An ultralight, ultrastrong do-everything biner, the Black Diamond HotWire is redesigned using hot forging - making it 20 percent lighter without losing strength. The HotWire resists freezing and gate flutter, has a large basket and gate-opening, and is useful for all types of climbing including trad, ice, alpine and sport.
The redesigned Black Diamond HotWire® carabiner is 20% lighter than previous versions, yet maintains the same easy-to-use size of the original HotWire.
Imported.
In 1995 the HotWire started the wiregate revolution. Years later the award-winning HotWire is still leading the pack, offering the best balance of function, features and value in a wiregate biner. Use it alpine or trad climbing for its lightness or for its clippability when sport climbing. The slender, no-bulk wiregate has a firm action that is effortless to clip. In whiplash situations, the gate won’t freeze open or shut due to adverse conditions. Strong, light and super clippable, the HotWire offers versatility for all types of climbing with its optimal blend of size and weight.
| Activity: | Climbing |
|---|---|
| Carabiner type: | Non-locking carabiner |
| Closed Gate: | 25 kN |
| Closed Gate Strength: | 24 kN, 5,395 lbf |
| Country of Origin: | China |
| Frame Shape: | Modified D |
| Gate Clearance: | 25 mm |
| Gate Closed Strength: | 24 kN |
| Gate Open Strength: | 9 kN |
| Gate Opening: | Positron: 25 mm |
| Gate Style: | Wire |
| Gate Type: | wire |
| Gate open clearance: | 25 millimeters |
| Locking: | no |
| Major Axis Strength: | 24 kN |
| Major Axis Strength (Closed): | 24 kN |
| Major Axis Strength (Open): | 9 kN |
| Material: | Aluminum |
| Minor Axis: | 7 kN |
| Minor Axis Strength: | 7 kN, 1,574 lbf |
| Open Gate: | 9 kN |
| Open Gate Strength: | 9 kN, 2,023 lbf |
| Recommended Use: | climbing, mountaineering |
| Shape: | offset-D |
| Strength major axis closed: | 24 kilonewtons |
| Strength major axis open: | 9 kilonewtons |
| Strength minor axis: | 7 kilonewtons |
| Type: | Non-locking |
| Warranty: | 1 year |
| Weight: | 37 g, 1.3 oz |
| Weight (Grams): | 39 g |
| Weight [with packaging]: | 0.35 lb |
| Black Diamond HotWire | $7.50 - $11.99 | |
| Black Diamond NEW Hotwire Carabiner | $6.39 | |
| Black Diamond Hotwire Anodized Carabiner - Wiregate - Cosmetic Seconds | $7.95 | |
| Black Diamond Hotwire Quickdraw | $13.59 - $19.95 |
This is the new & improved version of the Hotwire carabiner which I squandered a year of my life designing at Black Diamond. The idea of a wire gate had been around for quite a while in the sailing world, but the original Hotwire was the first time it was used in a full-strength climbing carabiner and it was initially met with a lot of skepticism. Jonny Woodward was really the product champion of the idea and worked to perfect the concept to the point where it had the same (or better) gate action as a regular carabiner and was as strong. Because the spring steel in the gate is so hard, the crux was figuring out how to peen the ends of the wires.
For rock climbing, my rack is about 80% wiregates and most of those are Hotwires as they are a good all around biner. There are lighter carabiners out there, but the Hotwire is still "full sized" so it isn't fumbly. Wire gate carabiners are much less prone to gate whiplash, which is one of the leading causes of open gate biner failure.
The new Hotwire (shown on this page) is a hot forged version which makes for a lighter biner with the same strength as the old one. Wire gated biners are especially useful for Alpine racks as they are lightweight and not as prone to jamming with snow.
The newest version of the Hotwire looks and feels relatively large, but is actually quite lightweight for a full-size carabiner - I weighed one of mine on a digital scale and it came in at 36.5 grams. Simple, "industrial" in appearance, but very functional. The gate tension is on the heavy side which is good for safety/confidence but could make it slightly harder to clip for un-herculean users. The gate has no side-to-side slop when open, unlike many other brands that I own, indicating tight manufacturing tolerances. Because I'm odd, I worked the gate on one of my Hotwires over 1,000 times and it is still nice and "snappy". A great upgrade to this classic carabiner. Parts from USA, constructed in China.
I recently got these in a posiwire quickpack and they've quickly become a favorite rope-end biner.
They are slightly larger than the BD positron biners, with less weight to them AND a much snappier gate action, even compared to most wire gates. This means huge gate openings for your rope end and a nice secure feeling when taking whips.
Anodization on these things peels away pretty fast, but they're not there to look pretty. Construction is great, they're thick for good durability, and they feel wonderful in hand. Always a nice smooth clip with these babies.
This is the new and improved Hotwire. BD has done it again. The new Hotwire is a few grams lighter then the older model. They are able to cut the weight by hot forging them which allows them to cut weight. They are made right her in the USA in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Great biner. I've used this for pretty much all my carabiner needs...I like it because it's a little bit bigger than most non-locking biners and so the gate clearance is better. It's a little heavier than some, but not by much.
Just ordered a few more of these puppies. Awesome lightweight wiregate. You can definitely feel the difference between these and the old hotwires. The snappy gate action is a glorious sound to hear after making that desperate clip
Most of my rack is made up of these and I love them! They are light weight and have smooth clipping action. I perfer the use of wire gates over straight or bent.
It's so light and useful to clip things onto your pack. I wanted a multipurpose 'biner that was lightweight and this fit the bill perfectly.
I love the shape of the old and new hotwires, too bad the new ones are made with a softer aluminum. I climbed regularly with the original hotwires for five years after replacing them with the new ones which are now half as worn in one year. My rope gets black much faster than ever before . Now I'm looking for wire gate DMM's, they have a much better reputation for not compromising on quality.