L’apex n’est pas l’arme fatale mais son rapport qualité prix semble imbattable.
Dans cet article, il est testé au milieu de top piolets(Nomic, fusion, Alloy, rage, souvent bien plus chers).
Voici ce qu’on dit de l’apex ici: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=4473
C’est moi qui ai mis en gras certains commentaires positifs.
[quote]DMM Apex
Pick Adze/Hammer:
The Apex comes with both adze and hammer. The adze/hammer is integral to the pick (they are one piece). The adze is small, but usable and is a feature that makes the Apex a very mountain friendly technical tool. The hammer unit is also small, and due to the aggressive shaft curve is quite tricky to use when hammering in pegs, but is certainly better than no hammer. Many top level mixed climbers in Canada and the US are carrying an additional peg hammer on hard routes, and there is no need for this with the Apex unless you are planning on hammering 20+ pegs. The pick shape, quality and durability seem good. Ice specific picks and a larger ‹ mountain › adze are available as extras.
Swing:
The tool is very well balanced and pick weights come as standard. The Apex has a unique swing due to the straight handle and aggressive shaft curve, which we liked, but took some getting used to. Feedback on ice was very positive, and we found the tool to be slightly better suited to steeper ground.
Shaft:
An aggressively curved tubular shaft of high quality construction. Simple and bomb-proof, the handle/head unit are double riveted to increase longevity and avoid creaking.
Handle:
The handle on the Apex is perhaps the most traditional in style of all the axes in review here, but saying that it is one of the most comfortable. The straight handle, good grippy rubber and ample lower hand rest gives a natural hand position and can work with a variety of hand sizes. We added grip tape to the upper shaft on ours above the upper hand rest. Neither hand rest is adjustable, but both are strong and comfortable.
Attachment Points:
The Apex has a good clip in point at the base in the spike and also a fairly standard large hole in the head of the axe.
Rating:
The axe is T Rated, and is supplied with T Rated picks as standard.
Misc:
We found that the aggressive shape of the shaft kept hands well clear of snow/neve when daggering on easy terrain (see opening photo of this article of Stu McAleese in Wales). Perhaps some additional serrations on the shaft-spike would help it grip more on neve when using the tool upright on easy ground.
Overall:
This is a fantastic ice axe, a real progression for DMM and is a super technical tool that is suited for hard mixed and big mountains too. A real ‹ go anywhere › tool. Perhaps not quite as technical as some other tools in this review (although just as, if not more aggressive), but of course DMM do a more radical tool called the Switch (check it out on the DMM website) with a more ergonomic handle. If sport dry tooling is your only thing, then go for something more radical. If you climb traditional mixed, hard ice, classic routes and big mountains, and want a tool that won’t slow you down no mater how hard the terrain, then you won’t go far wrong with the Apex.[/quote]
Quelques légères réserves mais selon ce banc, c’est très positif et à un prix défiant la concurrence.
