I primarily climb water ice and use dual front point crampons, but with an upcoming trip promising the potential for mixed climbing as well I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try monopoints. After searching around, I settled on the new Black Diamond Stingers (I would also have considered the Grivel G20s if I could get them!) and basically got the last pair for sale in Japan. They were immediately thrown onto my Spantiks and taken into the Japan Alps for 5 days of remote ice lines. So how were they?

In a word, perfect. Firstly, climbing in monos generally is just so much better - you get far more precision and it's much easier to make placements. Monos shatter hard water ice less, too. Brilliant.

As for the Stingers, well... I can't really fault them. With the standard bar they fit perfectly on my size EU44 Spantiks on the second-last hole with front and back bails in the 'smallest' position. The Spantiks have a really pronounced rocker on the sole and the Stingers are the first crampons I've seen to match this, making for a superb fit. They fit great on my Phantom Guides (also EU44), too.

They fit really solidly onto the boots. The front bail is good - better than most others I've seen, even on the notoriously narrow Phantom Guide sole - and has a securing loop. You either love or hate these - the competing Petzl Darts and Grivel G20s don't even have them - but after seeing a friend's crampon pop off during the trip, I think they're a reasonable idea. The heel clip is really narrow, adjusts easily and fits great - a big improvement over the ones on my Dartwins (which are hatefully bad). The strap is LONG but can easily be trimmed down to length and it does secure very well.

In a move to better the Darts and G20s, the Stingers come with full anti-balling plates. I think this is great, although my Dartwins never really balled up (I only have a rear plate on them). I did a lot of walking over varied terrain in the Stingers - not exactly considered ideal - and had no issues at all.

But of course, being a pure climbing crampon, the big question is how they climb. In a word, they climb beautifully. The hooded monopoint gave great traction on both blank granite slabs and ice of various consistencies (from loose sugar to hard water ice) and was precise and easy to place. The small secondary front points helped to stabilise things nicely. The secondary front points gave a good tripod feel in the heels-down position and the other side and back points have good traction during smearing, descending, French technique and abseiling down ice and rock. The small points under the inside give a nice stick when you stand on lumps of ice, too.

Overall, if you are in the market for a new pair of techie climbing 'pons then I would highly recommend the Stinger. They climb brilliantly, fit modern boots perfectly and have a full anti-balling system. The usual caveats apply - check fit on YOUR boots BEFORE buying - but if they fit you will love them.

I'll be honest from the outset, I love my C4's - unless you have used a C4 it's hard to describe the simple joy from the flawless action on these devices. They have an excellent range thanks to the double axle and I have found that they rarely walk and are easy to clean.

The thumb loop makes for easy, rapid placements even when wearing gloves, or in wobbly desperation on a crux - the loop and trigger design also makes them easy to recover from placements; for these qualities I can forgive them their slightly heavier weight.

The only thing I could really wish for would be an extendable sling akin to the DMM Dragon, though having tried both I still prefer the C4 over the DMM alternative (not that there's much in it). They are a little pricey but they are honestly worth it.

If your asking wether to bring an ice tool or a mountaineering axe... bring this
It climbs ice well and can secure in self arrest during a fall.... a perfect combination of form and function