When I saw an ad for the new Kong Frog quickdraw, I couldn’t help but laugh. It looks like a glorified mini-stick clip. When I read the propaganda and the price ($29.95 each!), it seems even more ridiculous.
“FROG makes obsolete the traditional concept of a carabiner thought as a ‘hook’. The insertion is extraordinarily quick and safe even in ‘far’ anchor points, not easy to be reached with standard connectors.” – from www.knradventuregear.com.
and
“Another Kong innovation, this revolutionary connector makes hard clips quick and easy. The upper connector employs a self closing mechanism, eliminating the necessity to clip two carabiners. The Frog saves you time and more importantly precious energy when things get steep or strenuous.” – from www.climbinggearinc.com.
Is it really more helpful to shove a connector at a bolt instead of clipping a carabiner? This seems very dangerous to fall on. You should never load a carabiner gate and that is exactly what would happen if you fell. I’m sure that extra inch of reach would be outweighed by how untrustworthy this whole set up is. Also, at 125 grams each, nearly twice the weight of a standard quickdraw, an entire rack of these would drag you down the wall. Strong work. This belongs in the same group as Jamalots and Putty Nutz.