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.
Hands-on Gear Review |
Street Price:
Varies from $4 - $7 | Compare prices at 11 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.
Manufacturer: Black Diamond
Overview
OutdoorGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review
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 — Chris McNamara
OutdoorGearLab Member Reviews of Black Diamond NeutrinoMost recent review: November 8, 2010
|
 |
 Black Diamond Neutrino Carabiner Credit: BlackDiamondEquipment.com
Where's the Best Price?
*Help support OutdoorGearLab. If you click on one of the seller links and make a purchase, a portion of the sale helps support this site
Related Best-in-Class Review
Get More OutdoorGearLab
Follow us on Twitter, be a fan on Facebook!
Related Gear Reviews
Other Gear by Black Diamond
Recent Best-in-Class Reviews
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
