REASONS TO BUY
Visually pleasing
Affordable
Easy to unclip keylocking top biner
REASONS TO AVOID
Tight gate springs require slightly more effort than others to clip
18mm sling adequate but not perfect for grabbing
Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid Review
A cool looking and functional sport climbing specific quickdraw that's available at a moderate price point
Credit: Black Diamond
RELATED: Best Quickdraws for Climbing of 2024
Our Verdict
The Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid is a great choice for those seeking excellent sport climbing specific performance that's available at a more affordable price. This draw combines smooth and easy functionality at a moderate price, and has very little drop off in performance compared to other more expensive designs that we tested. The Hotforge Hybrid combines a keylocking solid gate HotForge carabiner on top that makes it easy to remove from bolts along with with a bright pink or blue HotWire wiregate carabiner on the bottom to increase the ease of clipping as well as lowering the overall weight of the draw. The distinctive bright look was the talk of the crag at the numerous areas we tested them, and are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. While they aren't light enough for regular duty in the alpine, the HotForge Hybrids are ideal for any sort of sport climbing or cragging. Get the skinny on how it stacks up against other top performers in our review of quickdraws.
Editor's Note: We updated this review on June 29, 2024 to include new perspectives on buying advice for other top-performing quickdraws.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for the Buck |  Best Overall Lightweight Quickdraw | Best Buy for Lightweight Draws | ||
| Price | $18.95 at Backcountry Compare at 4 sellers | $19.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $19.95 at Backcountry | $15.95 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $13.50 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This sporty quickdraw offers solid performance at a relatively affordable price | Large carabiners work well with gloves on | Weighing only 2.6 ounces, this quickdraw is perfect for those seeking lightweight performance in alpine environments or multi-pitch rock climbs | A good choice for new climbers that do a little bit of everything | A good value pick for trad climbers or anyone looking for an inexpensive option |
| Rating Categories | Black Diamond HotFo... | Petzl Djinn Axess | Black Diamond Litewire | CAMP USA Orbit Wire... | Cypher Firefly II |
| Ease of Clipping (25%) | |||||
| Ease of Unclipping (25%) | |||||
| Portability (20%) | |||||
| Handling (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Grabbing (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Black Diamond HotFo... | Petzl Djinn Axess | Black Diamond Litewire | CAMP USA Orbit Wire... | Cypher Firefly II |
| Weight | 3.5 oz | 4 oz | 2.6 oz | 3.1 oz | 2.6 oz |
| Sling Material | Polyester | Polyester | Dynex | Polyester | Dyneema |
| Available sling lengths | 12 cm, 16 cm | 11 cm, 17 cm | 12 cm, 16 cm | 12 cm, 18 cm | 11 cm, 16 cm |
| Width of sling | 18 mm | 16 mm | 12 mm | 16 mm | 10 mm |
| Non-Snagging Top Biner | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Non-Snagging Bottom Biner | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Unique features | Visual patterning designed to easily catch the eye while climbing | Large carabiners good for big hands or gloves, easy to clip | Double hot-forged wiregate with a rubber keeper on the lower biner | Double wiregate carabiners | Double wiregates with a rubber keeper on the lower biner |
| Forging method | Hot | Cold | Hot | Not disclosed | Hot |
| Manufacturer Warranty | 1 year | 3 year | 2 year | 3 year | At Cypher's discretion |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
In the winter of 2020, Black Diamond completely scrapped their old quickdraw lineup and released five new models. The lineup is decidedly more affordable than most, with no high-end price point, and we think the HotForge Hybrid is the most compelling choice of the bunch.
The main difference between it and the other new BD quickdraws is the combination of keylock biner on top and wiregate on the bottom. We enjoy clipping the rope into wiregates, as they are slightly lighter than solid gates, and to us seem slightly easier to clip. They are also arguably safer, as they have been shown to have less gate flutter and shutter when knocking against the rock . They are also ever so slightly lighter than solid gate carabiners. These arguments, even taken collectively, however, are not really enough to definitively sway the argument in one direction or the other, and whether or not you like these quickdraws will depend on whether you personally prefer to clip a wiregate or a solid gate with the rope (some people feel rather strongly one way or the other), and whether you like flashy, visually appealing gear. We tested the ultra pink color, and they sure got a lot of attention at the crag.
Performance Comparison
Sara Violett making the clip at the low crux on Copa Cobana, Leonidio, made easy by the bright pink color of these draws which is easily noticeable, and the snappy clipping action.
Ease of Clipping
Clipping the rope to the HotWire carabiner on the bottom of this draw is pretty easy. The gate is angled outward as it descends, like most wiregate carabiners, thereby allowing gravity to aid as the rope falls into the basket. The gate is perfectly straight, unlike many wiregate and even solid gate carabiners that have a bend in them to aid with catching the rope and clipping.
While we like the snappy action of the gate, we find that when comparing it to many of the top contenders the springs are noticeably stiff, meaning that a bit more force is required to push the gate open than with most carabiners. This is true not only for the wiregate carabiner on the bottom, but also the HotForge solid gate carabiner on top. Unfortunately, this action is not as buttery smooth as we find on most Petzl quickdraws, although we admit that we didn't notice it while climbing exclusively on these draws, and only came to this realization once we were closely comparing the various competitors side-by-side.
Making the clip through these wiregates gives one a satisfying snap, but we noticed that the gate springs are quite a bit stiffer than some others, requiring a bit of extra force.
Ease of Unclipping
The top carabiner on this draw is a HotForge keylocking solid gate carabiner, generally the easiest type of carabiner to unclip from bolt hangers because of its smooth nose design that lacks a hook or notch that can get hung up. In general, we found these quickdraws to be no problem to clean off steep overhanging sport routes (the most difficult to clean because of the constant tension from the rope), but a much more nuanced look shows that they could be improved slightly.
Despite being hot forged, these carabiners do not have any of the extra ridges or indentations on the spine or gate that make them slightly easier to grab, as many of the carabiners on the higher end models do. Instead, they are simply smooth. What we also noticed is that the shape of the nose is more hooked, and not nearly as flat, with a less gradual arc, that offers more friction and slightly more difficulty pulling the draw off of bolts on steep terrain. While this has minimal actual effect, the fact remains that removing these draws could be even easier with a few minor tweaks to the shape of the carabiners.
On a steep route, pulling back in to the bolts that need to be cleaned is a real pain, but luckily we found that its not too hard to quickly yank the hotforge carabiners off of the bolts on a steep wall.
This photos shows the keylocking nose design on the top Hotforge carabiner. You can see the recess in the gate where the nose slots into. This design means there is no notch to get caught on bolt hangers as you clean, but you can also see the shape of the nose points rather sharply down, and isn't as flat a curve as some others, which would make it even easier to get off bolts on steep routes.
Portability
A single, 12cm long version of these draws weighed in at 3.5 ounces on our independent scale. Of course, if you purchase an 18cm long version, it will weigh slightly more.
This is not exactly super light, and is nowhere near as light as the very lightest options we tested. However, it is also not the heaviest by close to half an ounce. These draws are of average size. The curious thing is that despite having a wiregate biner on bottom, this draw is only 0.1 ounces lighter than the very similar BD HotForge Quickdraw, which has a solid gate on the rope end. Bottom line is that these wouldn't be our first choice for alpine climbing or long approaches, but the weight isn't a detracting factor.
While they aren't the lightest, these draws clock in about half an ounce lighter than the average high end sport draw.
All racked up and ready to go! These affordable draws didn't weigh us down, and we enjoyed them for sport climbing.
Handling
These quickdaws are easy to handle. The most notable feature is their color scheme, with a black top transitioning to a bright ultra pink or neon blue bottom. BD says this is a visual advantage, so that if you are desperate and gripped and quickly look up, you will immediately see the quickdraw to clip. Compared to other top quickdraws that are bland colors such as grey, a color that can easily blend into the rock behind it, this seems like a useful advantage. What we definitely noticed was that when we left them hanging on projects at popular walls in Leonidio, Greece, we had countless people asking us what kind of draws they were, so they sure got a lot of attention.
Beyond the looks, these draws present no special challenges in handling. As mentioned, the gate springs are a bit tight, but not so much that this presents a problem. The top carabiners like to flip around within the sling loop, but this is also common to all draws. The rubberized Straightjacket keeper on the bottom carabiner is sewn in place inside the sling, and works effectively to keep this carabiner in place and oriented correctly.
Look inside the end of the sling and you can see the black rubberized Straightjacket keeper that holds the carabiner securely in place and prevents it from rotating to a poor position for loading or clipping.
Ease of Grabbing
These draws feature an 18mm wide polyester sling that is tripled over and bar-tacked. Our testing has proven that the thicker the dogbone sling, the easier it is to grab and use as a handhold to clip if need be, a not uncommon occurrence when trying something near your limit.
While this sling gets the job done, it is not as comfortable or as wide as those found on the high-end quickdraws, which score more for this metric. That said, we never grabbed this draw and failed to make the clip simply because the sling was too narrow, as we have with the pinner 10mm wide slings on lightweight draws.
The sling on this draw is 18mm wide, which provides a pretty decent handhold for grabbing and holding onto while pumped to make a clip, but could still be thicker for optimal performance.
Should You Buy the Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid?
Retail price for these draws is middle of the road for an affordable and functional draw, but about half the price of the most expensive draws in this review. Expect to pay a little more per draw if you want 18cm slings instead of 12cm. Likewise, purchasing this draw in a six pack will offer a marginal savings per draw. These draws are a bit cheaper than the very similar HotForge Quickdraws, and since we like the clipping action of the lower wiregate better anyway, they present the best value.
Two for the price of one! Just kidding, but the Hybrids are a great value, which is why we call them our Best Bang for the Buck winner! Hanging out on the lower off at a sunny crag in Leonidio, Greece.
What Other Quickdraws Should You Consider?
The Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid are a great choice for those seeking a sport specific quickdraw that offers excellent value and performance. If you want a solid draw that offers a wiregate biner that is easy to clip combined with a top biner that features an easy to remove keylocking upper gate, and is available in bright colors that are easy to see, look no further than the Hotforge Hybrid. If you're after a very similar design but prefer double hot-forged wiregate carabiners, check out the Black Diamond Hotwire. This quickdraw weighs slightly less due to its double wiregate design, and features the same visually appealing colors for an easier clip. If you're after a top-performing quickdraw that is the overall favorite of our testing team, check out the Petzl Spirit Express that features a new and improved design that performs well in nearly every testing metric.
Climbing a project on the heavily tufaed Elona crag in Leonidio, we left our pink hybrids hanging for about a week and had to constantly tell people what kind of draws they were.
—
Andy Wellman and Trish Matheny
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