were given the clip sticks to do a review on, but the content of the video and our review is our own genuine opinion. We quite often get sent things for us to do reviews on, but have in fact sent back and refused to review more products than we have actually made review videos for! We have and will continue to only offer positive reviews on products that we genuinely like and regularly use. We love testing out gear and really putting products through their paces and hope that we can help people to choose the best gear for them :)

[@climbjay]

Or… perhaps instead of getting your fanny in such a bunch you could make your own mind up about whether a product suits your needs and ticks your boxes.

[@lostarts26]

You should give the kailas clip up a try. Its a fraction the weight, and far less fiddly.

[@kevedwards]

Have you tried both? I’ve got the Kailas and although I do love it sometimes it’s a pain in the ass to use because the quick draw sits with the top of the nose sitting so low. If you get an awkward facing bolt it’s a nightmare. Also it’s a bit short for some crags in the U.K. thinking about the Ponggose for U.K. limit red points and my Kailas for Kalymnos and the likes.

[@jerryh5231]

Hi, just wondered if you have you ever used this with your Edelrid Ohm?

[@TheClimbingNomads]

Hi Jerry, Yep we have used it with the Ohm and it works fine. Little bit of flex with the pole but still a lot less than the beta stick. Hope that helps 👍

[@mobiletecho]

@@TheClimbingNomads Thanks, that's helpful, I will add the 700 purple to my Christmas list 🙂

[@TheClimbingNomads]

Glad we could help 😊

[@joetitterington1222]

Twist lock. Not so much.

[@marcosjuan3142]

For me this is not the best stick. Beta Evo is way better

[@richardtaztaylor8706]

Never used one ( well not an official one) old clothes prop and some loose finger tape and much swearing ( a long time ago, don't sport climb because I have no friends lol). I fantastic design and well demonstrated too.

[@TheClimbingNomads]

Thanks Richard 😊