Price: $319.95
Weight: 21 oz.
Testing grounds: Full dry tooling both vertical and overhanging. Mixed terrain in warm, sticky ice conditions and slightly colder, more brittle conditions. Cragging and mulit-pitch mixed climbs.

Tests: We took this tool out of the box with the Omni pick and launched on some steep dry tooling. Our first reaction was surprise at how light and nimble the tool felt for one with its mixed geometry. Most of our testers are on the smaller size and felt at ease with the grip and handling of this tool. We then ventured out onto more mixed terrain, a little apprehensive of this tool’s slightly radical shape and pick performance on the ice sections. On colder, more brittle ice, the Omni pick is not a favorite as its downturned pick geometry makes it less quick for tapping lightly into brittle ice.

However, after multiple mixed pitches, especially in warmer, stickier temperatures, with a little adjustment to effectively swing the Omni pick into ice, we began to absolutely love the versatility of this tool. Though the tool now allows you to rotate the handle between ice and mixed modes, we did not play with this in the field. We did take the head weights off, which made the tool more agile for dry tooling especially, and for our testers who appreciate a lighter tool. The addition of being able to switch out the angle along with either full ice or full dry tool ballistic steel picks, makes for incredible versatility as the “one” tool in your ice kit.

Broad’s Beta:
What we love: It is light and fits a small hand, and it swings well enough into ice with a slight downturn of your swing. It is absolutely dreamy in techy dry tooling terrain. The Omni pick tip shape makes slightly dirty or microscopic rock holds feel bomber. The angle of the handle, and its new ability to micro adjust the size for all hand sizes, along with the lightweight (sans head weights) and small grip size, all contribute to making this feel like a new weapon in the arsenal of sending hard mixed climbs. The addition of the customization options to adjust the sizes and angles for ice or dry tooling, along with the option for four different picks, hammer or adze, weights or no weights, allows this tool to do everything exceptionally well.

The lightness of this tool, especially, given its dry tool handle ergonomics, was the first thing we noticed and appreciated compared to other similar tools on the market. It is also $100 less expensive than some of its comparable competitors and much more versatile. The final unique bonus of this tool is that it comes with an x grip evo rubber that is light, clean and super functional. No more self taping with gluey, gooky tape!