Richie Patterson, top climber and Wild Country's marketing consultant tells us, from a company's point of view, why Wild Country make such a large range of 'biners:

Basically, there's a range of 'biners for a few basic reasons:

Chunky solid gates with good bent gates are great for sport redpoints as they will clip quickly and be more stable when hanging from a route. Also chunky solid gates are great for beginners as they are a very good 'safety first' 'biner as solid gates unclip a lot less easily that wire gates.
The smallest, lightest wire-gates however are perfect for onsighting on trad routes where the most gear needs to be carried, so the lighter the gear, the better.
With screwgates for example an 'old-fashioned' round-bar means that a Munter hitch can still be used if the belay device is dropped and a larger open shape is better for getter fatter ropes in for belaying. Yet there will still be a big demand for our new 'Neon' - a smaller screwgate but the lightest ever made, great for running belays and slings on routes.

2. Production costs can be different for different types of 'biner, making a necessity to offer a range of prices to the public. Not all 'biners can be a top of the range £8.50 'Helium' with an immensely complicated production process as not everyone wants or needs this 'biner - outdoor centres for example.

3. Production skills increase and therefore each year more weight can be shed / more complicated designs made and therefore as these designs are released the ranges of 'biners get more crowded.

4. People want a choice and the market also dictates a certain amount of change to be good for sales - even if one type of 'biner is very similar to the next maybe a change of colour or new shape can make a big difference.

Review by Lou Neil:

Titan 2 Keylock Karabiner and Quickdraw:

Wildcountry describe this karabiner as “big, deep and handsome,” and I think it probably is the George Clooney of karabiners. It comes in a shade of “gunmetal black,” and just oozes masculinity. It's supposed to be the “best 'biner for big paws,” but as I don't have big paws I couldn't really put this to the test. However, I gave the quickdraws to my husband, who does, and he confirmed that they are indeed very easy to handle, even for the manually challenged.

Being “big, deep, and handsome,” you wouldn't really want to carry them very far, but on sport routes their solid presence is reassuring and you really don't mind leaping off into space, sure in the knowledge that they are going to catch you.

In addition, they make excellent “alternative handholds” when the holds on the rock just aren't big enough to clip off – you can really sink your fingers into these babies!

The Titan 2 quickdraws come in three sizes 10cm, 15cm & 20cm using Wild Country's 12mm Dyneema Express slings.

Price:

Single Karabiner - £6.49

Quickdraw - £13.00 (15cm)

If the Titan 2 is the George Clooney of Karabiners, then the Oxygen Keylock is probably the Cate Blanchett – slightly smaller and more curvaceous, but reassuringly solid and dependable. (Incidentally they come in a shade of kingfisher blue that is a perfect match for the Red Chilli Spirit Lady climbing shoe - See UKC Review.)

Again they are not the lightest karabiner on the market, but if wiregates give you the willies, and you don't mind a bit of extra weight, then they are a great alternative.

Like the Titan 2, they have a new “keylock nose,” and an open shape, making for easy, clean clipping and unclipping, which helps when at full stretch or in a hurry!

The quickdraws come with a sturdy 12 mm dyneema sling, and the “tadpole rubbering” ensures that the karabiners stay orientated. These are great quickdraws for sport climbing, when you don't want to be taking lots of wangers onto wiregates, and are a good general quickdraw for trad climbing, too, that won't break the bank.

Price:

Single Karabiner - £6.95

Quickdraw - £14.50 (10cm)

Round-Up:

Well made, beefy karabiners. Ideal for sport climbing and extended use. Not as light as the super tiny wire-gates on the market, but very strong. The clean nose means clipping is straightforward. A good honest pair of karabiners from Wild Country.