Front	Rear	Top

Front: Open for Rigging	Rear: Open for Rigging	Bottom

I acquired my Edelweiss Kinetic from Amazon.com in 2022.

The Kinetic is 103 mm. long, 50 mm. wide, 46 mm. high, and weighs 220 g.

The Kinetic consists of a forged aluminum back, forged aluminum cover, cast stainless steel cam, stainless steel anvil, forged aluminum cam arm, aluminum handle, and miscellaneous parts. The back and cover are irregular in shape. The cam rotates on a pin riveted to the center of the back plate, with a strong spring holding the cam in the open direction. The lever rotates on a pin in the end of the cam lever, and a spring holds the lever in the closed position. The anvil is a block pinned to the right end of the back plate. The cam and anvil provide a rope channel. The front cover pivots on the anvil rivet. There are provisions for a locking screw (provided with the Kinetic) to prevent opening the cover without using tools to remove the screw.

The front of my Kinetic is printed with a hand-holding-a-rope icon, "**" over "Ø8.5," "***" inside a rectangle with "9" and "10" below the left and right ends respectively, "**" over "10.5 mm.," "Kinetic," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "edelWeiss," and a climber icon. The rear is printed with "EN15151-1:2012," "CE0598," and the UIAA logo.

Comment

The Kinetic is well made. It is a complex device that requires more training and familiarization than most devices, much like the Petzl Grigri. Like the Grigri and some others, the Kinetic provides an autolocking feature that may be useful on big walls where the belayer is snoozing. I’d rather have my second awake. Of the bunch, the Kinetic is one of the most compact - a nice feature for those who don't want to haul excess baggage.

The locking screw has some applications where the Kinetic should not be removed from the rope (e.g., in commercial climbing gyms), but the normal climber would choose not to install it.

The Kinetic is essentially identical to the Beal Birdie. Although the details are different, the Kinetic has many similarities to the Mad Rock Lifeguard. Of the two, the Lifeguard is much lighter.