Any piece of gear has its fans and its detractors — and that includes the magnetic carabiner launched by Black Diamond back in 2012.
But in the case of the Magnetron, the “fans” just happen to include some of the greatest climbers of all time. It’s the favorite locking carabiner of Free Solo‘s Alex Honnold, and an example of “perfect engineering,” according to British crusher Hazel Findlay.
An auto-locking carabiner that uses magnets instead of screw gates, the Magnetron is also prized for its light weight. It became a pricey, sought-after item when Black Diamond discontinued it back in 2020, citing “manufacturing complexity and high production costs.”
Now this beloved piece of climbing gear is back in production — and sold out immediately. Though it officially drops today, preorders on Black Diamond and REI sold out within 24 hours on July 28.
A Black Diamond social media post promising a restock (and featuring Austrian climbing phenom Babsi Zangerl) has been viewed more than half a million times in less than 5 days. The carabiner should be restocked online in about 3 weeks, a Black Diamond spokesperson told GearJunkie.
As Honnold puts it, “The Magnetron is back, baby!”
What’s the Big Deal?
As any rock climber will tell you, a reliable locking carabiner is one of the sport’s most important pieces of gear. That’s no small thing when we’re talking about gear that’s literally built to prevent a long (and often fatal) fall to the ground.
Forgetfulness of small details often leads to deadly accidents in climbing. Deaths occur most commonly during the process of rappelling, or getting back down to the ground. Those are the moments when it’s imperative to make sure that your locking carabiner is, well, locked. An unlocked ‘biner means the rope could potentially fall out — a mishap that’s often fatal.
The Magnetron excels at avoiding such accidents because it locks automatically. If the gate is closed, the carabiner is locked. That’s in contrast to the most commonly used locking ‘biners, which require manually screwing them shut (and they’re not always easy to lock with one hand). And even those carabiners can sometimes unscrew themselves from the friction against the rope or rock.
By contrast, the Magnetron’s magnetic locking mechanism is easy to lock or unlock with one hand. With magnets in the carabiner’s nose and steel gate arms, it offers redundancy that makes climbers feel a bit safer. That includes GearJunkie Staff Writer Mary Andino. Much like the peace of mind granted by auto-locking belay devices like the Petzl Gri Gri, she feels more secure knowing her belayer is using a Magnetron.
“The belayer locking their carabiner is a key safety step, and the fact that you can’t not lock the Magnetron helps prevent accidents,” Andino said. “And it provides peace of mind to people like me. With the Magnetron, I can focus my nervous energy on sending my project, instead of my belayer’s setup.”
The New Magnetron
Black Diamond’s previous iteration of the Magnetron opted for the VaporLock design. But the latest version of Black Diamond’s Magnetron taps the brand’s RockLock carabiner style, which the brand calls the “perfect shape and size for belaying, anchoring, and rappelling.”
Its magnets have been relocated slightly lower toward the “nose” of the carabiner, rather than higher up as on previous models. Gate arms have a bit more texture for improved grip and are now made of stainless steel.
The rest of the carabiner is made of UL-certified aluminum with 25% pre-consumer recycled content. It currently sells in a black-and-pink color, but I’d imagine that additional color options could come along if the ‘biner’s popularity continues.
In recent years, the difficulty of finding these discontinued carabiners has led to higher prices for second-hand sales. That caused some climbers to label them “overrated” on social media. But reviewers have consistently rated the Magnetron highly, and persistent requests from climbers to bring back production of the carabiner clearly resonated with Black Diamond’s leaders.
When it debuted in 2012, GearJunkie founder Stephen Regenold called the Magnetron one of the best new designs at the Outdoor Retailer trade show. Fast-forward 14 years, and it’s making waves all over again.
