Edelrid Slider Issues.

Please don't get these discontinued..I love them 

Austin Donisanwrote:

I've had one break mid-climb which was slightly annoying because I don't carry extra lockers. But not a huge deal and I still use them.

It seems reasonable that they should be redesigned and recalled though. If a future failure results in an injury I would fully expect them to be successfully sued.

Exactly. The issue isn't that they made a defective product, it's the way they responded and failed to address it. 

In their response to me in 2016, they claimed that they already fixed the design. I'm not sure if that's true, given the recent failures. But if it is, all they need to do is recall the older models. 

I've seen other companies like Black Diamond and DMM issue recalls, for relatively minor problems, including ones less serious than this (I don't recall exactly off the top of my head). 

And I trust these companies more than before, as a result of them handling it responsibly, and demonstrating that they take the safety of their customers seriously. 

So go buy their carabiners? 

Dan Africkwrote:

...

I've seen other companies like Black Diamond and DMM issue recalls, for relatively minor problems, including ones less serious than this (I don't recall exactly off the top of my head). 

...

https://www.skimag.com/adventure/backcountry/pieps-dsp-beacon-switch/

Admittedly, I'm gentle on gear but that's by intention. Perhaps it *is* reasonable to use up gear to the point of Austin's photo, but I turn over my slidelocks far sooner than that, as I feel i've had an acceptable lifespan by then. 

If my gear looks like that, it's time to turn them into TR biners, or leaver lockers, IMO... they cost what, $10-12 on sale? IMO, that's pretty darn disposable, especially if you amortize the cost over hundreds of pitches per year. I'm not a dirtbag climber who climbs every single day but spending 500-1000/year on turning over gear (ex: I use my totems for about 1yr at a time, then sell them and buy new sets every year) comes to about $1.50-$3/day to enjoy this sport, which is no more than many gym memberships...

back to the OP's point, I've owned about 15-20 slidelocks, never had this happen in 5 years of using them.

Christian Heschwrote:

 (ex: I use my totems for about 1yr at a time, then sell them and buy new sets every year) comes to about $1.50-$3/day to enjoy this sport, which is no more than many gym memberships...

You replace all your cams after only one year of use? I've never heard of anyone doing that, that seems crazy to me. Especially with totems, those aren't cheap.. 

I replace gear when it's worn out to the point of being potentially unsafe. With carabiners, unless they get a deep / sharp gouge from rubbing against a rock or something, they have a very long lifespan, almost indefinitely. 

I'm not sure if I've ever retired a climbing carabiner due to wear & tear, just the occasional special circumstance like these edelrids, which I now only use as accessory carabiners or nonlockers (and rarely at that). 

MisterE Wolfewrote:

Firstly, I love the ‘biner for GriGri’s because you can rotate the locker 360 degrees, reducing cross-loading & other jamming issues.

Secondly, I just had the same thing happen with the pin, but now I still have a sweet, little-worn stiff gate regular ‘biner!

It’s hard to complain from here - the locker lasted like 3 years of heavy use.

https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/locking-carabiners/ceros

Check this out for the best grigri belay biner ever made. Zero cross loading. So good.