Another BD Stinger front point broke on me

Last year while climbing the screw holding the front point broke while climbing. I reported the issue and BD send me a new screw and front point. Also telling me I should make sure the screw it tightened. I have been climbing on my crampons since and yesterday the other crampons broke mid climb. Once again, the screw holding the front point broke. I had tightened it just two days before and only had three pitches on it since. I climb with them around 20 days a year. Something does not seem right with the Stinger design or this batch.

How much do you weigh? What were you doing when the point broke? E.g. just standing in some ice? Or had the point buried to the hilt in an off-angle crack while torquing hard?

How tight was that screw? Hand tight with a 4" crecent wrench? Breaker bar?

Any info on the first first front point breaking? Where did it break? Photo?

Jon H wrote:How much do you weigh? What were you doing when the point broke? E.g. just standing in some ice? Or had the point buried to the hilt in an off-angle crack while torquing hard?

I weigh 180 and all I was doing was top roping some fat ice flow. Nothing special in the conditions.

alpinejason wrote:How tight was that screw? Hand tight with a 4" crecent wrench? Breaker bar?

I hand tightened. Rotated the wrench until it felt snug. I didn't keep rotating it with all my force.

alpinejason wrote:Any info on the first first front point breaking? Where did it break? Photo?

The screw broke at the same place as you can see in this pic. It was on top roping (luckily) on fat ice then too.

I'm having a hard time imagining how this could have possibly happened with a correctly assembled front point assembly, and it's doubly suspicious that it happened to the same person twice.

Are you missing a spacer? Signs of severe rusting on the bolts?

I'm wondering if they forgot to chamfer the hole where the screw head fits.
Maybe the frame has been digging into the fillet below the head, might need deburring or a washer (adjust screw length to suit).
There's a lot of rigidity being asked from that little screw but two busted screws is a rare occurrence.
Had a buddy take a 15 foot whipper onto rock. First thing that came to mind after we got an aok from him is check your crampons for damage before heading back to a sketchy runout section.
Last week a friend busted a toe bail on his lynx while rapelling...
Yup check your spikes often.
Can you get a close up picture of the broken shaft of the screw and where it sits on the frame of the crampon?

You said the point was broken? The front point in the photo looks intact. Can you elaborate?

alpinejason wrote:You said the point was broken? The front point in the photo looks intact. Can you elaborate?

Both times it was the screw if you read the posts.

Maybe don't over tighten the bolt too much, just like a bolt in the rock…
It does have a nylock nut.

Luc wrote: Both times it was the screw if you read the posts.

Yup. Thanks. I kept reading "front point broke" neglecting the preceeding words.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly but I don't think there is rigid spacer. I think it's just plastic, part of the antibot, between the crampon frame. I don't think you can "overtighten" them; it will just continue to squash the plastic and flex the frame of the crampon.

and stretch the metal of the small bolt...

You guys must all work for BD. these things do break and when it happens the front point falls off. Only poons i have ever owned where your life is measured by a single screw. All the other poons I have had over the years the front points had at least 2 screws holding them on. In fact it is the only poons in 33 years that have lost a front point. This one while soloing a 1,000ft gully.

Yes. But not as simple as over tightening a bolt in rock. The flex in the crampon (which is also a bad deal) restricts the amount of pretension you can apply to the bolt to some degree.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:All the other poons I have had over the years the front points had at least 2 screws holding them on.

Don't the Petzl Lynx monopoints use a single screw?

Grivel Rambo has a single screw on the front of the point, and secured in the back by a screw, but, if the front one broke, the point would be useless as well?

G20 a single screw holding the front and back frame together?

About the only crampon I can think of that doesn't rely on a single screw is the Petzl Dart?

Then the question is… is the bolt bent? did the flex make it break? could be hard to see.

Looks like a classic bolt failure mode, caused by excessive stress due to a) defective material in bolt b) over torque of bolt c) incorrect application for bolt type d) incorrect usage.

It's a pity BD can't cough up a torque spec to eliminate that as a cause. Do you know the screw size? It might be possible to invest in machine screws which have a higher grade.

rambo comps and M10's have 2 bolts . I had several pairs of each before the stingers. before that it was Foot Fangs. never had a front point fall off of any of them. at least with two bolts it might be flopping arround but at least you would have something to try and stand on to get a screw in. i did break a toe bail on an M10 and had a bail come off of a foot fang. both times soloing. the best bet if you can afford it is to replace poons every season and axes every 2 or 3 seasons...

My underdstanding is the bolt loosens up and the front point ratteles arround shock loading the bolt with every step. checking the bolts every week may help prevent this but who knows?