Overall avg rating 3.7 of 5 based on 7 reviews. Most recent review: November 8, 2010
Street Price:
Varies from $5 - $8 | Compare prices at 13 resellers Pros: Durable, easy to hold, color coded to match BD cams, easy to find on sale. Cons: Heavier and smaller than most other light biners. Best Uses: Sport climbing, trad climbing, big wall climbing.
A decade ago, the Black Diamond Neutrino was the first really small and light carabiner to gain popularity. It was dramatically lighter and smaller than anything else seen on Yosemite's big walls. I wouldn't do a speed ascent without them. Today, there are dozens of light biners available and the Neutrino has some stiff competition. In general, we prefer a biner like the Black Diamond Oz or Wild Country Astro that is lighter and a little easier to handle. That said, many people still swear by the Neutrino. One cool thing is that you can buy them in colors that match the colors of your Black Diamond Camalot C4's and Black Diamond Camalot C3's . That way, when you reach for a cam, you will know right away what you are going for. If you want the absolute smallest biner, check out the Metolius FS Mini or if you want the lightest carabiner, check out the Camp Nano 23.
Photos
Specs
Black Diamond Neutrino Carabiner
Credit: BlackDiamondEquipment.com
Black Diamond Neutrino Carabiner
Credit: BlackDiamondEquipment.com
Black Diamond Neutrino Rackpack
Credit: blackdiamondequipment.com
Specifications for Black Diamond Neutrino
9 grams lighter than the HotWire and same strength
acking carabiner
Compact, full-function design
Large rope-bearing surface
Weight: 36 g, 1.3 oz
Closed Gate Strength: 24 kN, 5395 lbf
Open Gate Strength: 8 kN, 1798 lbf
Minor Axis Strength: 7 kN, 1574 lbf
Gate Opening: 22 mm, 0.86 in
The Bottom Line
View our complete carabiner review to see how this product compared to others.
Likes
When the Black Diamond Neutrino came out over a decade a go it was revolutionary. I instantly updated my aid climbing rack and saved many pounds in the process. It is a light and compact biner and is one of the few carabiners to come color-coded so that you can match it against your Black Diamond Camalot C4 cams. When you reach for a Camalot off your climbing harness it is easier to know which one your are grabbing (admittedly keeping the biners and cams organized takes more effort than any of the OutdoorGearLab gear reviewers are capable of). One nice safety feature is the slightly hooded nose helps protect gate from getting inadvertently rubbed/pushed opened.
Dislikes
For being so small, it is not that light anymore compared to other carabiners. The Black Diamond Oz feels bigger and is easier to handle yet is 25 percent lighter. It didn't perform great in our clipping test and because it is so small it does not do a great job of holding lots of ropes.
Best Application
These work great in just about any application, whether it's big wall climbing, trad climbing or sport climbing. They are especially awesome for alpine rock climbing where you want to be as light as possible for those monster approaches. On a big wall they will dramatically reduce the weight of your rack, especially if you are still using oval biners – stop using ovals now!
Value
These are priced pretty competitively. At $7 retail, they are about the cheapest biners out there. However, because these climbing carabiners are so common, you can often find them on sale for around $6 if you use our Gear Pricefinder for Neutrino carabiners.
Other Versions
You can buy a set of six Neutrino carabiners that have matching colors to coordinate with the Black Diamond Camalots in a Black Diamond Rackpack
I switched to them when they were first introduced...I lov them..El cap if work comes back at a steady rate I'd like to buy your's. The color coding is brilliant and they are easier then any other biners on the market on your fingers...A consideration for guitar players.
Speaking of colors why doesn't the AIAA or somebody just agree on the same colors of webbing on similar sizes of gear?
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
This biner comprises the backbone of my rack, whether free or aid climbing. I like the performance I've gotten from them and for that reason have not looked at other lightweight wiregate Ds for some time. I did use some Camp Nanos and thought they were too small, fumbly and somewhat hard to clip--for me, not worth the weight and size savings.
I don't like any wiregate in a PPT paired with another biner, but that is specific to wiregates, not necessarily Neutrinos.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
Great biners. I still have ten or twelve on my rack that I bought when they were still the shizz. They're still light, and I like their size and handling. A couple weeks ago, I was reaching high over head to clip a Neutrino coming out a roof, and I actually had trouble dropping the rope in the gate. Only time I've ever noticed a problem clipping a Neutrino. My biner of choice these days is the Mad Rock wire gate...lighter, bigger with a skinny profile (nice for racking) and cheaper.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
These are my go to biners. Love these whether it be for racking, alpine draws or on the business end of all my cams. I've tried a number of biners in this weight range but for some reason these it my mitts well.
Get 'em and don't look back.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
I recently started color-coding these with my C4's. It's kind of a nitpicky thing to do, but it does help with organization and makes it just slightly easier to pick out what color cam you need.
The actual carabiner is nice. Smooth gate action, pretty lightweight, aesthetically pleasing, easy to clip. They're slightly smaller than other carabiners, but not quite as small as the Oz or Metolius Mini - just about the right size to easily clip the rope.
I mean, a biner's a biner, but this is a nice one and great to color-match with your C4's.
I guess my only problem with it is that it's not a key-lock, but it's kind of hard to have a key-lock wiregate, so that is really the only thing detracting from it.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
