Grivel Plume Nut K3N
  


The GRIVEL Plume Nut K3N won the Verti Call Choice Award in the Ultralight and Performance category.

Ultralight
The GRIVEL Plume Nut K3N is simply the world lightest fully-rated locking carabiner. The average weight on our scale is 37.66g (226g for 6 biners) which is pretty accurate with the 37g claim by Grivel. The industry was trying for years to break the 40g bar level and most of the time brands have a hard time trying to remove a single gram in those light designs locking carabiner. According to weightmyrack.com, the second place goes to CLIMBING TECHNOLOGY Arerial Pro SG at 40g. That's mean the first place win with a score of 7.5% (3g) lighter than the second place. Considering there are 17 choices of screw lock over 14 different manufacturers in the 41g-45g range and only two choices in the 36-40g range, it put Grivel accomplishment even more impressive. Not only Grivel stand alone in the first position but they are far ahead of others. 

Performance
I usually find that small ultralight locking biners are too small and not very handy. So how good is the Plume Nut K3N? Well, this is where the Performance Choice Award comes to mind because the gate opening, at 19mm, is bigger or equal to all the 19 bigger and heavier others locking carabiners under 46g. Yea! It's almost unbelievable!!!!!!!!! Watch the next picture to see how Grivel achieved that feat.

A: The cut on the top of the gate allows the gate to be pushed further against the spine of the carabiner, making the opening bigger.
B: Bigger and wider screws took space in the opening. However, this one is by far the smallest circumference screw I have ever seen and it still works like a charm.
C: Like if it was not enough, as a bonus; the smoothest curve of the nose makes rope, sling, or gear exit a breeze. This should not be underrated.

Because a picture worth a thousand words, compare the Plume Nut K3N with the next screwlock carabiner which I have darkened to hide the brand.


Conclusion
A small biner is not for everything, especially when working with gloves but if you need lockings for fast & light ascent you have the answer. The Plume Nut K3N is not only the lightest screwlock biner in the world. It's also surprisingly the handiest with the biggest gate opening in the ultralight/small biner category. Congrat to Grivel for pushing the boundaries and making such an impressive biner. Wow!



For more Verti Call Choice Award follow the next links
Performance: The top products no matter the price!
Ultralight: The lightest products without sacrificing the performance!
Value: The best quality for the price!
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Posted by Marc-Olivier Chabot

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