Petzl Laser Speed Light Vs Black Diamond Express

Slightly heavier than black diamond turbo express.
Petzl laser speed light vs black diamond express. Full 10 screw baseline rack. Like many i ve tended to prefer the black diamond express screws as my standard go to. Lightest option available. Laser speed is an ultra high performance ice screw in any type of ice.
Petzl s models are cheaper and basic yet still function great. The 13 and 17 cm screws from both brands took 10 to 15 seconds on average to start and screw in. The integrated folding crank gives an optimized lever making it easier and faster to screw in. Although the times were the same i do have to give the speed light a slight edge for being easier to start.
Color coding helps identify the length of a screw. Some reports of finish wearing off quicker than black diamond screws i have not noticed after 2 seasons of use. When i first saw the petzl laser speed and speed light while climbing alexander s chimney wi4 m4 on long s peak two years ago i was skeptical of their single holed hanger odd corncob knob and their use of aluminum. After many years of climbing frozen waterfalls and alpine ice around the world i ve had the opportunity necessity to try ice protection from various manufactures.
If you desire a petzl with this mode expect to pay prices comparable to black diamond for this one feature. The aluminum tube associated with a steel drill reduces the weight considerably. The major differences between the two brands is that black diamond offers more light modes including the useful red light mode. The laser speed light utilize an aluminum tube but have the same steel teeth.
In head to head tests the laser speed had a slight edge over the black diamond express although barely. The integrated folding crank gives an optimized lever making it easier and faster to screw in. Both screws come in 13 17 and 21 cm lengths with the steel version adding a shorty 10cm. The knobs are handily colour coordinated with their major competitor bd even though the lengths don t exactly match up bd s are 10 13 16 19 and 22.
Color coding helps identify the length of a screw. 35 52 ounces 2 22 pounds mrsp 734 50 pros. Petzl laser speed light rack petzl laser light speed ice screws. For the past decade black diamond s turbo express ice screws were my ice rack of choice.
The ultra lightweight laser speed light is an ideal ice screw for mountaineering. Continue reading petzl laser speed light ice screw.