Black Diamond  HotForge Screwgate Carabiner

Thanks in large part to REI selling these in packs of 3, I have collected 9 of these carabiners: 6 in the new style and 3 in the old (pre-2020) style. These have been the go-to value option for locking carabiners for people who need many lockers. For example, I use 4 for my anchors, 1 for the belay/rappel device, 1 or 2 for a personal tether / PAS, 1 for a rappel backup friction hitch... The new style is definitely improved with significantly more material at the peak of the basket. It's easy to assume that this will extend the useful lifespan of the carabiner. See the image for a comparison. My advice is to lubricate the carabiners to reduce the squeaking and speeding up the locking mechanism which are the 2 biggest weaknesses of these carabiners. After lubricating, these carabiners are just as good as any comparable screw-lock carabiner.

First off, this is a great carabiner. It is extremely light and seems very strong. The screw on the gate is well secure. One of the best feature is the texture of the finish. It is very grippy even with sweaty or chalky hands. I say the picture is deceiving because the carabiner is smaller than it looks. I use it mainly for attachment to the anchor point. It works well with an ATC belay device or gri gri but if you are using something with a large base like the Mammut Alpine it’s too small for comfort. Overall it’s a great purchase at a great price

I’ve owned several Positron Carabiners and figured I should update and grabbed a few Hot Forge to replace them. The hot forges are significantly smaller which has its pros and cons. It’s very compact on my harness and is great to rack gear with. On the flip side it’s a pain to use for a double rope rappel, it’s tough to get the locker open with two strands of rope running through it. Additionally, I’ve only owned the hot forge for a few months and have maybe rappelled 10 pitches and I already have a noticeable groove. I have positrons I’ve rappelled over 50 pitches with that still don’t have grooves so not too thrilled with that

I’ve encountered multiple dog leash snap hooks that end up not doing their job - somehow my dog can pull hard enough and get his collar loop to push open the spring loaded snap, and then off he goes into a game of you can’t catch me, and I’m not listening to you, because FREEDOM!!! I first tried other climbing carabiners without lock features - my dog weighs just under 50 lbs. He had found ways to get his paws stuck. With the latest snap hook on the current leash showing that it could not retain my dog, I finally opted for a screw gate carabiner. This particular one was on sale when I purchased it. Once attached to the leash, it is easy to attach to the collar loop and close the screw gate. Just don’t over tighten. If you don’t over tighten, it is easy to unscrew and take off once back in a place where your dog is not going to run off. I’ve had no issues with this unscrewing itself while outside with my dog, either on his “personal care walks” or just a regular walk.

Great for securing your third hand, building anchors, attaching your PAS to an anchor, and bailing off routes. The screw gate sometimes gets jammed shut and is difficult to loosen. Other than that, it's a great little biner.

Lightweight, strong, easy to use. This is the one to add to your set.

Great lightweight locker

Relatively light and durable. Screwgate locks nicely. I use several of these for building anchors.

Great for rigging and anchor. Not big enough for a munter to work nicely but it still goes.

The hotforge is a great option if you want a compact, inexpensive locking carabiner. Use two to make a locking quickdraw to use at anchors while top-roping. You could also use it with a sling for a personal tether. It is not quite big enough or the right shape to use with a belay device and it probably wouldn't work with a munter hitch. I'll keep using these, but because of the lack of versatility, I'll probably buy something a little bigger next time, like a BD Vaporlock since they only weigh a bit more but can be used in more situations.