My vote is Grivel Airtechs also. They've held their edge better than my old Pezls and are easier to get on/off when it's really cold and you don't want to take off gloves.Bootboy wrote:My $.02
I bought a new pair of Grivel airtechs for general mountaineering and love them.( my old ones fell off my pack on Rainier) I got the strap on version simply for versatility. They are lighter and have slightly shorter spikes than say the g12 (overkill for anything less than 50deg.. They are wide and stable and work exceptionally well for what I use them for. In my experience, Grivels hold up very well as they use a heat treated chromoly steel with excellent wear properties. Stainless, I feel, is kind f gimmicky and expensive for the benefits. Rust really isn't an issue with chromoly as long as you take care of them. nothing a little oil and steel wool cant resolve. They will wear longer and require less frequent sharpening.