Petzl Laser Speed Light ice screws
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I'm thinking about upgrading my screw rack and have been looking at these Petzl screws. Does anyone have any experience with 'em? I'm wondering how the aluminum holds up and if they "clean" different than a traditional steel screw. |
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Search this site. Plenty to read. |
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They've held up well for the one season I've used them. They seem to clean faster than my BD turbos. |
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I just picked some up. I used a friends last year and thought they were awesome. Didn't notice any real difference in cleaning. They start well and the drop in weight is really nice. |
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They work well; start and clean just like a steel petzl screw. |
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Per a discussion last year on (I think) NEIce.com, some folks have found that they can be tough to place the second or third time during the day. The culprit is drops of water freezing to the inner bore that are so tightly frozen on that they inhibit the escape of the core of chips as the screw is driven in. I've had this happen to me but it's not a huge deal. Typical steel screws don't do this to any noticeable degree however. |
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A few points: |
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Are the laser speed lights really a larger diameter than the "standard" laser speeds? I've never noticed a difference, and I own both. |
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Yes they are! |
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Just bought a Laser speed light to play with (13cm), in combo with my BD expresses but I can't find a Kn rating on them anywhere, or in the packaging. Anyone know this info or know how well they can hold falls/weight vs. the BD expresses. The threads look noticeably less aggressive than on my BD screws. |
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Craghead wrote:Just bought a Laser speed light to play with (13cm), in combo with my BD expresses but I can't find a Kn rating on them anywhere, or in the packaging. Anyone know this info or know how well they can hold falls/weight vs. the BD expresses. The threads look noticeably less aggressive than on my BD screws.Craghead, here is what I found: The UIAA Has the following requirements for ice screws: UIAA Ice screw Requirements However, reading the technical notice on Petzl's website, it appears that only the 21 cm crew is UIAA approved. That said, we all know the strength of a screw comes from the threads rather than the length. I'm 100% confident in the strength of these screws in good ice. |
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Thanks Nick. Didn't even consider looking at the UIAA site. |
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After placing one of these on lead side by side with the BD expresses, I'm a believer. Placed faster and they are incredibly sharp. Nice work Petzl. Use some of your holiday cash to pick up a few of these if you haven't already. |
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Cracking Ice screws Petzl Laser Ultra Light
The steel bit expands and contracts in different way what leads to this. I wouldn't expect mass recall from Petzl. |
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The cracking was discussed somewhere else recently; Facebook maybe. Petzl said it was a manuf. tolerance issue and has already been corrected. |
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Gunkiemike wrote:The cracking was discussed somewhere else recently; Facebook maybe. Petzl said it was a manuf. tolerance issue and has already been corrected.I saw this too. Petzl also said to call them if you find any cracks and they'll replace the screws. |