Anyone used BD Magnetron biners?

[Steven Johnson]

They look like they might be a good cowstail biner:

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en ... -july-2012

[hunter]

Used, no. I did spend a good bit of time examining one at REI and decided it was more than I was willing to spend to mess with. The "lock" has some appealing properties but the biner is very heavy compared to the ultra-light locker I have on my cows tail and I am really reluctant to pay a premium for a heavier biner.

James

[snoboy]

I have one, and I used it for a few weeks on a rope access job recently. I really like the action of the lock when it is in my hand, very easy to open, almost feels like a non locker. The required grip makes it slightly awkward to unclip from a gear loop though. Occasionally the gate will fail to close if you release it in a certain way. A light tap and it finishes closing, a bit like a sticky auto locker.

Long term I am concerned about particles of magnetic grit getting into the lock mechanism. Maybe not to big a deal for caving, but a definite possibility at work.

The available shapes of carabiner are limited. Large and heavy for now. The gate is also thick to accommodate the wings.

It's not coming on the job I am packed for next week... Not that I don't like it, just that I don't like it so much more than my other carabiners.

[KENTO]

Years ago one of my mentors Dave L Black turned me onto a really good waterproof flashlight with a magnetic switch. We both noted that bout everyother trip through the sandy crawls of our favorite Indiana and Kentucky caves these lights packed up full of little grains of iron from the sandstone caprock above. Both of us got quickly tired of dissassembling the pressfit plastic switch body to clean them out. They were also a little heavy for a back up light, 4 C cells. I still have mine on a shelf in the gear room and bet it would work, if I needed it to.