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Black Diamond Stone Glove Review

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black diamond stone glove climbing glove review
Black Diamond Stone Glove
Credit: BlackDiamondEquipment.com
Price:  $33 List
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Manufacturer:   Black Diamond
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief  ⋅  Mar 15, 2010
82
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Belaying - 20% 7.0
  • Rappelling - 20% 6.0
  • Handling Carabiners - 20% 10.0
  • Leading - 20% 10.0
  • Durability - 20% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Black Diamond Stone gloves offer a great combination of durability and dexterity by using many different layers of goat skin thicker at the high use areas and thinner and the low use areas. The downside is that at $40 they are the most expensive fingerless glove out there. They are the only fingerless glove we know of with longer protection on the bottom of the finger than the top. The thumb area is particularly well protected.
REASONS TO BUY
Great dexterity
Soft
Durable
REASONS TO AVOID
Large wrist closure
Expensive
This is our top-rated glove for big wall leading. Is it worth $40? That is a hard call. You could make about seven pairs of Homemade Fingerless Climbing Glove for the same price. Will these make you a better wall climber? No. Will you be really psyched to have such an awesome pair of gloves when thousands of feet off the ground? Yes.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes


These are the most tricked out fingerless gloves. They have a few features not found on other gloves like an extra leather extender under the fingers and Kevlar stitching. The coolest thing about them is the fit; they have great articulation and the goat skin fits perfectly. There is no extended break-in period: they fit great right away. They have great reinforcement in the high wear areas and great dexterity.

Dislikes


The elastic cuff around the wrist is a little bigger and bulkier than we like. We prefer the smaller Velcro closure on the Metolius gloves. But that is a small dislike and most people may not care.

Best Application


These are ideal for big wall leading. For belaying, we would rather have a full-fingered glove like the Black Diamond Transition.

Value


This is the most expensive glove we tested. It is $10 more expensive than most other gloves. It comes down to just how much you love the fit and feel of this glove.

— Chris McNamara
 

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