We will not be held liable for any consequential loss caused by late or failed deliveries. Timed deliveries / Saturday & Sunday deliveries All in all, the Spatha wowed testers. It’s not the cheapest in the test, but we still consider it a bargain. Best Ultralight Emergency Knife: CRKT NIAD Full-length knives (Spatha and Rope Tooth) use plastic handles that also function as a sheath when the knife is closed. The handles are still compact, but they allow for an easier and more familiar grip.

Smaller blades (Piranha and NIAD) are less friendly for general use. While the full-length blades have both serrated and un-serrated sections, the shorter blades are almost entirely serrated. That’s great for cutting cord but less adaptable to other tasks. A good balance of weight and blade length with a reasonable price makes this our all-around best climbing knife. Two of the knives (the Petzl Spatha and Edelrid Rope Tooth) are larger and more usable, with handles that function as sheaths. Long, heavy-duty blade with fiberglass, nylon, and rubber handle makes for a great long-lasting knife for multiple uses.Plus, the Piranha has one feature that no other knife could match — a bottle opener for popping open a summit beer. All four knives have clip-in points and/or lanyard attachment points. The Spatha and Rope Tooth can be opened while clipped to a carabiner, but the Piranha and NIAD cannot. Size, Weight, & Intended Use The greatest asset of the Piranha is its price. As of this writing it ties the Edelrid for the cheapest in the test and is less than half the price of the NIAD. For comparable emergency performance, that’s a good value.

If you want an emergency knife but balk at the price of the NIAD, the Piranha is a worthy replacement. The ultralight NIAD and Piranha exist for a reason: many climbers only need to carry a knife to trim old webbing or in case of self-rescue. Especially for alpinists, it’s prudent to have a simple knife that takes up as little space and weight as possible. If your needs are similar, look to the NIAD or the Piranha. It didn’t perform quite as well in our testing, but it still got the job done on every type of fabric we could throw at it. Trango also sells the Trango Shark, which combines a nut tool with the Piranha. We’ve tested the Shark as well; you can read our review of it in our guide to the best nut tools. Edelrid Rope ToothWe destroyed a heap of webbing and cord to find out which climbing knife will cut when you need it most. The results were clear: The Petzl Spatha outclassed the competition in almost every way.