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Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner

$18.95

(11)

Item # 737865

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The pear-shaped Petzl® William Ball-Lock carabiner features a handy autolocking gate and is well-suited for belaying and anchoring needs.

Larger size allows easy anchoring of multiple ropes and slings, as well as belaying both single or double ropes with a Munter hitch
Unique, patented Keylock gate uses a key-shaped nose on carabiner and slot-shaped gate to create a strong, snag-free closure
Automatic Ball-Lock system features a green ball indicating when sleeve is locked, providing a quick visual safety check
Ball-Lock system can be opened and closed easily with one hand and can be operated with gloves on; unlock gate by pressing in ball and twisting sleeve
Large gate opening eases clip-in
Made of high-strength aluminum rod stock for superior strength and durability

Please note: Petzl products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Made in USA.

Item 737865

View all Petzl products

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Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner

3.3

(based on 11 reviews)

50%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Quick to open (5)

Cons

Hard to open (5)

Best Uses

Climbing (15)
Long climbs (6)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid climber (6), Casual/ recreational (6)

Reviewed by 11 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Nov

2008

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Confiscated by airlines!

By Blue_Boris

from San Diego

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Smooth and slick

Cons

Has a learning curve

Best Uses

Long Climbs
Outdoor climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

The Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner has worked well for me since I took the time to orient it to either hand. It does work more naturally when used right handed but has a short learning curve to not only learn how to use it left handed but to remember you have to do so every time. I am going to buy another one because when I went to Madagascar this year Air France confiscated my Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner because, they told me, it was large enough to slide over all 4 of my fingers and be used as a "brass knuckle".

Jul

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great locking 'biner

By treeclimber617

from Horsham, PA

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Quick to open
Solid locking

Cons

Lock mechanism can jam

Best Uses

Long Climbs
Outdoor climbing
Tree climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

As a treeclimber, the only carabiners that I use for life support are double locking or "triple action" (ANSI requirement), so it is interesting to see many reviewers talking about their difficulty with this one. Double locking carabiners do require a little more practice, but once you spend time climbing with them, it does become second nature.

The ball mechanism is quite nice when it works properly...i.e. when the action is kept clean and lubricated when necessary. The ball lock is, at times, easily clogged (especially in tree work); which is completely aggravating. That said, petzl has done a lot of work improving this mechanism, and the current aluminum sleeve and ball are better than the old nylon sleeve.

The reason I did not give this carabiner five stars is because I simply prefer petzl's 'triact' locking mechanism, which omits the button but requires you to slide the sleeve up before it will twist--simpler and less likely to jam. Otherwise, you really can't go wrong here.

Sep

2008

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Biner

By atxclimber

from Austin, Texas

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Quick to open
Simple

Cons

Best Uses

Indoor climbing
Outdoor climbing
Sprint Climbs

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

Works great. If you belay alot or share equipment this easy to use failsafe biner is worth the extra money.

Oct

2007

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Either you love it or you hate it

By Davy

from Bemidji, MN

About Me Avid Climber, Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy one-handed clips
Quick to open

Cons

Hard to open

Best Uses

Indoor climbing
Long Climbs
Outdoor climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

I like this biner because I have large enough hands to easily one-handed clip and unclip. I work at a climbing wall where I constantly belay and I find it convenient for quick use. This carabiner is not friendly to lefties, the way it is designed it is too awkward for left handed use. All in all I like it but it is entirely a personal preferance, I wouldn't recommend buying it unless you can play with it a little before hand and get a feel for it.

Apr

2010

2.0

I guess you either love it or hate it

By joethehiker

from Leadville, CO

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Idiot proof once closed
Well built quality

Cons

Hard to open

Best Uses

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

I bought a couple of these to put on my rack on a whim. After spending several days fumbling with them in rain/snow while wearing gloves in Yosemite, they are no longer with me.

There is no construction problem, but unless there is some technique for opening them, I am not a fan.

Feb

2010

2.0

Ball lock is prone to dirt

By ackram

from vegas

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Scratch resistant

Cons

Bad locking
Hard to open

Best Uses

Indoor climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

Bought for use with Petzl Pirana but carabiner gets clogged with dirt easily preventing the ball lock mechanism working. I've used it canyoneering in water and after had problems opening the gate and was unable to get off rappel. Also, dirt prevents it from springing shut securely and I've found it open just before starting raps. I now use the screwlock.

Oct

2008

5.0

Love it

By Free Willy

from Atl

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Quick to open
Scratch resistant

Cons

Best Uses

Bouldering
Indoor climbing
Long Climbs
Outdoor climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

This is great, I am right handed and I can see how it could be tough to use for leftys, but if you are one. Otherwise, I love this carabiner it doesn't scratch easily and I know that from experience. Overall, great buy.

Aug

2008

5.0

Different but good.

By Max1290

from NC

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Quick to open
Secure

Cons

Hard to open at first
Right handed

Best Uses

Indoor climbing
Long Climbs
Outdoor climbing
Sprint Climbs

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

A lot of people bash this carabiner because it is hard to open. This is true to some extent. It has a different mechanism from average twistlocks but to me that is a selling point. After one day of climbing with it I had gotten used to it and could open it one-handed out of sight with ease. The button makes it much more secure which is, to me, more important than ultimate ease of use. The main real con I see is that it would be awful for lefties. That isn't a problem for me, but this looks to me as a totally right handed mechanism.

Oct

2007

3.0

Good Belay 'Biner If You Like Ball-Lock

By Deimos

from Middlesex, VT

About Me Avid Climber

See all my reviews

Pros

Auto-lock
Keylock
Rope-bearing radius

Cons

too large

Best Uses

Indoor climbing
Outdoor climbing

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

If you like the ball-lock mechanism, the William is your belay 'biner of choice.

Sep

2007

1.0

the prettiest piece of junk

By drewbikeDC

from Patapsco Area, MD

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Hard to open

Best Uses

Comments about Petzl William Ball-Lock Autolocking Carabiner:

First off this is really only suited for right handed people. Second, mine jambs up and it requires my full attention to open. Third, even after practice this carabiner is cumbersome to open-and if you're climbing with someone else and they need to use it, you will wait for them to study it and figure out how to open it. I'm glad I didn't buy more than one.

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