We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.
The Black Diamond PosiWire quickdraw is a popular choice for entry-level sport climbers. The price won't break the bank and they handle well, but they are heavy and you wouldn't want these on a long multi-pitch route. The bottom wiregate carabiner easily snags on the rope when cleaning overhanging sport routes, so if you are going to be climbing at the Red River Gorge this fall you'd be better off with the Petzl Spirit Express or the new Petzl Djinn Axess, as their bottom keylock carabiners eliminate that issue.
Product Recall: February 2016
In February of 2016, Black Diamond released a recall of specific Posiwire carabiners and quickdraws; the recall is for those products with manufacturing codes between 4350 and 6018. If you have a product that falls between these numbers, check out this safety recall notice.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Black Diamond PosiWire quickdraw comes with a cold-forged Positron keylock carabiner on top and an older/heavier cold-forged version of the HotWire wiregate carabiner on the bottom. The Dynex sling is 12cm long and 14mm wide.
Performance Comparison
The PosiWire is a great quickdraw for vertical sport climbing.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring
Ease of Unclipping
The HotWire carabiner on the bottom on the Black Diamond PosiWire has an unprotected notch in the gate opening that can snag on the rope when seconding or cleaning a route. You might not notice it on vertical terrain but as soon as the angle kicks back, our testers found this product difficult to unclip. If you prefer a keylock carabiner for easier unclipping, Black Diamond sells a similar version of this model called the Black Diamond Positron Quickdraw. It has the same Positron carabiner on top and a bent gate keylock Positron carabiner on the bottom. There are also other draws with protected wiregates to prevent snagging, such as the Black Diamond LiveWire Quickdraw, but you won't find that extra engineering on this less expensive model. The Wild Country Helium Quickdraw also has unique combination keylock and wiregate carabiner to avoid snagging.
Good luck unclipping this draw on super overhanging routes. The unprotected notch in the gate on the bottom carabiner can easily snag on the rope. The top biner, however, uses a smooth keylock design.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring
Ease of Clipping
This competitor has a smooth clipping action and our reviewers gave it high scores in this category. In general, wiregate carabiners are easy to clip the rope into and less prone to jamming up over time. For a more detailed explanation of wire vs keylock carabiners see our Buying Advice guide.
The bottom wiregate carabiner makes for smooth clipping even in tenuous positions.
Credit: Scott Ring
Portability
One downside to the Black Diamond PosiWire is its weight. At 3.6 ounces each, a full rack of twelve of them adds up to 2.7 pounds, a pound heavier than the Black Diamond Oz and the CAMP Photon Wire Express KS Dyneema. If you are not planning to hike very far or onsight very hard with these draws, then this might not concern you. If, however, you've been struggling to lose five pounds in the hopes that it will increase your climbing performance, know that you can buy some lightweight draws and you'll only have to lose four instead.
Too many PosiWires on your harness might weigh you down. Then again, these heavier quickdraws are more durable than some of their lightweight counterparts.
Credit: Glenda Huxter
Ease of Handling
The upper keylock Positron carabiner means this product won't snag when you unclip it from your harness. The rubber positional at the bottom of the carabiner comes sewn in. These seem to be fairly durable in the 14mm wide sling, but can still tear off over time. If you prefer an exterior positioner, the new Petzl Djinn Axess is a comparable option.
Ease of Grabbing
Black Diamond touts the 14mm sling on this piece as being “easy to grab,” but our reviewers didn't find that to be the case. Let's face it, if you're grabbing a draw you're probably cruxing out and it's really hard to get a purchase on the relatively narrow sling when you are pumped and about to fall off. Most of our reviewers found themselves sticking a finger or two through the top carabiner in order to clip the rope through the bottom, which is an easy way to hurt your tendons. If you're notorious for aiding your way up every sport climb or grabbing a draw whenever things get difficult then you would be better off with the Petzl Spirit Express or the Black Diamond FreeWire Quickdraw.
Best Applications
The Black Diamond PosiWire quickdraw is best suited for vertical sport climbs.
The sewn-in rubber Straightjacket keeps the bottom carabiner in its proper orientation.
Credit: Scott Ring
Value
This product is considerably cheaper than some of its competitors, which is probably why it's so popular. Its carabiners are cold-forged, which in our reviewer's experience tend to last longer, giving you even more value for your money. You can learn more about hot vs cold-forged carabiners in our Buying Advice article.
Conclusion
The Black Diamond PosiWire is a great pick for vertical and/or moderate sport climbs. The bottom carabiner is great for clipping but the unprotected notch can snag when unclipping your rope on steeper terrain. They're also a great choice if you don't want to spend your entire climbing gear budget on one set of draws. If you buy these draws though, just make sure you put some colored tape on them so you know which ones are yours at the crag, as you'll likely see lots of them around.
The PosiWire in its ideal element: vertical sport climbing.
