Quickdraw design has come into wider scrutiny over the past few years. With the increasing practice of fixing draws, checking wear patterns on fixed draws has become the norm rather than the exception. Exacerbated by a need to reduce weight, the new H-style or concave design used in the modern carabiner has made prolonged-use of a carabiner a risk factor depending on the design. Now more than ever, climbers from all different disciplines are taking into consideration prolonged-use and the design of a quickdraw before shelling out a load of cash for a new set of draws.
For years, the Petzl Spirit quickdraw, with its unique keylock system and large dogbone, had been the ‘go-to’ quickdraw for the North American sport climber. However, the biggest drawback of the Petzl Spirit was the bulk created by the large sling (not to mention the large hole it would put in your wallet!). For those looking for a mid-range solution to their quickdraw experience, there wasn’t really a great alternative, until now.
The Petzl Djinn Axess Quickdraw is Petzl’s newest quickdraw in its long line of reliable hardware. It features a re-designed carabiner that takes into consideration the prolonged wear patterns of extended-use, a mid-range dogbone sling that creates less bulk, and a price-point that just can’t be beat. With its easy to clip carabiner and keylock system, the Petzl Djinn Axess quickdraw is a great draw for those who are just beginning to climb outside to those climbers trying to redpoint their latest project.
Gear Review: Petzl Djinn Axess Quickdraw
To guide our review, we have broken down the product into its specific components to give you a full summary of its features.
Carabiner
The biggest selling point of the re-designed Djinn carabiner is the consideration of prolonged-use at the rope contact points of the biner. Taking a closer look, Petzl has widened the rope contact point on both the straight gate and bent gate version of the carabiner. They have also made sure to taper the portion of the carabiner that joins the rope contact point and the concave portion of the carabiner to ensure that wear patterns will not create a sharp edge. This alone makes this draw one of the best on the market.
Petzl has also changed the shape of the draw. Rather than having a straight design on the non-clipping side of the carabiner, the Djinn biner features a bent back-spine to aid with clipping. The bend on the backside of the draw allows you to guide the clipping of the draw with your index finger, resulting in quicker clipping action for both beginner and veteran climbers,
Sling
Compared to the Petzl Spirit, the sling on the Djinn Axess is slimmed down for less bulk and more streamlined for onsighting. When testing the draw, I really enjoyed the shape and feel of the sling when placing draws on lead and when grabbing the dogbone while working a project. It was small enough to reduce bulk but large enough to not dig into your hand when working a route.
The stiffness of the sling was also a plus when using the quickdraw to clip far away bolts. With such a stiff sling, I was often able to clip a bolt even when I was not close enough to reach the bolt with my hand. Petzl has also reduces the hole on the sling for the straight gate biner, in turn reducing the floppiness of the draw. The bent gate side of the sling also features a rubber ‘STRING’ to hold the carabiner in position and protect the webbing from wear
Weight
One of the drawbacks of the Petzl Djinn Quickdraw is the weight of the draw. Despite all the efforts to slim down bulk, the Djinn Axess is one of the heavier draws on the market. Although the weight difference is minimal on a per draw basis, it may feel heavier on longer routes requiring more than 12 draws. The Djinn Quickdraw weighs in at 107g for for 12cm version and 113g for the 17cm version. Here is the weight of some of the other draws on the market: Petzl Spirit 12cm (93g), Edelrid Slash Set (88g), Edelrid Pure Sport (102g), Black Diamond Positron (88g), Black Diamond Livewire (108g).
Usability
After testing the Petzl Djinn Axess quickdraw for 8 weeks, it quickly became my draw of choice. With less bulk on the harness, the Djinn AXess performed well in a number of conditions including putting in the draws and grabbing the dogbone to take on a project. The carabiner was easy to clip and allowed for a quick clip during red-pointing. One advantage that was not expected was the versatility of the stiff sling. Often, when unable to reach a bolt, I used the stiff sling to get the draw in before clipping.
Steel Biner for Fixed Use
To provide an solution to the increased use of fixing gear, Petzl now offers the Petzl Djinn Steel Axess quickdraw to complement the Djinn series. These draws are available in their full package, featuring a steel version of the Djinn carabiner and a protective covering for the sling to reduce the impact of water, wear, and UV rays from the sun. Petzl also offers the purchase of just the Djinn Steel carabiner, that allows for an easy switch out of the aluminum Djinn biner when working a project or fixing draws.
Overall
Overall, the Petzl Djinn Axess Quickdraw is a great new addition to Petzl’s line of quickdraws. With safety at the forefront of its design, the Petzl Djinn gives you that extra comfort when thinking about wear patterns and prolonged-use. The mid-range dogbone sling is just the right size to reduce bulk but still function well for grabbing a draw and during a few situations, made it easier to clip far away bolts. For those concerned about weight, the Djinn does weigh more than its counterpart and may feel a bit heavier when onsighting longer routes. Taking into consideration the above features and the price point, the Petzl Djinn Axess quickdraw is a great choice for both beginner and expert climbing alike. We would definitely recommend the Petzl Djinn Axess quickdraw to anyone looking to upgrade their draws this fall.
Specifications
Major axis strength: 23 kN
Minor axis strength: 8 kN
Open gate strength: 9 kN
Gate opening: 24 mm
Bent gate carabiner opening: 27 mm
Capacity: 24 mm
Material(s): aluminum carabiner, polyester webbing, rubber STRING
Certification(s): CE EN 12275 type B, UIAA, CE EN 566
Weight: 12 cm (107 g) 17cm (113 g)
Guarantee 3 years 3 years
For more information, please visit the Petzl website.
The Petzl Djinn Axess Quickdraw is available at Valhalla Pure ($16.95), MEC ($17.00), and available to order at Climb On in Squamish.
