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waggas
Feb 4, 2003, 1:05 AM
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Hey all,
A quick question for you all... Looking at getting a first set of hexes in the not too distant future. Preference is leaning towards the Wild Country Rock-Centrics, Wired 3 to 7 (6?) and slung 8 & 9 (7?).
What's peoples opinions on Wired vs Slung hexes, more onf the mid to smaller end of the scale... I know some people have problems with the wired ones twisting out of placement, but is it worth it to get the extra reach on the smaller sizes?
Cheers,
Waggas
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ricardol
Feb 4, 2003, 1:09 AM
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I find that the weight savings from having the hexes slung is important..
-- ricardo
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vegastradguy
Feb 4, 2003, 1:13 AM
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well, i have used both, and frankly i prefer the slung for placements, but they create such a mess on your sling, and hang really low if you have them slung too long and personally, they annoy the crap out of me!
kind of a preference thing, i guess.
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iamthewallress
Feb 4, 2003, 1:42 AM
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Cams.
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pancaketom
Feb 4, 2003, 1:48 AM
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I think the little ones on wires are too hard to place cammed because the wires are too stiff.
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climb4life
Feb 4, 2003, 3:18 AM
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i prefer the wireed ones. although, i havn't used the slung. the way i see it, the wire are a bit stiff making it a bit easier to place in cracks especially when hanging on dimples with other hand.
but slung, when i think about it just now, may be better for zig zag routes so don't move the placement out. but i wouldn't know.
anybody?
climb on
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duskerhu
Feb 4, 2003, 10:35 AM
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Quote:I find that the weight savings from having the hexes slung is important..
-- ricardo
How much weight are you actually saving with slung instead of wired hexes??? Even if you're racking an entire set, it can't be more than a few ounces. Maybe a biners weight worth?
Both styles have pros and cons. I prefer wired for leading because simply, they are just easier to place than a slung hex. I don't mind the slung variety for anchors or top-ropes.
Another reason, as vegastradguy mentioned, they tangle themselves into a HELLA mess when racked. And please don't make the excuse to me about the wire wiggling a hex from its placement. Put a draw on it or a longer sling and you won't have that problem.
If you're going to get yourself a set of hexes, do yourself a favor and get a set of wired Rockcentrics, Curve Hexes or Hexcentrics.
Live Free!
Play Hard!
Climb On!
duskerhu
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leon0tron
Feb 4, 2003, 11:36 AM
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slung hexes work better in placements as they can cam more easily. But wired ones can be handy for putting into high reach cracks
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gakin
Feb 4, 2003, 1:00 PM
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I have the same set of hexs that you are thinking about getting. I prefer to use the wired when I'm on lead, just for the simple fact that they are easier to me to place, but as stated earlier, you do lose some of the camming action. It is really a preference thing.
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mustclimb69
Feb 4, 2003, 1:46 PM
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Wired are good for smallersizes easier to reach and end up being safer. Slung are good because chances are you will use them more and if they dont hold kinks and weigh less. Great choices.
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furryfrisbee
Feb 4, 2003, 2:06 PM
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I have the slung rockcentrics, and the Metolius curved hexes, and use them both on a regular basis. I like the slung when I can use my fingers to put it in position, and the wired when I can't get my fingers on it to double check the placement. For some strange reason though I much prefer to place the slung. I feel more secure with them.
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redpoint73
Feb 4, 2003, 2:23 PM
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The slung hexes are better for horizontal placements, where the wire/sling hangs over the edge. If you fall, you will bend the wires bad on a wired hex. But depending on where you climb, this may not be much of a consideration. A lot of times, you can throw a cam in, so the sling on the cam is hanging over the edge.
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elvislegs
Feb 4, 2003, 3:19 PM
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CAMS, you'll end up ditching the hexes in the end anyway.
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sspssp
Feb 4, 2003, 4:11 PM
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I prefer the slung. However, I usually only place hexes when I'm trying to save my cams. So most of my hex placements are at an anchor, or are placed from a good stance. If the stance is bad, I reach for a cam. The very smallest slung can be tricky to place, because you can't get your fingers into the crack.
If you use a wired, you have to add a quickdraw. This takes more time and weighs more because you have to carry extra draws for the hex placements.
Thumbs up on the Rockcentrics. They are a lot lighter than the same size cam and much cheaper to bail off of.
[ This Message was edited by: sspssp on 2003-02-04 08:14 ]
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aaron4peace
Feb 4, 2003, 4:14 PM
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I traded all my hexes for a six pack of beer
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mountainmonkey
Feb 4, 2003, 4:58 PM
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Quote:How much weight are you actually saving with slung instead of wired hexes??? Even if you're racking an entire set, it can't be more than a few ounces. Maybe a biners weight worth?
rockcentrics (7 hexes)
#/dyneema/wired (in grams)
#3 / 34 / 48
#4 / 43 / 55
#5 / 54 / 66
#6 / 69 / 81
#7 / 91 / 104
#8 / 118 / 132
#9 / 156 / 166
total: dyneema 565g, wired 652g
difference: 87g = 2.4 neutrino biners = 1.8 enduro biners
black diamond (8 hexes)
# / unslung + 1m x 5.5mm spectra / wired
#4 / 23+16= 39 / 51
#5 / 25+16= 41 / 53
#6 / 35+16= 51 / 64
#7 / 51+16= 67 / 86
#8 / 59+16= 75 / 94
#9 / 93+16= 109 / 124
#10 / 122+16= 138 / 164
#11 / 170+16= 186 / 206
total: slung 706g, wired 842g
difference: 136g = 3.7 newtrino biners = 2.8 enduro biners
If you want to go light and fast you will save weight where ever you can.
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sspssp
Feb 4, 2003, 9:21 PM
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Right,
Now add all the weight for the eight extra quickdraws you have to carry to now "sling" your hexes after you have placed them.
[ This Message was edited by: sspssp on 2003-02-04 13:23 ]
[ This Message was edited by: sspssp on 2003-02-04 13:23 ]
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mountainmonkey
Feb 4, 2003, 9:33 PM
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if you use 1m of cord to sling your hexes, it will be longer than a whole cam. this means, if the route is straight enough, that you can clip directly to the piece (just like a cam). if you need a QD on a piece, you will need to put it on the piece, no matter what the piece is (cam, hex, stopper, ballnut, pin, tricam ...)
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scottharms
Feb 4, 2003, 9:38 PM
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just bought bd slung hexes, they were on sale, so we'll find out if I like em this summer. Definitley a place for both wired and slung.
Cheers
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waggas
Feb 5, 2003, 3:35 PM
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Thanks all.
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tradguy
Feb 5, 2003, 4:34 PM
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I rarely place hexes when I'm desperate, so the advantage of "reach" that people get with the wires is pretty much pointless for me. I have a full set of older BD hexes, with #1-#3 wired, and #4-#11 slung. I found that I NEVER used the wired hexes. They were just too annoying. After sampling some of the newer curved hexes, I found that I liked them much more than the old BD's, so I bought a set of Wild Country rockcentric curved hexes on dyneema (ie slung), and all my BD's have been collecting dust ever since. Go with slung all the way, because in those rare instances where you might prefer to have wired for the smallest couple sizes, you could likely get by fine with one of the biggest stoppers instead.
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michaelpaul
Feb 5, 2003, 4:45 PM
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Got my first set of Hexes in '70, no camming devices yet, but we sure learned how to place 'em when there was nothin' else! I prefer the slung just for the sake of not having rope movement wiggling the wired ones out. But I guess you could add runners for drag. I have even encountered places where a hex is better than a camming device though, in gradually widening cracks where a well placed hex is plugged and a cam moves into the wider area and becomes inadequate. But in the smaller sizes I use wired stoppers and RP's, or Whatever brand, but am of the opinion that whatever you prefer, better put it in GOOD!
P.S. Sure do love my metolius TCU's and BD Camelots though!
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fitz
Feb 6, 2003, 2:38 AM
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I'd vote slung. On all but the biggest sizes, wire gets in the way of one camming position.
-jjf
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