Black Diamond Angle Review

Likes
Angles have a design that causes them to both compress and expand when hammered and grip the rock. This means that even when you don't hammer them hard, they can hold body weight. They can often be hand placed in pin scars if you are doing cutting edge clean aid. They are relatively light when compared to a piton like the Black Diamond Lost Arrow.

Dislikes
This gives them extra holding power in cracks and this is the piton you most often see fixed on routes. It's tempting to over-drive them, which makes them very damaging to clean because you end up hitting them back and forth a lot. One bummer is that on the 3/4" and 1" sizes they don't come a little shorter. Sure that long size might have been good back in the day. But today, you generally only need short piton in that size. That means that you usually need to saw of the pitons yourself with a hacksaw and the round the edges.

Best Application
You need a couple of these for most routes. The are great in tiny little pods where a cam won't fit. They can also be the only thing that holds in wet rock. That said, often a cam like the Metolius Offset Master Cam will work in a piton placement or piton scar even better than an angle (and won't damage the rock).

Value
These are a good deal when compared to the much more expensive Black Diamond Lost Arrow.