
It always seem worthwhile to explore new options on the market. Black Diamond tends to be fairly innovative with their designs, and they produce a few of my favorite products. On the other hand, some of their recent products have been remarkably cheap, flimsy, and unimpressive. I still hold the company in high regard because it's constantly adapting and trying new concepts, as well as addressing issues with some of their rollouts (e.g. early skis). Because of the brand's impressive lifetime reputation, I'm always interested to try out some of their new products, leading to our purchase of a BD Gridlock belay carabiner. There is a simplicity to the Gridlock's design that seems more