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Petzl Bongo Review

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petzl bongo climbing hammer
Petzl Bongo Hammer
Credit: Petzl.com
Price:  $95 List
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Manufacturer:   Petzl
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief  ⋅  Apr 20, 2010

Our Analysis

I have only used this for a few minutes but it looks awesome. The rubber grip is easy to hold and the head has a nice sturdy feel. The pick is great for cleaning out placements. Most impressive, I watched Tommy Caldwell place a 3/8" bolt on Mescalito in under ten minutes. It usually takes me 20-plus minutes to place a bolt. This could be because Tommy is just a bad ass. But I think the hammer helps also. The only downside to this hammer is that I don't know how easy it is to place copperheads with the pick. That is a big deal if you do hard aid and repeat a route with fewer than ten ascents. However, most climbs just don't require that many copperhead placements so this drawback is not a big deal. Overall, this might be the best hammer for bolting and new routes. But I won't know for sure until I get to use it more.

Chris McNamara