Reviews You Can Rely On

Edelrid Pure Screw Review

A great carabiner for fast and light alpine missions
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Edelrid Pure Screw Review
Credit: Edelrid
Price:  $14 List
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Manufacturer:   Edelrid
By Ryan Huetter ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Nov 16, 2016
76
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Function - 30% 6.0
  • Ease of Unlocking and Locking - 25% 9.0
  • Compactness lightweight - 20% 10.0
  • Gate Clearance - 15% 5.0
  • Gate Hang Up - 10% 8.0

Our Verdict

In the wide world of locking carabiners, there is a niche for extremely light and compact lockers that are hardly noticeable on your harness. The Edelrid Pure Screw is one of the lightest lockers out there, and for certain applications is a great choice. These lockers are perfect for long alpine climbs, backcountry ski tours or multi-pitch routes where climbers are looking to shave every possible gram from their kit. They offer a trade-off though, for their featherlight weight comes at the price of durability and versatility. Thick, durable carabiners like the Best Buy Black Diamond RockLock Screwgate are better for use with a belay device, and the Editors Choice Petzl Attache is slightly heavier but is more of an all-arounder.
REASONS TO BUY
Extremely light
Easy to operate with gloves
REASONS TO AVOID
Small opening
Gets burrs from bolt hangers
Color Update

The gate on the Pure Screw has changed to green since our testing period, but aside from this, the biner remains the same.

November 2018

Our Analysis and Test Results

Performance Comparison



Function


The Pure Screw is a well-made locker that works well at certain tasks, and performs less effectively at others. Because it is so small, we struggled to make it work well as a belay carabiner with a traditional tube style device, a use that is better suited to an HMS/pear shaped locker like the Mad Rock Ultra-Tech HMS.

The Pure Screw does combine nicely with belay devices that don't have rope running directly through the locker, like the Petzl Gri Gri or a figure 8 belay device.

Where this biner really shines though is in places that require extra security, but do not need the full sized function of a larger locker. We used it on our auto-block rappel backups, and for constructing multi pitch anchors with great results, although when weighted against the sharp metal of bolt hangers, this light aluminum tends to burr. If this happens be wary of using it in situations where there might be rope running over the burred metal.

edelrid pure screw - this is a good use of the edelrid pure screw- it hardly weighs a...
This is a good use of the Edelrid Pure Screw- it hardly weighs a thing so you can afford to bring a beefy, round stock locker for use with your belay device.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Ease of Locking and Unlocking


This contender is easy to lock and unlock, as it uses a traditional screw gate closure to secure the gate. It only takes 3 turns of the screw to lock it, and has a smooth action, though not as smooth as the Petzl Attache. There is a common theme with the lighter lockers; gate shutter, or vibration, along with gravity can help to open the screwgate on the carabiner if left untended, and the Pure Screw was not immune to this. Make sure the carabiner is flipped so that you screw downwards, this will keep it from inadvertently unscrewing if you aren't there to manage it.

edelrid pure screw - small compact lockers like the pure screw are good for hanging the...
Small compact lockers like the Pure Screw are good for hanging the guide-style belay device from, but bigger lockers work better for hitches.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Compactness/Weight


This locker scored the highest of all the carabiners in our review in this metric. It is small, though not too small that is makes manipulating it with or without gloved hands a hard task, and at a weight of 43 grams, is one of the lightest on the market. It attains this low weight through hot-forged I-beam construction. With this combination of size and weight, there is no reason not to keep a couple of these lockers on the back of your harness, you'll hardly notice that they are there. The next lightest in our review, the Black Diamond Vaporlock Magnetron is 13 grams heavier, so significant weight savings are possible if you plan on carrying quite a few lockers on your climb.

edelrid pure screw - clipping in with two compact locking carabiners like the pure is...
Clipping in with two compact locking carabiners like the Pure is smart when travelling on a glacier.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Gate Clearance


The Pure Screw has the narrowest gate opening of all the carabiners in this review, at 1.7cm. This makes it a poor performer at tasks like attaching to an anchor, or clipping into ropes that are over 10mm thick. For clipping thin dyneema slings, cordage and skinny ropes, the clearance was adequate, but the similar sized compact locker, the Black Diamond Positron Screwgate has an opening of 2.2cm due to a curved spine.

Gate Hang Up


As in almost all of the lockers reviewed, this contender uses a narrow keylock nose that keeps it from hanging up on bolt hangers, wired stoppers and thin cord. Since we used it primarily as a locker with which to clip our auto-blocking belay devices into anchors on long multi pitch alpine climbs, it was handy to have a keylock nose while clipping into weighted master points and shelves.

edelrid pure screw - climbing up the east buttress of mount whitney, we use a combination...
Climbing up the East Buttress of Mount Whitney, we use a combination of compact and full sized locking carabiners, trying to keep the overall size and weight down.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Best Applications


Climbers and backcountry adventurers who need the security of a locking carabiner but do not need the full function of a larger locker will find the Pure Screw to fit their needs and perform tasks at a fraction of its competitor's weight.

Value


At $10, this is a good value. Edelrid is a manufacturer of high quality climbing equipment, and with the Pure Screw has made an extremely light, high performance carabiner at an affordable price.

Conclusion


If your objective requires a light and fast mentality, then the Edelrid Pure Screw is a good choice for combining security with small size and light weight.

Other Versions


Edelrid Pure Slider
edelrid pure screw - petzl spirit screw-lock
Petzl Spirit Screw-Lock
Credit: Petzl
  • Cost - $18
  • Weight - 42 g
  • Easy one-handed opening
  • Locking slide gate

Ryan Huetter