Grivel tech machine reviews?

Just curious if anyone has gotten to play around with these. I know some folks have had complaints with the design ofthe lower grip. But I'm curious how folks think they climb. The only online reviews I can find are websites shilling for Grivel on free tools. Anybody have some time on them?

Am a huge fan of the new north machines btw. Otherwise I'd just stick with good old Nomics...

I have them and have complained about the lower grip because they don't necessarily fit my hands size well. Not much for a review but I think they swing really well. I prefer them over the Fusion/Fuel. For pure ice I'm still swinging good ol' Cobras or the Quantum Techs. I don't think I've used the Tech Machines on any mixed routes.

Thanks Jason. What didn't you like about the fit of the grips? I know of complaints about the rubber and its attachment to the shaft but not fit.

I've got really big hands. Too big for a few brands of tools (Cassin X-Dreams are a solid no-go). Curious if that's an issue with the Grivels.

jfs wrote:Thanks Jason. What didn't you like about the fit of the grips? I know of complaints about the rubber and its attachment to the shaft but not fit. I've got really big hands. Too big for a few brands of tools (Cassin X-Dreams are a solid no-go). Curious if that's an issue with the Grivels.

Have you tired taking,out the rubber thingy at the bottom of handle on X Dreams? I only ask because I got a blank stare once.

I really have issues about fixed grip sizes on ice tools that have a little notch for your trigger finger. Depending on the glove I'm wearing, my pointer finger doesn't sit nicely in this notch, usually awkwardly in between. Note I have smaller hands for a guy my size, probably pretty average overall though.

The Fusion/Fuel and Nomic have really great adjustable grip size options. So my preference would be either have an adjustable grip with the trigger finger notch or eliminate it all together. My Cobras don't have a notch and they climb ice like a dream.

Bill yeah I have. Still too small even bare handed.

You know what they say bout guys with big hands? :)

I messed around with the Tech Machines at the MWV Ice Fest after a friend was rocking them. The Tech Machine seemed to give the X Dreams a run for the money. They made enough of impression to want a pair.

Speaking of which.. Where's Grammy? He would be the man to post up here.

so i have gotten to use them for a season and some dry tooling. for vertical ice they are on par with nomics but even though they are only 60g heavier they dont feel as balanced as the nomics. picks are good and hard only needed to sharpen once in the season after hitting a rock. for dry tooling they are confidence inspiring with there rigidity (was using the ice picks and had no issues). i did not experience much flex when hanging on them. the grips are large i wear a medium glove and had almost too much room. if you are looking to only climb ice get the carbon version the lighter weight would improve the tool. if you plan on dry stick with the aluminum (why go and beat up some nice carbon tools to save 200 grams).

Thanks Pascal. Good info.

Bill Kirby wrote:You know what they say bout guys with big hands? :) I messed around with the Tech Machines at the MWV Ice Fest after a friend was rocking them. The Tech Machine seemed to give the X Dreams a run for the money. They made enough of impression to want a pair. Speaking of which.. Where's Grammy? He would be the man to post up here.

Love mine!

I sold my X-dreams to get a pair of the Tech Machines and don't regret it. Don't get me wrong, the X-dreams were very nice and had (by far) the most comfortable handle on the market IMHO, the Tech's handles are reasonable and provide a spacious grip for those of us with larger hands.That being said, the grip circumference is rather narrow so those with smaller mits could still get comfortable with the handles.

The swing of the tools is pretty intuitive...maybe not quite as intuitive as the X-Dreams, but they felt pretty natural right out of the box. generous clipping points at the handle and through the large aluminum head for anchoring or umbilical s. The weight is on par with the nomics and the swing is similar but I found it to be a bit sweeter and more natural. The steel picks taper from 5mm right down to 2.7 at the pick which allows them to penetrate all types of ice with aplomb! Grivel has the best picks on the market as far as I am concerned and they are less expensive to replace than petzl picks.

This will be my second full season with the Techs and I am looking forward to swinging them soon. A great tool at a great price for steep waterfall ice and mixed climbing.

What up Chris! Have you tired the Raptors? Erik said he had a pair I could borrow for the day. Gunkie Mike likes them.

I planned to start swinging the tools on Saturday... The weather's not cooperating :(

Is there any reason to consider the carbon version? The weight difference seems insignificant (20g). Any other advantage of the carbon shaft (or is it just carbon-wrapped aluminum?) to justify the big difference in price?

Deimos wrote:Is there any reason to consider the carbon version? The weight difference seems insignificant (20g). Any other advantage of the carbon shaft (or is it just carbon-wrapped aluminum?) to justify the big difference in price?

Same people like carbon shafts. They say better feedback and carbon feels warmer on the hands.

Chris Graham wrote: Grivel has the best picks on the market as far as I am concerned and they are less expensive to replace than petzl picks. This will be my second full season with the Techs and I am looking forward to swinging them soon.

Did you use the tools out-of-the-box, or did you need to sharpen the picks or fine-tune them in any way before climbing on ice ?

Does anyone find the Grivel picks "sticky" on the Tech Machines? Maybe I'm used to overdriving my picks, coming off of Nomics. It's very easy to overdrive all the time, and get away with it on tuned Petzl picks.

can anyone explaine the picks situation on the new grivel tools? Ice (no hammer attachements, Mix (hammer attachement ) then I found this picture on Google...

I just answered my own question, there`s now an ICE PLUS blade ... sweet

Anyone have any updated prospectives on the tech machine?

Tech Machines:

I have abused mine all season.

Stickier picks that are difficult to clean if you're used to overdriving picks in fat ice, coming off of Nomics. Drytool better than Nomics due to pick angle and stock pick sharpness. Require less pick maintenance than Petzl (harder picks, better materials). I have seen one broken pick locally (5th tooth), but has not been a trend. Secondary handle is nice and high, allowing for extra height when matching. It is also quite stable once you set full weight into. Nice for figure fours.

Steven,

Do you have the regular or carbon? How would you say the swing is compared to nomics? How do they handle thin ice and steep ice? The tech machines are cheaper, so if they do everything the nomic does...than that would be great.

I have the regular ones. I would not buy carbon because I do a lot of abusive mixed climbing. If you want a lighter, aggressive pure ice tool, the carbons will be the ticket. Swing is similar to Nomics, but heavier on the Techs. I always ran pick weights PLUS hammers on Nomics for regular fat ice, so I like it. Pick angle is more aggressive, so they work great on steep ice. The super sharp picks are great on thin ice.

You will need to find the "ice plus" picks if you want to run hammers. I just carry a separate pin hammer these days for that kind of thing, so it's not really an issue.

I don't see any suspicious cracks on my picks at the 5th tooth, so I hope the broken pick was an isolated case.