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ckirkwood9
Apr 19, 2006, 5:19 PM
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Registered: Nov 10, 2004
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Has anyone else experienced a problem with the Omega Pacific screw-gate biner (shown below) jamming????
(dark grey with green screw gate mechanism)
http://images.rei.com/media/698147_9996Prd.JPG
http://images.rei.com/...a/698147_9996Prd.JPG
One reader responeded with "dont' overtighten the collar". i never tighen the collar but still find this biner jams on occasion.
I think it's due to the biner flexing under load causing the threads on the screw gate mechanism to misalign and jam.
I've never had this problem with any other biner that i own (i curently use black diamond screwgates - not sure which model)http://
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caughtinside
Apr 19, 2006, 5:25 PM
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Every screwgate I've owned has gotten stuck at one point or another.
This seems to occur when the collar is tight and the biner gets loaded, or when there is grit blocking the screw action.
Both can be solved most of the time by tapping the gate against a rock.
*I have not used the biner pictured.
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tarzan420
Apr 19, 2006, 5:42 PM
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^^^ what he said.
this biner will lock up if you tighten it while it's loaded, but any screwgate will do that. It may be easier to accidentally do this, since the gate is usually quite far away from where the load actually is on the biner, making it more accessable.
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rock_fencer
Apr 19, 2006, 5:54 PM
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I actualy just had one lock up on me last month. After rapeling down i tried to get it off the harnes so i could switch to an ATC to belay and what do you know it was jamed. Took three of us to undo it. First time in 3 years ive had a locking biner jam on me.
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macherry
Apr 19, 2006, 5:55 PM
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macherry moved this thread from Beginners to Gear Heads.
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gothcopter
Apr 19, 2006, 6:48 PM
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I've been using a screw-gate Jake for about 5 years now. I've never had it jam in the way you describe -- only in the "overtighten under load" manner that is easily correctable. I've heard that some manufacturers have screw-gate models with a stop manufactured into the gate to prevent this sort of overtightening. But for me the great pear-shape and off-axis gate of the Jake are far bigger selling points than some doodad designed to keep me from inconveniencing myself.
I just got a second Jake in the mail from Mountain Gear this week, and it does look a little different from my old one. The new one looks more like your picture. The green paint is a different hue and the knurling is deeper. Of course, my old one could just look different because it's been around the block a few times...
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fulton
Apr 19, 2006, 7:58 PM
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Registered: Feb 26, 2004
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This happens all the time to all types of screw gates.
The collar gets super tight when it is jossled (or advanced manually) under load.
Solution is simple - just weight the biner and then undo the collar (screw).
This has nothing to do with Omega or the style of biner - it happens to everyone.
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ckirkwood9
Apr 19, 2006, 8:29 PM
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this biner severly jamed on me around 4 times (and took weighting/tapping with another biner to remedy - not a huge deal, just annoying) before i finally retired them to shoe duty on my pack. However I've never had the problem with my black diamond or petzl screwgates.
i can understand how it CAN happen to any biner. It's just interesting that it hasn't happened to me since retiring the OP Jake a few years ago.
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michaellane
Apr 19, 2006, 8:55 PM
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Registered: Feb 16, 2004
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Hi, Ckirk ...
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with your Jakes ... obviously, they aren't designed to behave as you're describing, so it sounds like you may have a defective part. We'd welcome the opportunity to inspect your biners and see what's what. Please call me or someone here at the office to set up the return and we'll have our QC folks look those krabs over. You said you've got "several" ... how many, exactly? We'd like to get them all back, of course.
We don't normally have any issues with this carabiner. In fact, since introducing the Jake, we've sold over half-million of them and have gotten remarkably few complaints or returns over the years. It's had a fantastic record and continues to be one our most popular styles.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
--ML
Michael Lane
Omega Pacific, Sales & Marketing Director
800-360-3990
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ckirkwood9
Apr 19, 2006, 9:24 PM
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Well THIS is totally unexpected.
This started when I suggested a new climber steer clear of the Jake due to my experience (and my friend's experiences) with them jamming. Some readers responded with "don't over tighten" Which i don't.
SO I posting the poll to get a reality check... to see if my (and my friend's) experiences with the Jake screwlock were unique, not because i wanted to have my biners inspected and/or replaced. I just accepted that i didn't like the item and used them for other non-climbing duties.
BUT *** Cheers to OP for following up. ***
I'll be calling today.
I have 3 or 4 screwlocks and one quicklock. Incidentally my complaint is solely with the Jake screwlock. I currently use the Jake quicklock on the anchor-end of my Metolius PAS.
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ckirkwood9
Apr 20, 2006, 1:50 AM
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I called and spoke with Michael from OP. He was very interested in hearing the issue and asked that i return all biners for inspection.
I started thinking a little more about this - to consider why everyone in my group and many at my gym would have this experience while some readers of rockclimbing.com would not.... My thought is that my gym pre-ties all top ropes so the climber does not have to tie his/her own figure-8. (for insurance purposes) Anyway - they require that climbers use 2 carabiners to attach the rope to the harness tie-in point.
This gives more of an *opportunity* for the biner to jam then under outdoor climbing circumstances (or gym climbing circumstances) where the climber would tie the rope directly to the harness tie-in points.
Admittedly I've only had the problem with Jake Jam while top roping in the gym. Having said that, after switching to black diamond screwlocks (or any biner other than the Jake), i've not had this problem.
I'll let everyone know the outcome of my contact with OP.
and I'll say it again - cheers to OP for the follow up.
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dutyje
Apr 20, 2006, 2:03 AM
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Registered: Apr 1, 2004
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I've used a number of locking biners over the last 2+ years, including the Jake. I own Jakes, Williams, Mini Pears, Quicksilvers, Rocklocks, and OP Standard Locking Ds. I've never had a single locking carabiner jam in the manner described in this thread.
Thinking back, I can't recall the last time (if any) I ever locked the screwgate mechanism on a carabiner while it was under load. I mean - the biner isn't loaded when I clip it into whatever I clip it to, and I lock it right away. I can't think of any situation where a biner was already loaded before I had a chance to lock it. I'm not in the habit of unlocking biners that are carrying a load.
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andrewj
Apr 24, 2006, 1:24 AM
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Registered: Jun 6, 2005
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As soon as my Jake started to get a bit "gritty" in the screwgate, I took some graphite lube to it just like I do to all of my screwgates when they start getting sticky. Dosen't seem to be an issue with the manufacture of the biner, just an issue with the upkeep that some people don't do with their gear.
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