Mad Rock Concorde Review

Name: Mad Rock Concorde
Brand: Mad Rock Climbing

If you're buying everything all at once and need to save some $$, the price on these can't be beat

mad rock concorde quickdraw review — Credit: Mad Rock

View at Mad Rock Climbing

Price: $14 List

Manufacturer: Mad Rock Climbing

By Cam McKenzie Ring ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ Apr 19, 2018

OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#12 of 14

Ease of Clipping - 25% 6.0
Ease of Unclipping - 25% 6.0
Portability - 20% 7.0
Handling - 15% 5.0
Ease of Grabbing - 15% 3.0

Our Verdict

If you're looking for the least expensive quickdraw out there, it doesn't get much cheaper than the Mad Rock Concorde. They are half the price (or even less!) than some other models in this test group. How is it so cheap? Mad Rock states that they developed a manufacturing process that can bust these out on the cheap while still maintaining proper strength ratings. There's a need in every market for bargain-basement products, and if you're hoping to put together your own set of draws but can hardly afford it, the price on these is hard to beat. These draws can be used for both trad and sport climbing, but are not the ideal choice for either, as they could be a bit lighter for trad, or a lot more user friendly for sport. Only bargain bin shoppers need apply, and be willing to take the knocks to performance.

REASONS TO BUY

Inexpensive

REASONS TO AVOID

Narrow sling

Exposed notch can snag on gear

Wide profile

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)

	This Product Mad Rock Concorde	Petzl Djinn Axess	Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid	CAMP USA Orbit Wire Express KS	Cypher Firefly II
Awards
Price	$14.00 List	$19.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers	$18.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers	$16.00 List $9.57 at Amazon	$10.13 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers
Overall Score	56	74	68	66	61
Star Rating	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Bottom Line	Least expensive draw on the market	Large carabiners work well with gloves on	Best Bang for the Buck winner due to its solid performance at a relatively low price	A good choice for new climbers that do a little bit of everything	A good value pick for trad climbers or anyone looking for an inexpensive option
Rating Categories	Mad Rock Concorde	Petzl Djinn Axess	Black Diamond HotFo...	CAMP USA Orbit Wire...	Cypher Firefly II
Ease of Clipping (25%)	6.0	9.0	7.0	8.0	7.0
Ease of Unclipping (25%)	6.0	9.0	7.0	5.0	5.0
Portability (20%)	7.0	4.0	5.0	7.0	8.0
Handling (15%)	5.0	8.0	8.0	7.0	6.0
Ease of Grabbing (15%)	3.0	6.0	7.0	6.0	4.0
Specs	Mad Rock Concorde	Petzl Djinn Axess	Black Diamond HotFo...	CAMP USA Orbit Wire...	Cypher Firefly II
Weight (ounces)	3 oz	4 oz	3.5 oz	3.1 oz	2.6 oz
Gate opening bottom carabiner (mm)	25 mm	27 mm	27 mm	27 mm	25 mm
Width of sling (mm)	10 mm	16 mm	18 mm	16 mm	10 mm
Sling Material	Dyneema	Polyester	Polyester	Polyester	Dyneema
Manufacturer Warranty	Limited lifetime warranty	3 year	1 year	3 year	At Cypher's discretion
Non-Snagging Top Biner	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Non-Snagging Bottom Biner	No	Yes	No	No	No
Forging method	Warm	Cold	Hot	Not disclosed	Hot
Unique features	Double bent wiregate biners	Large carabiners good for big hands or gloves, easy to clip	Visual patterning designed to easily catch the eye while climbing	Double wiregate carabiners	Double wiregates with a rubber keeper on the lower biner
Available sling lengths	10 cm	12 cm, 17 cm	12 cm, 16 cm	11 cm, 18 cm	11 cm, 16 cm

Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Mad Rock Concorde is a budget-friendly quickdraw that still gets the job done, though not particularly well. While the price is right, it is on the heavy side for trad climbing use, and not functional for sport climbing. But sometimes any draw is better than none, so if you need a set but aren't looking to spend a lot on them, this could be an option to consider.

Performance Comparison

mad rock concorde quickdraw review - testing out the concord. this inexpensive draw will get the job done... — Testing out the Concord. This inexpensive draw will get the job done without blowing your budget.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Ease of Clipping

While not the hardest model to clip (that honor goes to the Concorde's sibling, the Mad Rock Ultra Light Wire), it isn't the easiest either. The tension on the wiregates felt a little stiff, but not as bad as the Ultra Light. We appreciated that the rope end has a slight bend to it.

mad rock concorde quickdraw review - clipping the concords on a sport route. while not as snappy feeling... — Clipping the Concords on a sport route. While not as snappy feeling as some of the bar gates that we tested, it wasn't too stiff either.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Ease of Unclipping

If you've read some of our other quickdraws reviews you probably already know what we are going to say — this one comes with an unprotected wiregate notch that can get hung up on things when you go to unclip it. If you plan to climb a lot of steep sport routes, do you and your partner a favor, and look for something with a protected notch or keylocking solid gate.

mad rock concorde quickdraw review - you have to pay attention when unclipping these carabiners so that... — You have to pay attention when unclipping these carabiners so that the gate doesn't catch on the bolt. That's easier in a vertical situation than when your route is overhanging.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Portability

This draw weighs 3.0 ounces, which is about the middle of the pack. It's not as light as the lightest options (which clock in as low as 1.9 ounces), but it is lighter than most of the more sport climbing-focused options out there. If you like the looks (and price point) of this model but want something a little lighter, Mad Rock's Ultra Light Wire draw weighs only 2.4 ounces.

Handling

Our testers' main complaint about the Concorde's ease of handling is that the carabiners are on the thick side and take up more room on your harness. They also tend to bunch up a bit and cross-clipped on us occasionally when we had a lot of stuff on our gear loops. The thinner sling also made them more prone to twisting around, as you can see in the photo below.

mad rock concorde quickdraw review - the carabiners are thicker than most and a little bulbous. the thin... — The carabiners are thicker than most and a little bulbous. The thin sling also twisted on us a bit. Here we went to clip, and the bottom carabiner started to turn around. That's another benefit to thicker slings.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Ease of Grabbing

Like all of the thin 10mm draws, this one is not easy to grab — the dogbone felt unusually short on this model as well, making even more challenging to hang onto. If you know that you are prone to grabbing draws on challenging climbs (rather than take the whip), then look for something with a 25mm or wider dogbone, like our Editors' Choice winner, and accept that paying a bit more is often worth it.

mad rock concorde quickdraw review - not only is the sling thin (10mm) but it was also shorter than most... — Not only is the sling thin (10mm) but it was also shorter than most, making it the most challenging to grab.
Credit: Cam McKenzie Ring

Value

The price on this draw is hard to beat. It also comes in a six-pack for added savings. Whether or not that is a good value, though, is up for debate. It is one of the lowest-scoring models in our test group and given a choice we'd spend a little bit more for something else.

Conclusion

We appreciate Mad Rock's efforts to create the least expensive draw possible. There's always a need for budget items, and the Concorde is something even the poorest of dirtbags could probably afford. While this quickdraw doesn't perform as well as the more expensive models, if you don't care about anything else but the price of your quickdraws (and some climbers just don't!), then these are hard to beat.

— Cam McKenzie Ring