Petzl Spirit Express Review

Likes
What this draw stands out for is durability and ease of clipping. The large rubber tip not only is awesome at keeping the carabiner you are clipping in place, it is among the most durable we tested. Many other quickdraws use rubber that looks cool and low profile, but it often breaks after a while. While we have seen the rubber at the end of the Petzl draw wear out… it takes forever. The webbing is thick, which makes these draws a little bulky. At the same time it also makes them very durable. They are a great draw to leave on a project for a few weeks and not worry when you come back and start taking whippers again.

The Petzl Spirit carabiner itself is one of the most satisfying carabiners to clip. Part of this is due to the unique thumb grooves on the gate, which make it easier to open when reaching far for a bolt or piece of pro. Also, the spring has just the right tension not too soft and not too hard. The gate gives just the right amount of resistance and snaps back responsively. And, of course, the keylock design keeps it from getting caught on the bolt hanger when cleaning steep routes (no notch to get caught as is the case with almost all wiregate biners). The rope ran very smoothly through the Spirit (four-way tie for first). It also holds a number of knots well. In our figure eight holding test it took three figure eights and still had room for the gate to open. The gate is very durable and rarely gets sticky. Lastly, it is one of the the most time-tested biners around. The Petzl Spirit has proved effective on some of the hardest climbs in the world by some of the hardest climbers.

Dislikes
In addition to being expensive, this quickdraw is heavier than the similar biners with a wire-gate design (such as the Wild Country Helium). It is one of the heaviest quickdraws we tested.

Best Application
An all-around, really good carabiner that excels at sport climbing. This is the quickdraw you see in the movies when Chris Sharma and other top climbers are sending 5.15. It is probably the most popular quickdraw ever used for hard sport climbs (and easy sport climbs, too).

Value
This is one of the more expensive quickdraws. That said, it lasts forever so the long-term value is awesome. When most quickdraws have their rubber ends break and the gates start sticking, the Spirit Express is usually still going strong.