Which Screwgate Does What...Because of the variety of the demands on screwgates, there is a number of styles of lockers available and this can sometimes be confusing, especially to the first time buyer.....

So as a brief guide their uses can be best identified by looking at their strengths and their shapes and aligning these to your use.

Size - Interestingly, in general the larger the screwgate the lower the rated strength, this is due to the amount of leverage that can be built up over the length of the ‘arm’ at the widest end. Therefore it is important to always look at the ratings on screwgates as they do vary widely and the strongest looking may not be the strongest however they will fit the most rope inside…As the inverse of this it also important to compare shapes, with the more compact ‘D’ shaped screwgates offering the most strength but not giving as much opportunity for differing uses and different knots.

Screw Vs Twist – . However, whichever gate you choose it is important to note that both gates use 7075 alloy which is the same as the biner body and is super strong. This means unlike many other brands the gate when closed should make the same strength if pushed inwards while closed. This is not a requirement for the CE test but it is something that we have insisted on as there have been a number of notable failures of gates when pushed in, especially in abseiling situations using Figure 8s.

Bar Size – As you can probably guess the numbers next to any screwgate relate to the size of the bar that is used to make the karabiner. There are two things about this to briefly mention. One is that this is the size of the bar before it is shaped, so when you look at the finished product it may not be the exact measurement in all directions. Two is that obviously, the size of the bar generally gives an indication of strength- the thicker the bar the stronger the biner, however, this is only true as long as the biners are made in the same manner and are the same shape.

The Wild Country range includes nearly all types of screwgates so have a look through and see which suits your purpose.