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| Sabertooth   | 
| Page Type: Gear Review Manufacturer: Black Diamond
| Page By: Martin Cash Created/Edited: Oct 31, 2002 / Oct 31, 2002 Object ID: 531 Hits: 1027 Loading... |
From bdel.com:
After proving itself as one of the highest- performing, most versatile crampons ever made, we made the Sabretooth even better this year. The new Sabretooth Clip Crampon, with its unique toe bail, is now compatible with boots that don’t have toe welts. Everyone from ski mountaineers to snowboarders can now strap on these crampons and enjoy their stability and control. The Sabretooth Step-In model is designed for boots that have toe welts. Like always, the Sabretooth is rigid where it counts and flexible where needed. It’s light, adjustable and willing to take on anything you throw at it. Their famous second-point configuration provides balance and control on sketchy surfaces (and adds sensitivity throughout). Bottom line: The Sabretooth is a great all-purpose, all-conditions crampon.
Horizontally railed, semi-rigid crampon for both technical and low-angled ice
Unique secondary point configuration adds security, sensitivity and balance
Two models ensure there’s a Sabretooth for you
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Reviews
| Martin Cash | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | I have used these crampons for just over a year, and am extremely happy with them. They handle terrain steeper than 45 degrees very well. The tooth below the front clip has 2 blades which point down and angled forwards. This crampon seems to ball up very seldomely, even in wet snow. Don't bother buying the plate. The other good thing about this crampon is the all metal construction. I much prefer this style to the strap on type.
Another thing that sets these crampons apart is that they never come off. Sabertooths are also extremely easy to get on even in gloves. I can get both on and strapped down in about 20 seconds.
Th Bionics do climb waterfall ice a bit better, but Steve House has done some amazing things in Sabertooths. An excellent all-around crampon. | | Posted Oct 31, 2002 8:35 am |
| kisters_0 | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 4/5 | Very nice buy. Handle snow routes and alpine ice climbing. Easy on and off. I find that they ball snow up constantly. Almost to the point of annoyance and very dangerous. I highly suggest buying anti-balling plates to eliminate this. Black Diamond is in the process of redesigning them strictly for the Sabertooth. | | Posted Nov 1, 2002 12:34 pm |
| fmajor | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | These are the BEST do-it-all non-rigid crampons out there. Period. Have used them on ***limited*** WI routes and moderate alpine ice, but were super sticky (given good ice conditions most anything is sticky) compared to CM's Black Ice. The front points, sharpened horizontals, excel in the alpine ice application as they do in/on steep, hard snow. I used mine most recently on a winter trip to the Presidential Range, Mt. Adams. Again, they performed precisely as i needed.
Definitely get the anti-bot plates. The new ABS ones look great and i may have to replace the old orange rubbery/latex ones i've had for so long. Easy on/easy off and relatively light, considering their versatility. They work equally well on my Invernos and Nepal Extremes.
They came SUPER sharp. I have re-sharpened them many times now and most recently, backed off on how sharp i make the foot points, though i keep the front points very sharp. | | Posted Oct 10, 2003 11:09 pm |
| Misha | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 4/5 | Great crampons for alpine climbing (haven't tried them for ice climbing yet). They are very sharp, have excellent construction (gotta love those double front teeth while front-pointing), easy to put on and feel very solid on your feet. In fact, they are so sharp that you may want to buy rubber protectors and a crampon bag for them right away. One downside: they don't come with anti-balling plates and you have to buy them separately. These optional plates are hard to get but they are an absolute must for softer snow. | | Posted Dec 14, 2003 6:10 pm |
| meepers | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 4/5 | Great spikes! They were still sharp after 4 weeks on the mountain. Easy on and off but never popped off in a fall. I used anit-baling plates and didn't have any problems. They dig in a little at the toe and heel of my overboots, but well placed duct tape solved this problem. Priced right @ about $120. | | Posted Dec 25, 2003 10:32 am |
| sshankle | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | I don't think these can be beat for climbing in the mountains. The horz. front points are far superior to vertival points on alpine ice and snow, and these handle vertical ice well too. | | Posted Jan 4, 2004 6:53 pm |
| Trevor Simmons | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | These crampons fit and work well with my Koflach Degre boots. I have the model in which straps extend off the steel toe bar. This design allows them to have the reliability of strap-ons and the convenience of step-ins. Good value from REI at $130. | | Posted Dec 8, 2004 5:15 pm |
| travisgollaher | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | I recently purchased a pair of thees for my Koflach vertical boots and report that they fit the boot well and have a good feel to them.It is easy to see the quality. Thees are defenitly not the the crampons of the 20th century. The sabretooth will revolutionize alpine climbing for the next twenty years. I purchased the step in model. | | Posted Oct 26, 2005 5:10 pm |
| Jeff Moore | Untitled Review | | 
Voted 5/5 | I've used these crampons over the last 4 or so years on everything from flat glacier travel to vertical water ice, and been very happy with their performance. They have proved to be sturdy and reliable, do get the ABS plate though. Highly recommended as a jack of all trades crampon. Used with Scarpa Manta. | | Posted Jan 21, 2007 5:20 pm |
| LINKALPA | No complaints | | 
Hasn't voted | No complaints! They hold an edge well when sharpened, flex just enough for comfort and perform well on alpine objectives and WI3? or so even though thats not what they are designed for. Good price, but the straps need to be shortened unless you plan to rapp from these mile long beasts to get home for a hot toddy! | | Posted Feb 22, 2007 7:08 pm |
| HappyCamper | There can be only one | | 
Voted 5/5 | Loved them for alpine and ice climbing (WI4+). I had the "pro" version (clips front and back), but had to trade them in for Grivel G-12s as my boots got softer and they started falling off :-( Didn't like the Grivels, so now I'm back to the Sabretooth strap version. BD rock on! | | Posted Nov 10, 2007 12:10 pm |
| Jeroen Vels | Versatile | | 
Hasn't voted | Very versatile crampon. I have had them for 5 or 6 years, but now they are worn out. To many encounters with "the file". They helped me to climb easy snow routes, mixed routes and WI4+-routes.
Black Diamond did it again and created yet another excellent product. | | Posted Dec 11, 2007 2:29 pm |
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