Kailas stick clip - any good?

Brad Johnson wrote:

I've got a skyhook I'll be putting up for sale if anyone is interested.  Used one day. 

Long or short one?

Danielwrote:

Long or short one?

Actually just sold it! 

I have it for travel. It works. It's compact, that is good. But it is a lot less sturdy than superclip plus paint pole, and the wires are thin/bendy. It works well for hanging the draw and for clipping the rope to the hanging draw, but not well for removing the hanging draw. It also wouldn't reach the 1st bolt at a lot of routes at the Red. But traveling in Europe it is adequate, because in most places there the first bolts are still relatively low. 

Prav Cwrote:

One of the white plastic rings in it broke and then it wouldn't extend/collapse properly anymore.

Same. But I wrote to Amazon/kailas & they sent me a replacement. I'm more careful with it now knowing how fragile it is (10/10 customer service)

I agree with Chris. The Smith stick is much more sturdy and does not bend like the Kailas or Trango stick clips I have seen. It is built to last.

My Smith Stick just came today.  Holy Shit this thing is stout.  A little less compact than I would like but its not going to be. having any issues anytime soon.  Zero bend/lateral movement when held out horizontally fully extended.  

The Kailas is perfect for what I need it to do. Mostly, that’s to pack up easily and reach the occasional high/bad clip. It has been durable enough so far (I think I’ve had it about a year?), it could use a bit more reach but so far I’ve been able to finagle everything I need out of it. For the casual sporto, I think it’s a very solid choice. If I routinely needed longer clips, I’d probably go for something else.

I went with the Pongoose, partially out of “I could get it when I need it” with the smith stick being the close second choice.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Kailas Clip-up vs. the IV? I've only had my III for 6-ish months and it broke like others in this thread, but Kailas quickly offered to replace it. The Clip-up is heavier, but I'm wondering whether those rubber rings add some durability as I could see myself breaking it again. 

I did encounter both actually - but I don’t own either. But the opinions here match what I’ve seen. Their durability is suspect - some last okay, but a lot of people have had them break quickly, and it sounds like they won’t really last more than a year or 2. They are very light and pack down small, but they’re also short and a few times we couldn’t even reach the first bolt with it. Both flex quite a bit, making them somewhat difficult to use.

Basically if space/weight is absolutely critical, they’re useful. But otherwise, may be best to go for the Smith Stick or Pongoose.

Smith Stick will never break.  Most robust thing I've ever used in stick clip category.  Its just BIG.  You are def carrying this one in, no packing 

Well I've had my Smith Stick for about 6 months now and just as robust as ever!  My only complaint is the huge size of it.  Almost want a mini or a trango so it fits in the pack.  But its such a solid piece of gear! 

I’ve got 2 of the clip-ups, that can combine into a super-mega stick clip. I really like their size and functionality. I’ve seen them as low as 55$. They are the best for rescuing draws imo. 

Another vote for the Pongoose, I got the long one. Very happy with it. It’ll sometimes reach a second bolt. Being able to adjust the angle of the head can be clutch if the bolt is over a bulge or just in an awkward spot. 

Danielwrote:

I finally have to replace Stickie. Superclip on a 4’ to 16’ painter pole. Someone broke the pole. I have been trying to remove the super clip, nothing.

So before I just do a 1-1 replacement, considering looking around. I know there’s the Beta Stick, the Skyhook thing looked good but it doesn’t appear to be sold anymore. I found this Kailas thing, but it’s on Amazon and I’m not too confident about buying climbing gear from Amazon. Anyone use it? Or have any other experience? Or has stick clip technology been more or less stagnant the last 10 years and I should just go get a new super clip and more or less exactly the same painters pole?

Just FYI in case you want to try removing the Superclip again.

I've had good luck removing stuck Superclips by directing all of the unscrewing force directly on the end of the wireform at it's base. I clamped the pole in a vise, then took a cold chisel + hammer to the wireform end and that usually worked. Can't take picture right now but DM me if you want more specifics.