Gecko spurs, spike length question

You'd have to ask Mike about that... I know that he was working on making the mounting plates for other climbers besides the Climb Right ones. The ones in the pic use the CT foot ascender, which doesn't kick out like the Pantin. I sent him the LEFT foot ascender, so it sticks out behind your RIGHT gaff's shaft... keeps it and the rope lined up better with the arch of your foot. I use it with a SAKA knee ascender I got from Richard Mumford, that clips into the hole on the other (left) gaff's clip plate (also from Mike Powers).

This is a real nice setup, and let's you use the system on climbers that don't cost a fortune. I'm very happy with it, great for ascending SRT, and handy for short vertical ascents DdRT, as well.
 
JeffGu said:
You'd have to ask Mike about that... I know that he was working on making the mounting plates for other climbers besides the Climb Right ones. The ones in the pic use the CT foot ascender, which doesn't kick out like the Pantin. I sent him the LEFT foot ascender, so it sticks out behind your RIGHT gaff's shaft... keeps it and the rope lined up better with the arch of your foot. I use it with a SAKA knee ascender I got from Richard Mumford, that clips into the hole on the other (left) gaff's clip plate (also from Mike Powers).

This is a real nice setup, and let's you use the system on climbers that don't cost a fortune. I'm very happy with it, great for ascending SRT, and handy for short vertical ascents DdRT, as well.
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Thanks Jeff.
Sounds like they are similar to the ones from Kiwi climbers :
https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=14586
I'll send Mike a PM.
I've been using the Pantin but I got tired of the rope popping out now and then so I bought a CT Quickstep.
So Much better... Would be good to add a foot ascender on my Gecko spikes also....
 
So have there been any new revelations on the DMM distel aluminum geckos?
An ascender that mounts on them/general reviews?
Are they worth the wait and the $50 more than the classic geckos? They're out of stock at the moment, and I have a chunk stashed for spurs.
Should I buy euro spurs to put on them?
I'm looking for the last set of climbers I'll ever need to buy. All input welcome. There is a disturbing shortage of recent conversation about top-end spikes.
 
I can't help you on which size gaffs that will work best with your trees. I use the american longs, but 95% of my work are big redwoods, firs, and pines. The gaffs are easily changed, so I keep are pair of shorts around for the occasional madrone, euc, or oak. I will say that the DMM Gecko's are worth the extra $. The wider offset stirrup is much more comfortable than the standard Gecko's, including the carbon fibers. I have been doing pretty much nothin but removals for over 35 years, and the DMM Gecko's are the most comfy spurs I have ever used! Highly recommended. Bashlin's also have the offset stirrup and interchangeable gaffs, and with some cadillac pads also make for a killer set of spurs. Stay away from the Climb Rights. Poorly designed shank and stirrup, and a horrible gaff profile. Probably the worst spur I have ever used, and no good if you are gonna be standing in them for long or carrying a large saw. God awful spurs!
 
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I can't speak to the hooks but I switched to pole gaffs last season and I really like the shorter spike. They were an issue on a couple large pines but still workable with more aware step placement.
 
SomethingWitty said:
So have there been any new revelations on the DMM distel aluminum geckos?
An ascender that mounts on them/general reviews?
Are they worth the wait and the $50 more than the classic geckos? They're out of stock at the moment, and I have a chunk stashed for spurs.
Should I buy euro spurs to put on them?
I'm looking for the last set of climbers I'll ever need to buy. All input welcome. There is a disturbing shortage of recent conversation about top-end spikes.
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Try Timbersaws in New Zealand. They usually have them in stock. I bought a few sets from them, and and they showed up really quick. Even with shipping from New Zealand they were about the same price as buying from TreeStuff. Like I said before, get the DMM Gecko's and be done with it!
 
erik smith said:
I can't help you on which size gaffs that will work best with your trees. I use the american longs, but 95% of my work are big redwoods, firs, and pines. The gaffs are easily changed, so I keep are pair of shorts around for the occasional madrone, euc, or oak. I will say that the DMM Gecko's are worth the extra $. The wider offset stirrup is much more comfortable than the standard Gecko's, including the carbon fibers. I have been doing pretty much nothin but removals for over 35 years, and the DMM Gecko's are the most comfy spurs I have ever used! Highly recommended. Bashlin's also have the offset stirrup and interchangeable gaffs, and with some cadillac pads also make for a killer set of spurs. Stay away from the Climb Rights. No good if you are gonna spend serious time standing in them.
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That's still a lot of what I wanted to know.
I want the distels. And I want them to be great.
I'll probably be using the short gaffs most of the time, but I do the occasional medium cottonwood or pine that I'd like a deeper bite on.
If the euros and long gaffs have about the same bite depth, I have some serious interest in the euros. I've never tried any, but I don't really like most of the spurs I've used. One set of aluminum bashlins were pretty alright.
 
I have the american long spurs on my carbon fiber geckos but I am thinking about trying out those euro style.

Has anyone ever sharpened their gaffs for the carbon fiber geckos? I have tried looking it up online but didn't find much, I am just wondering if it is different than the standard way to sharpen a gaff.
 
Drumbo said:
I have the american long spurs on my carbon fiber geckos but I am thinking about trying out those euro style.

Has anyone ever sharpened their gaffs for the carbon fiber geckos? I have tried looking it up online but didn't find much, I am just wondering if it is different than the standard way to sharpen a gaff.
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That is a good question. The other companies all have specific profiles for their points(and cute little guides), and they aren't all the same.
 
The american longs are around 3'", and work best with thick bark trees like redwoods, firs, and pines. The euro's are a little over 2", but have a very different profile. Checkout a picture of the euro's and you will see that the tip of the gaff kinda points in towards the tree. I found them very strange and pretty much worthless for the type of wood I work with, but they may be great for your trees. Who knows? The Bashlin longs are about 2.5" long and are extremely forgiving and very easy to climb in. With the cadillac pads you can stand in them all day long!
 
SomethingWitty said:
That is a good question. The other companies all have specific profiles for their points(and cute little guides), and they aren't all the same.
Click to expand...

I wonder if @bonner1040 or anyone at treestuff would know how we should go about sharpening these bad boys. Also the euro style ones looks totally different, so I wouldn't even know where to start sharpening those.
 
The Bucklite aluminum spurs are also really nice. They have a nice wide offset stirrup, and interchangeable short or long gaffs (2-7/16"), I have climbed in them a few time and loved them, but I need longer gaffs for my thick barked trees. The DMM's, Bashlins, and Bucklite's are all wonderful spurs, but I find the DMM's best for me.
 
I reckon asking what type of gaff you will like is a bit like asking someone what type of ice cream you will like: everyone has their preference and no one can really tell you what yours is.

That said, in general folks working mostly on conifers or other thick-barked trees (myself included) tend to prefer long gaffs. If you work mostly with thin-barked trees you can either do pole gaffs or euro gaffs, and I have heard about equal numbers of folks who like each. Personally I can't stand the euro gaffs, but then some on here obviously feel different.

I will say that I think the euro gaffs take more getting used to if you are coming from long gaffs, but that's just my opinion.
 
treewill said:
I reckon asking what type of gaff you will like is a bit like asking someone what type of ice cream you will like: everyone has their preference and no one can really tell you what yours is.

That said, in general folks working mostly on conifers or other thick-barked trees (myself included) tend to prefer long gaffs. If you work mostly with thin-barked trees you can either do pole gaffs or euro gaffs, and I have heard about equal numbers of folks who like each. Personally I can't stand the euro gaffs, but then some on here obviously feel different.

I will say that I think the euro gaffs take more getting used to if you are coming from long gaffs, but that's just my opinion.
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Okay. That's some nifty info.
I am coming from 'please let me figure out how to do this takedown without those uncomfortable old, long, steel, poorly sharpened for too long bastards,' which means I have worn long gaffs about half a dozen times over the past year.

One such tree was the reason I decided that I need new climbers.
It was a beastly mockernut hickory that I fairly easily (as compared to with hooks) worked down to a log that would barely fit in the yard. It had some back lean.
When I felled the 30" log with a 20" saw I didn't quite have an even hinge (tiredness and urgency...) and one side was thick and tugged it off towards a stump about 10 degrees from where my intended lay was. The butt kicked WAY up and landed with hinge fibers touching the fence about 10' from the stump. I had a moment and knew that the unforseen possible outcome could have killed me and I should have block and tackled it down. I knew that was what I should have done.

I am getting those DMM spurs. I may spring for long to handle the occasional dead pine and then get a set of euros for my every week hardwood takedowns since I know that I don't like what I have been trying.
 
You will love the DMM's! Sounds like you need to spend a lot more time climbing in spurs before you will become comfortable with them. If you can, go out in the woods whenever possible and spurs up a bunch off trees.
 
erik smith said:
You will love the DMM's! Sounds like you need to spend a lot more time climbing in spurs before you will become comfortable with them. If you can, go out in the woods whenever possible and spurs up a bunch off trees.
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You're right.
I need to use them more.
I have enough simple takedowns to justify the practice once I have a killer set of climbers.
 
moss said:
I'm getting enough takedown work that it's time to upgrade from my Climb Right spurs. I've been unhappy with them, last time I used them I threw them out of the tree, 'nuff said.

Looking at the aluminum Geckos (Distel), what's the deal on the 3 spike length options: American short, American long and European. I'm a New England area climber, mostly hardwoods, some pines. Anyone prefer one type of spike length or type over another?
-AJ
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Call George, get a pair of Antec Axess climbers, and be done with it.
 
oceans said:
Call George, get a pair of Antec Axess climbers, and be done with it.
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After a quick search, I found a little discussion on them.
They look cool.
They are expensive (not really an issue) and probably really killer climbers.

I found out about them when my mind was made up. I think.
I would love to try a pair on. The higher hooks sound appealing. And no rotation.
 
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