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The 5 Best Quickdraws for Climbing of 2024

We tested a selection of climbing quickdraws from Petzl, Black Diamond, Edelrid, and more to discover the best models
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Best Quickdraws for Climbing of 2024
Patrick Pharo climbing a classic limestone sport route at the Elona crag in Leonidio, Greece, doing his best to test the quickdraws for how well they clip, rather than how easy they are to grab or fall on.
Tuesday January 23, 2024

Searching for the best quickdraws for climbing? Our expert climbers have put over 35 different quickdraws to the test over the past 12 years, and this review features 14 of the best and most popular options you can purchase today. Quickdraws are an essential piece of climbing gear for clipping bolts on sport climbs, and also serve many purposes for traditional or multi-pitch climbing, such as clipping stoppers or extending cams. Whether you want the easiest to clip for your sport project, an affordable set that won't break the bank, or the lightest weight options for alpine climbs, we have some great recommendations.

If you're in the market for some other types of climbing gear, let us help. Whether you need a new climbing rope, a fresh pair of climbing shoes, or a crash pad, we've tested all the top products and crowned the best in each category, which we have conveniently collected in our best climbing gear review, made just for you!

Editor's Note: Our quickdraw review was updated on January 23, 2024, to include some alternative recommendations to our award winners.

Top 14 Product Ratings

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Awards Editors' Choice Award  Top Pick Award Best Buy Award  
Price $25.95 at REI
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$28.50 at Amazon
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$35.95 at Backcountry
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$19.95 at REI
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$18.95 at Amazon
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Overall Score
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63
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Star Rating
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Pros Snappy clipping action, wide sling is easy to grab, light for a sport quickdrawGreat clipping, wide sling for easy grabbing, keylocking gates don't snagSteel insert offers more durability for high-wear use, wide slingVisually pleasing, affordable, easy to unclip keylocking top binerDouble keylocking biners easy to clip and unclip, relatively affordable for such a design
Cons Expensive, still a little heavy for trad climbingHeavy, expensiveHeavy, expensive, narrow gate openingTight gate springs require slightly more effort than others to clip, 18mm sling adequate but not perfect for grabbingNot the lightest, gate springs a bit tight compared to competition, 18mm sling adequate but not great for grabbing
Bottom Line The best overall draw for sport specific climbersA fantastic option for sport climbingGreat choice for your first clip or for top rope anchorsA cool looking and functional quickdraw at a moderate price pointA solid and affordable double solid gate design for those who prefer clipping these types of carabiners
Rating Categories Petzl Spirit Express DMM Alpha Sport Qui... Edelrid Bulletproof... Black Diamond HotFo... Black Diamond HotForge
Ease of Clipping (25%)
10.0
10.0
6.0
7.0
6.0
Ease of Unclipping (25%)
8.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
Portability (20%)
6.0
4.0
3.0
5.0
5.0
Handling (15%)
9.0
9.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
Ease of Grabbing (15%) Sort Icon
9.0
9.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
Specs Petzl Spirit Express DMM Alpha Sport Qui... Edelrid Bulletproof... Black Diamond HotFo... Black Diamond HotForge
Weight (ounces) 3.2 oz 3.9 oz 4.2 oz 3.5 oz 3.6 oz
Gate opening bottom carabiner (mm) 25 mm 25 mm 20 mm 27 mm 24 mm
Width of sling (mm) 25 mm 25 mm 22 mm 18 mm 18 mm
Sling Material Nylon Nylon Nylon Polyester Polyester
Manufacturer Warranty 3 year 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 year
Non-Snagging Top Biner Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Non-Snagging Bottom Biner Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Forging method Cold Hot Hot Hot Hot
Unique features Sling is wider at the bottom to facilitate grabbing, stiff sling Dual keylock carabiners, wide sling Stainless steel insert for added durability Visual patterning designed to easily catch the eye while climbing Double keylocking carabiners
Available sling lengths 12 cm, 17 cm 12 cm, 18 cm, 25 cm 12 cm, 18 cm 12 cm, 16 cm 12 cm, 16 cm


Best Overall Quickdraw for Climbing


Petzl Spirit Express


84
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Ease of Clipping 10.0
  • Ease of Unclipping 8.0
  • Portability 6.0
  • Handling 9.0
  • Ease of Grabbing 9.0
Weight: 3.2 ounces | Gate clearance of bottom carabiner: 25 mm
REASONS TO BUY
Great clipping action
Easy to grab
Lightweight for a sport draw
REASONS TO AVOID
Not super cheap
Heavier than some lightweight models
So popular that you might not want to leave them hanging overnight

The Petzl Spirit Express is a staple among sport climbers. With a keylock carabiner on each end, it does everything a sport climber could ask for — clips are fast and snappy, and the rope never snags on the keylock gate. The wide dogbone is made to be grabbed, and we love the way it feels when we do so. It's one of the lightest sport-climbing specific quickdraws we reviewed, shaving ounces off your harness in a sport where every gram counts.

Despite the latest weight loss, the Spirit Express is still not suited for long or alpine routes. So, if that's your primary climbing style, consider the Petzl Ange Finesse or another lightweight model such as the Cypher Firefly II. But, for everything else, the Spirit Express ranks at the top of its class. Just don't loan them out, or you may never get them back!

Read more: Petzl Spirit Express review

best overall quickdraw for climbing
With a partially bent bottom gate that has great smooth action and plenty of gate clearance, the Spirits are one of the easiest and most pleasurable quickdraws to quickly get clipped.

Best Bang for the Buck


Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid


68
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Ease of Clipping 7.0
  • Ease of Unclipping 7.0
  • Portability 5.0
  • Handling 8.0
  • Ease of Grabbing 7.0
Weight: 3.5 ounces | Gate clearance of bottom carabiner: 27 mm
REASONS TO BUY
Affordable and durable
Simple, no-frills, yet very effective
Easy to clip wiregate lower biner
Cool color schemes
REASONS TO AVOID
Gate spring tighter than the competition
Not super light

Black Diamond recently scrapped their entire quickdraw lineup and released five new models to fill the void. We tested the three most compelling ones, and of these, the HotForge Hybrid was our clear favorite. These reasonably priced quickdraws pair a new HotForge solid gate biner on the top with a wiregate carabiner on the bottom, combining easy clipping of the rope through the wiregate, with the easy to clean keylocking design for the top. While the design is simple, effective, and affordable, we received by far the most comments on their looks. Climbers all over the crags we were climbing noticed the hot pink versions we tested, repeatedly asking what kind they were.

You really can't ask for much more than an effective sport draw at a reasonable price. Yet when compared side-by-side to our top performers, such as the Petzl Spirit Express or the DMM Alpha Sport, our testing showed that their gate springs are rather tight, requiring a little more effort to complete a clip. They are also slightly heavy, and their simple polyester dogbone is not designed to be a fat handle to grasp when you're too pumped to clip. That said, these attributes typically only come with the premium models, and budget-minded climbers will be more than happy with the performance of the HotForge Hybrid. But for a few bucks more, you can invest in the Petzl Spirit Express.

Read more: Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid review

quickdraw - best bang for the buck
Making the clip through these wiregates gives one a satisfying snap, but we noticed that the gate springs are quite a bit stiffer than some others, requiring a bit of extra force.

A Great Buy for Lightweight Draws


Cypher Firefly II


61
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Ease of Clipping 7.0
  • Ease of Unclipping 5.0
  • Portability 8.0
  • Handling 6.0
  • Ease of Grabbing 4.0
Weight: 2.6 ounces | Gate clearance of bottom carabiner: 25 mm
REASONS TO BUY
One of the least expensive QDs on the market
Lightweight
REASONS TO AVOID
Unprotected wiregates can snag
Narrow sling is hard to grab

If you're new to climbing and trying to build up your gear stash, you'll appreciate what the Cypher Firefly II has to offer. The price point is only half the cost of the Petzl Spirit Express. That's a significant difference, especially if you're also purchasing a rope, harness, and double set of cams! The Firefly II is light enough for trad climbing (only 2.6 ounces a draw), and you can still use them while sport climbing if you're not sure which discipline you want to specialize in more.

With all these attributes in mind, these draws are much more suitable for long missions — where low weight is crucial — than for everyday sport use. The narrow 10 mm sling makes them less than ideal for working your sport project, where you might want to grab the occasional draw. Like many other wiregates we reviewed, the unprotected notch in the nose can get hung up on bolt hangers, making them more challenging to clean. And yet, for the price, you just might be willing to accept the tradeoffs! If you are in the market for quickdraws that shave the weight for long clip-ups in Black Velvet Canyon of Red Rocks or for alpine climbs, then the Firefly II is a terrific option to consider. Those looking for a wider sling should consider another model like the 25mm Petzl Spirit Express.

Read more: Cypher Firefly II review

quickdraw - a great buy for lightweight draws
We thought this draw clipped fairly well and thought they got the tension on the wiregate just right - not too stiff and not too loose either.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Best Quiver of One Quickdraws


Petzl Ange Finesse


72
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Ease of Clipping 7.0
  • Ease of Unclipping 9.0
  • Portability 7.0
  • Handling 7.0
  • Ease of Grabbing 5.0
Weight: 2.6 ounces (S/L version) | Gate clearance of bottom carabiner: 26 mm (L)
REASONS TO BUY
Customizable with small or large carabiners on either end of the draw
Very light and still burly enough for regular sport climbing
MonoFil Keylock gate doesn't get hung up on anything
REASONS TO AVOID
Pricey
Small gate opening

Most of the dedicated climbers we know possess a rack of 12 or more burly quickdraws devoted completely to sport climbing, plus an extra handful or more lightweight draws for use while trad climbing, on multi-pitch routes, or alpine missions a long way from the car. This makes sense — sport draws are too bulky and heavy for long missions, and lightweight draws usually have small carabiners that are more difficult to clip and also hard to grab while projecting sport routes. But what if there was one ultimate quickdraw that was both light, durable, and easy to grab? There is — the Petzl Ange Finesse! Made with the unique MonoFil Keylock design that has only a single wire on the gate that keylocks into the nose, these are some of the lightest quickdraws we tested while also providing a large, easy to grab dogbone, and customization for either easier clipping or even less weight.

The main setback is the price, which can vary depending upon which of the four carabiner and dogbone options you select. Some of our testers also had gripes about the gate opening size. Despite the hefty 26mm gate clearance when fully open, the actual gate opening is definitely less than that, sometimes making for a difficult clip. Still, no model we tested offered as much crossover as the Ange Finesse, with the perfect attributes for roadside sport climbs or long alpine routes. These quickdraws are your best bet if you're searching for the perfect "Quiver of One" draws that can go with you on any climb. And yet, if you're shopping on a budget, a more inexpensive model like the HotForge Hybrid may be more within your price range.

Read more: Petzl Ange Finesse review

best quiver of one quickdraws
Unclipping this draw is a breeze due to its keylocking design, and the nose shape that remains comparatively flat, ensuring very easy removal from a bolt hanger.

Best for Durability


Edelrid Bulletproof Quickdraw


63
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Ease of Clipping 6.0
  • Ease of Unclipping 7.0
  • Portability 3.0
  • Handling 8.0
  • Ease of Grabbing 8.0
Weight: 4.2 ounces | Gate clearance of bottom carabiner: 20 mm
REASONS TO BUY
Stainless steel insert adds durability
Keylock gate for snag-free unclipping
Wide sling for easy grabbing
REASONS TO AVOID
Heavy
Narrow gate opening
Expensive

Industrial carabiners are always made of steel, but climbing carabiners have mainly been made of aluminum for decades. Aluminum biners are significantly lighter weight, typically weighing about half what a steel model does. Unfortunately, aluminum wears more quickly than steel, and the rope end of a draw can end up with deep grooves and dangerous sharp edges after a while due to the wear of the rope running over it repeatedly. Enter the Edelrid Bulletproof, which has a stainless steel insert on the rope edge of the bottom carabiner. Edelrid doesn't make any hard promises about the lifespan of the Bulletproof, but we estimate that these could last up to five times longer than regular carabiners (based on our experience with in-situ steel draws at crags and gyms).

Could this be the last set of QDs you ever buy? Quite possibly, although using these as your only set of draws is likely overkill. At 4.1 ounces each, they are heavy. They are also pricey. The keylock gate is nice for snag-free unclipping, but the gate opening is on the smaller end, and the gate does not allow for the best clipping action. Rather, we recommend picking up two or three for particular situations, such as your top rope anchors or your first draw on a sport route that you're working (that draw will see more friction due to the belayer standing away from the wall). For those days that call for lightweight quickdraws, the inexpensive Cypher Firefly II is a great option to consider.

Read more: Edelrid Bulletproof review

quickdraw - the bargate clips nice and fast, but the size of the carabiners is a...
The bargate clips nice and fast, but the size of the carabiners is a little small.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Compare Products

select up to 5 products to compare
Score Product Price
84
Petzl Spirit Express
Best Overall Quickdraw for Climbing
$28
Editors' Choice Award
80
DMM Alpha Sport Quickdraw
$29
74
Petzl Djinn Axess
$18
72
Petzl Ange Finesse
Best Quiver of One Quickdraws
$28
Top Pick Award
68
Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid
Best Bang for the Buck
$20
Best Buy Award
66
CAMP USA Orbit Wire Express KS
$16
65
Black Diamond HotForge
$22
63
Edelrid Bulletproof Quickdraw
Best for Durability
$36
Top Pick Award
63
Metolius Inferno II
$20
61
Cypher Firefly II
A Great Buy for Lightweight Draws
$14
Top Pick Award
61
Mad Rock UltraLight Quickdraw
$18
56
Mad Rock Concorde
$14
54
Trango Phase Quickdraw
$19
51
Black Diamond MiniWire
$19

quickdraw - quickdraws are an essential piece of gear for tackling some of the...
Quickdraws are an essential piece of gear for tackling some of the coolest pitches in the world. Here clawing up a mega pitch in Leonidio just as the sun hits the wall.

Why You Should Trust Us


Our review process always starts with research. We scoured the market for the best climbing draws before purchasing 14 different draws for this test. During testing, we use them the same way that you will. We take our racks out to our local crags and spend day after day trying to work our way up a project, or simply experiencing the joy of climbing many new pitches in a day. We fiddle these draws into the stick clip for pre-hanging the first bolt, rack a whole set of them on our harness, and sometimes work desperately to get the rope clipped from a precarious stance. We fall on them over and over again, pull back up, hang, grab onto them, and then often top rope through a couple of them rigged at the anchors. While this often takes place at our local crags of Smith Rock and the Calico Hills of Red Rocks, we also drag these draws with us to crags around the world such as Leonidio, Siurana, Chulilla, and Margalef in Europe, or to Ten Sleep, the Fins, Index, and Squamish in North America. What we aren't able to learn simply by climbing (or failing to climb), we usually manage to figure out by intensively comparing these draws side-by-side for such things as their spring tightness, gate clearance, weight, bulk, and clippability.

Our quickdraw testing is divided across five rating metrics:
  • Ease of Clipping (25% of total score weighting)
  • Ease of Unclipping (25% weighting)
  • Portability (20% weighting)
  • Handling (15% weighting)
  • Ease of Grabbing (15% weighting)

The lead tester for this review is Andy Wellman, a senior gear reviewer for GearLab since 2013. Andy is a lifelong climber with 23 years of experience across all climbing disciplines. While he spent his formative years trad climbing in Eldorado Canyon near Boulder, he also loves the simplicity and focus on movement that comes while clipping bolts on sport climbs. Honing his sport climbing game during years spent living and climbing at Rifle, Colorado, he has recently been chasing onsights and redpoints on the limestone walls of Spain and Greece, as well as the classic volcanic tuff of Smith Rock, Oregon. Decades spent projecting sport routes has certainly helped him understand the nuances of well-crafted and high-performing quickdraws, which he is happy to share with you here. Joining him on the team is Cam McKenzie Ring, who began climbing over 20 years ago, accumulating experiences across all climbing disciplines during that time. She is a former member of Yosemite Search and Rescue and now lives in Las Vegas, where she can be found clipping bolts in the Calico Hills or blasting up long routes in the Canyons of Red Rocks.

The best way to tell which draws you like the best and which ones...
The best way to tell which draws you like the best and which ones you don't is to stack a whole set of 13 different choices in your harness and then go sport climbing.
A different kind of draw for every bolt! While many testers...
A different kind of draw for every bolt! While many testers initially felt put off by the lack of continuity of a single type of draws, they soon got into the game of testing all they different types and varieties.
Multi-pitch sport climbing is one of the joys of Index, Washington...
Multi-pitch sport climbing is one of the joys of Index, Washington. Kevin following pitch 1 of Golden Road on the upper town walls, puzzling out the moves to the anchor.

Analysis and Test Results


A quickdraw is a specialized piece of climbing equipment made up of two carabiners joined by a short length of bartacked webbing called the "dogbone." The carabiners are typically either wiregate or solid gate, in some combination, with the upper carabiner being free to move about while the lower carabiner is held tightly in place by a rubberized keeper for easier clipping. Quickdraws are most commonly used while sport climbing to attach the rope to bolts in the rock. They can also be used while traditional climbing, ice climbing, or multi-pitch climbing for clipping the rope to protection or extending protection pieces, although shoulder-length climbing slings, also known as "alpine quickdraws," are more common for this purpose.

quickdraw - andrew testing the popular and easy to use petzl djinn on the very...
Andrew testing the popular and easy to use Petzl Djinn on the very pleasant vertical limestone of the Headstone, the Fins.

To offer the best recommendations, we've compared these quickdraws to each other and assessed each one based on five separate grading metrics, described in greater detail below. Worth noting is that lightweight quickdraws are great for long routes or alpine climbing but generally don't perform very well for sport climbing. Similarly, sport-specific quickdraws are heavier and bulkier than you may wish for lugging up a long approach. Therefore, be sure to identify which type of climbing you do most or what style of draw you need, and focus on the attributes that best serve your purposes.

quickdraw - the author climbing steep tufas on the amazing limestone rock of the...
The author climbing steep tufas on the amazing limestone rock of the Mars sector, Leonidio, Greece. One of the most fun aspects of sport climbing is sampling the different rock types, and cultures, found in climbing areas around the world.


Value


The initial investment to get started in rock climbing can be steep. Once you add up your shoes, harness, rope, quickdraws, and potentially traditional gear, you're looking at hundreds of dollars — or more. And then your shoes and rope wear out, and you need to buy them all over again! Climbing gear manufacturers are putting a lot of research and engineering into new and improved products, but those often come with a bigger price tag. It's easy to end up spending over three hundred bones on a set of QDs, or as little as half that! What's the difference?

While we certainly tested some best products at the higher end of the price spectrum, plenty of others still performed well without breaking the bank. If you are on a budget, pay close attention to which models offer decent performance at a lower price. These include the Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid and Cypher Firefly II, as well as other choices such as the Petzl Djinn Axess and CAMP Orbit Wire Express KS.

Ease of Clipping


Clipping a quickdraw to a bolt is usually a pretty simple task, but clipping the rope into the bottom carabiner of a draw can prove more difficult, especially when you are a beginner and haven't learned the most efficient techniques. Learning how to quickly and easily clip, regardless of whether the draw is facing toward or away from you, is one of the very first skills a prospective leader should acquire. There are a few attributes that also contribute to how easy a carabiner is to clip, including the type of gate, its size, its shape, and the "action" of the spring keeping it closed. Most of the models we tested scored well in this category. If anything, it's easier to notice when a draw is difficult to clip as opposed to when it's easy. We assessed both the ease of clipping the top carabiner into a bolt and clipping the rope into the bottom carabiner, although weighted the ease of clipping the bottom carabiner much higher.


One of the first things we noticed when testing this metric is that it doesn't seem to make too much of a difference whether the gates on the carabiners are wiregate or keylock (however, this attribute matters a lot when assessing ease of unclipping, discussed below). What does influence ease of clipping is the size of the carabiner and the stiffness of the sling. Larger carabiners are uniformly easier to clip, and even our testers with smaller hands preferred the larger options, such as the Petzl Djinn Axess. One of our favorite carabiners to clip is the DMM Alpha Sport. Not only is it large, but the bent gate has a distinct spot for the rope to sit on before it gets pushed through, making the clipping action that much smoother.

quickdraw - we found the djinn to be one of the very easiest quickdraws to clip...
We found the Djinn to be one of the very easiest quickdraws to clip due to its large carabiners on both the top and bottom, combined with its dual keylocking gates and smooth action.

When clipping into a bolt, the main difference noted by our testers is that a wider and stiffer sling, like on the Petzl Spirit Express, makes it easier to clip, particularly when the climber is stretched out. A floppy, thin 10 mm dogbone, like the ones found on all of the lighter-weight alpine-style draws in this review, is much more challenging to clip when reaching at your limit. Of the lighter weight draws, the Cypher Firefly II is the easiest to clip, and we preferred it over the Black Diamond MiniWire or the Mad Rock UltraLight Quickdraw.

quickdraw - quick clipping of the rope, no matter which way the draw is facing...
Quick clipping of the rope, no matter which way the draw is facing, is one of the best attributes of the Alpha Sport, and one that any dedicated sport climber will appreciate.

Ease of Unclipping


Clipping the draw to the bolt, or the rope to the draw, is only half the battle. Eventually, you (or your second) are going to have to also unclip the rope and the draws, and our experience is that that carabiner design plays a big part in how easy or difficult that task is. These days, virtually all solid gate carabiners have a keylock design, meaning the nose fits into the gate like a key. This design allows for a smooth nose, which is easy to unclip from bolts, even when under tension. On the other hand, wire gate carabiners (with the notable exception of those found on the Petzl Ange Finesse) have a nose design with a hook and notch that the wire portion of the gate sits against. This hook, or notch, can easily get hung up on bolt hangers as you try to remove the draw, especially on steep pitches.


Cleaning the draws off of a steep sport climb while lowering is one of the most annoying and physically demanding tasks a climber undertakes, so much so that experienced sport climbers will often go to great lengths to con, trick, bribe, or cajole others into doing it for them! The steeper a pitch, the more important it is that the top carabiner of a draw has a keylock design, as this makes removing the draws while under tension much easier. Almost all dedicated sport climbing draws are designed this way, but beware that many lightweight and super affordable quickdraws have wiregate carabiners on top, which is not an ideal choice at all for steep climbing.

quickdraw - cleaning wiregate draws on a slab pitch may not be difficult, but...
Cleaning wiregate draws on a slab pitch may not be difficult, but when the terrain gets steep, it can be more challenging.

Beginner climbers rarely climb super steep pitches, as they haven't had the time to build up the strength to do so. Cleaning quickdraws off the bolts on vertical rock or slabs is rarely a challenge, regardless of what kind of carabiner is affixed to the bolt. For them, removing the rope from the draw while top-roping is often the primary concern, so the bottom carabiner is the most important. A wire gate here rarely proves more difficult to remove the rope from, despite the hooked nose, because of the diameter of the rope that can easily slide over it. Instead, the size of the gate opening is of critical importance, with a larger opening making it easier to slide the rope out with one hand, and a smaller opening obviously making this more challenging.

quickdraw - the petzl djinn axess has a wide 27mm opening and a notch-free...
The Petzl Djinn Axess has a wide 27mm opening and a notch-free opening, making it one of the easiest to unclip.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Quickdraws with large gate openings and keylock nose designs are the easiest to unclip. The Petzl Djinn Axess, according to all of our testing, best combines these attributes, as it is made of very large carabiners on both ends and features double keylock noses. The Petzl Ange Finesse, despite being a wiregate design, also has keylock noses, a unique feature for this draw. While it is customizable with large or small carabiners on either end, the larger carabiners are far easier to unclip and more appropriate for sport climbing. Draws with wiregates on both ends and tiny carabiners and openings prove the most difficult to unclip repeatedly, so if this is a primary concern, you should avoid the Black Diamond MiniWire or Trango Phase.

quickdraw - lowering off and trying to clean the draws on a steep route. this is...
Lowering off and trying to clean the draws on a steep route. This is where having a smooth, notchless, keylocking nose is key. Removing a draw here requires pulling in for a second to release tension, and then quickly snapping the draw off the bolt.

Portability


Most draws can be divided into two categories: standard sport climbing draws and lightweight draws for alpine and multi-pitch adventures. There is no law saying you can't take the heavy 4.1 oz Edelrid Bulletproof up a long route, but they weigh more than twice as much as the 1.9 oz Black Diamond MiniWire, and those ounces add up to pounds if you are carrying a lot of them.


Lightweight enthusiasts know that when you go light on everything, from your carabiners to your harness and pack, the difference is noticeable. If you are only climbing long routes occasionally and don't want to purchase two different sets of quickdraws, then consider the Petzl Ange Finesse, which are both light and burly, or take your rack of sport draws and deal with the added ounces. However, if you are heading into the alpine or canyons regularly and you're already weighing your harness down with a double rack of cams, then a lighter set of draws is the way to go, and you should pay close attention to the weight of your gear.

quickdraw - the petzl ange finesse are perhaps the most versatile quickdraws in...
The Petzl Ange Finesse are perhaps the most versatile quickdraws in our review, making them a prime candidate for purchase if you only want to buy one set of draws, but like to sport climb and trad climb equally as often. Alon making the clip in Smith Rock.

The Black Diamond MiniWire is by far the lightest quickdraw in our review. However, while these are a solid choice when carrying draws far from the car, quickdraws are one of the few pieces of climbing gear where light is not always right. Ultra-lightweight carabiners serve a specific purpose for when ounces matter, but they're more prone to bending over an edge, damaging your rope in a fall, and distorting after a high impact.

quickdraw - these are some of the lightest, and in some instances, most...
These are some of the lightest, and in some instances, most affordable quickdraws you can buy. Despite their low cost, we recommend using them for trad and alpine climbing, and paying slightly more for better sport draws if you just want to sport climb. Tiny dogbones and tiny wiregate carabiners are the norm for this group. From left to right: Petzl Ange Finesse, Cypher Firefly II, Trango Phase, BD MiniWire.

The MiniWires may actually be too small. Luckily, we also tested a solid handful of other lightweight alpine-style quickdraws, which have the notable side-effect of greater affordability, a win-win if this is what you need. Check out the Cypher Firefly II, our Best Bang for the Buck Winner for Lightweight, if you want the best value and performance in a lightweight draw.

While it's hard to beat the 1.9 ounces of the MiniWire, we are also pleased with the weight of the Petzl Spirit Express. At 3.2 ounces, it is noticeably lighter than many of the other high-end sport climbing models that we tested, making it an excellent choice for people who are trying to shave ounces for onsight attempts but still want a highly usable quickdraw. Not surprisingly, the Edelrid Bulletproof was the heaviest model that we tested (4.2 ounces), thanks to the stainless steel insert.

quickdraw - the miniwire, clipped to a bolt high on the multi-pitch route sky...
The MiniWire, clipped to a bolt high on the multi-pitch route Sky Ridge at Smith Rock. Their incredible light weight is a huge advantage for multi-pitch routes or long routes with big approaches.

Handling


This more general category encompasses everything from how each product felt in our testers' hands and on their harnesses to how well the bottom carabiner is held in its proper position by the rubberized or sewn keeper. While feel in hand is more a matter of preference, the proper positioning of the carabiners can have serious safety implications.


Carabiners are strongest when the force exerted on them is along the axis of their spine (i.e., they haven't flipped sideways and cross-loaded). The top carabiner, which is clipped to a bolt or piece of gear, needs to be able to move freely in the draw's sling so as not to come unclipped from its protection point. That's why the top end of the quickdraw sling will be sewn loose, and one needs to be sure to clip the correct end of the draw to the bolt. The bottom carabiner needs to remain in one orientation so that the rope loads on the bottom scoop and doesn't accidentally cross-load the biner across the spine or the gate. To keep that bottom carabiner in one position, most slings have rubber keepers, either sewn into the sling or placed outside it. There are benefits to both.

quickdraw - each qd comes with a positioner. they range from external, like on...
Each QD comes with a positioner. They range from external, like on the Petzl Spirits (left), to an internal option, like on the Black Diamond FreeWire (right). They each have their plusses and minuses. Then there's the hybrid internal/external positioner on the CAMP USA Orbit Wire, which was our least favorite due to the bulkiness.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

The sewn-in versions, like those found on all Black Diamond models, eliminate the potential for user error, but once they break, you have to buy a new sling or find an exterior positioner that fits. Although none of the Black Diamond sewn-in rubber Straightjackets tore during our testing period, some of our reviewers have had personal experience with them breaking in the past. The benefit of an exterior positioner is that it protects the section of the sling that houses the lower carabiner from fraying against the rock. However, they can be installed incorrectly, so you should always inspect your new draws to make sure they were correctly assembled with the carabiner passing through both the sling and the positioner. Finally, it's not wise to add one to the top carabiner. (We've seen this done to create more of a "stiff" draw for reachy clips.) If the top carabiner is stiffly attached to the sling, the action of the rope moving through it could cause the carabiner to become only partially hooked to the bolt or even cause it to become unhooked completely — both terrible situations.

quickdraw - the positioner keeps the bottom carabiner in the proper orientation...
The positioner keeps the bottom carabiner in the proper orientation both for clipping and when catching a fall so that the rope lands against the spine and not the gate.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Another consideration for handling is the size of the carabiners. Smaller carabiners are harder to handle, particularly at the end of a long climb when your hands are fatigued, and even more so if you ever climb with gloves on in the winter. If you plan on ice climbing or doing a big wall, one of your most important criteria will be the size of the carabiners, as you want something that you can still operate easily with gloves on. A good choice for these applications would be the Petzl Djinn Axess. Its full-size carabiners were the preferred option for many of our larger-handed testers.

Ease of Grabbing


You might not set off up your climb intending to grab a draw (or two), but sometimes it happens, and rightly so. If you are pumped getting to your third clip, the clipping hold is sub-par, and you fall off mid-clip with a bunch of slack out, you could hit the deck. Better to grab the draw and make the clip safely rather than take a trip to the ER. Similarly, if you are moving fast on a Grade V in Yosemite and don't want to be benighted on the route or descent, the "French Free" technique (grabbing draws and gear to move fast through difficult sections) is a common practice. Grabbing draws is also pretty standard in sport climbing when working a route at your limit.


The dogbones in our test selection varied in width from 10mm to 27mm. Narrow slings are typically used to shave weight, but they're very difficult to grab. Those in the middle of the pack (14mm) are easier to grab, but our testers found that the sweet spot for width started at 16mm, and the wider the better, regardless of hand size. The Petzl Spirit Express and DMM Alpha Sport took the top marks in this metric not just because of their wide 25mm dogbones but also because of their ergonomic cutout design that allows you to slot your hand on the draw and go for the clip.

quickdraw - the spirit express has a tapered dogbone that is thinner at the top...
The Spirit Express has a tapered dogbone that is thinner at the top than at the bottom, making it more ergonomic and comfortable to grab when needed.

While the Petzl Ange Finesse has a wide, tapered sling that should be a pleasure to grab, we actually found that its stiff, rough nylon hurt our skin more than other slings, slightly lowering its score.

quickdraw - while it doesn&#039;t have the super fat slings of the high end sport...
While it doesn't have the super fat slings of the high end sport draws, we found the Djinn relatively easy to grab in order to make a clip, aided by the large biner that rests below your hands and serves as a stopper.

Conclusion


There's no one perfect quickdraw for everyone. Depending on your preferred style of climbing, hand size, budget, or even propensity for draw-grabbing, you might be considering one type of quickdraw over another. Hopefully, we've helped you narrow down your options so you can get set up with the right set of draws for you.

quickdraw - sport climbers the world over prefer petzl spirits, and there&#039;s a...
Sport climbers the world over prefer Petzl Spirits, and there's a good reason! Testing draws on the fine stone of the Fins.

Cam McKenzie Ring, Andy Wellman