BD Ultralight Ice Screws steel bit separating from aluminum screw tube..

This happened as the screw was being removed from relatively soft ice. Have others had this happen?  What did you do?

 It's a year and a half old so unless they issue a recall, I doubt BD will stand behind it. I'm tempted to hit it with some JB Weld and put the bit back on (there is residue from some form of adhesive on the tube and the inside of the bit). 

jp

Damn...I picked up a couple of those but haven't had that happen. Yet. BD really should be looking after that. 

I have always had really good experiences with BD when things break/don’t work as they should.  I’d reach out to them first.

I’ve seen other posts where this has happened, but haven’t experienced it myself. After initially loving the ultralight screws, I’ve  found they only work well in dry hard ice, and steel is better for most applications.

Seems like JB weld would be hard to get secure without also impacting the geometry of the screw. (Assuming you’re talking about the jb weld epoxy putty). If you were set on self repair, either a superglue or a liquid epoxy may work better?

Waiting to hear from them. We'll see what they say. 

This has been documented to occur before, reach out to them for warranty.

Reach out to warranty (it will take a bit of time FYI) and they will cover ya.  I was told BD has made the fix needed and I haven’t heard of any newer screws having issues. 

Regarding the BD warranty, I reached out to them about an issue. Was told to contact warranty. Filled out the online form with pics and info. Submitted and got the automated email that says they're looking at it. That was 2 weeks ago. No contact since  

How long do they typically take these days?

SinRopa wrote:

I’m at 3 weeks and counting since getting the automated email.

Thanks. I guess I'll just keep waiting...

Hey, JJ have you had a screw replaced? Have you spoken to a BD rep? @Drew, Were you dealing with this issue? @SinRopa, Three weeks is way too long to not hear from them. Were you contacting them about an ice screw too? I too got the automated email. 

I work at a shop that carries BD products, and their warranty program - along with many/most other outdoor gear companies - are running at super limited capacity, as resources have been funnelled elsewhere as a result of Covid. It’s taking months to get stuff looked after, so just a heads up it’s likely going to be a bit of a wait, although fingers crossed for ya 

Riley Weaverwrote:

I work at a shop that carries BD products, and their warranty program - along with many/most other outdoor gear companies - are running at super limited capacity, as resources have been funnelled elsewhere as a result of Covid. It’s taking months to get stuff looked after, so just a heads up it’s likely going to be a bit of a wait, although fingers crossed for ya 

Thanks Riley.

Mine is a trekking pole issue. Sorry John, can't help about your screw. 

After a few days of waiting for the email promised by the (automated) email, I called BD Customer Service. They politely directed me to their web page. I politely told them I had been there, and gave them my case #. They looked it up and politely told me they would get back to me (i.e. "we'll email"). I politely told them I saw no purpose in my waiting to hear from them as I was talking to them at the moment. I persisted and asked to speak to a manager. Manager was busy, but my lucky day: "immediate replacement" approved. 

So, if your screw craps out, Carpe deum on the phone!

Because replacing one screw isn't the whole issue, I ask what I should expect from the other screws in the batch. No definitive word on that. Like others, I'm wondering why the BD QC team isn't leaning into this. Until then I guess BD is saying something like these are one in a zillion flukes. Maybe. We'll see.

A friend of mine has EIGHT new BD Ultralights. One tip fell off before he'd even placed it, and he put it back in. Apparently it has stayed put, as he can't tell which screw that was that had the problem. Certainly give me pause re. these things' quality.

This kinda puts the nail in the coffin (at least for now) on the BD’s for me.  Was experimenting side by side with some of both (Petzl and BD) and the nod was going to Petzl before this news anyway. 

Gunkiemikewrote:

A friend of mine has EIGHT new BD Ultralights. One tip fell off before he'd even placed it, and he put it back in. Apparently it has stayed put, as he can't tell which screw that was that had the problem. Certainly give me pause re. these things' quality

Does that mean that you could make some ultralight super stubbies by yanking the tips off of them, turning them down and JB welding them back together again? asking for a friend...

Steel screws are better than aluminum screws. Change my mind. 

Mark Westfallwrote:

Steel screws are better than aluminum screws. Change my mind. 

I wouldn’t try.  You’re mostly right.  (Plus, most of us already have way more screws than we’ll ever use)...but... personally I settled on seeing  the value in having 3 aluminums.  1 long and 2 short.   The long is saved for belays or v-threads and is great weight savings over a long steel.  The 2 short are used for the pitch and supplemented as needed with short steels.  Seems the best compromise between the noticeable wt savings, but not putting ALL your eggs in the aluminum basket. 

I rarely carry more than 6 screws cuz In pure ice climbing, I just go for “not death” as 1.) The leader shall not fall and 2. ) If you violate rule one, you’re likely not gonna enjoy the result no matter how many screws you try to place.   If it’s mixed, you almost never need that many screws.  YMMV

Mark Pilatewrote:

I rarely carry more than 6 screws cuz In pure ice climbing, I just go for “not death” ...

Damn, I have carried 16 screws before in pure ice routes...

Double Jwrote:

Damn, I have carried 16 screws before in pure ice routes...

Well then you definitely want Aluminum! ;)

Mark Pilatewrote:

Well then you definitely want Aluminum! ;)

Yeah. Both AL and Steel have their pros and cons. But when you put a rack of steel on your harness and drag two 70m 1/2 ropes up a long pitch, it’s amazing the weight difference. 

Mark Pilatewrote:

This kinda puts the nail in the coffin (at least for now) on the BD’s for me.  Was experimenting side by side with some of both (Petzl and BD) and the nod was going to Petzl before this news anyway. 

The Petzl screws aren't immune from damage either...

I know a couple folks who've also snapped teeth off the Petzls. I discovered the missing tooth when I pulled it out of my screw roll-up, not from hitting a rock or other on-route abuse. Petzl warrantied this one. Still using the Petzl screws over the BDs though, mostly out of preference for the hanger design and tooth profile.