This quick review is based on two days of use and about 10 pitches of climbing. We tested tools with and without pick weights but did not get a chance to try tools with the optional hammer.
We had little intention of ever reviewing ice climbing gear on Off Belay. However, we recently had an opportunity to demo a pair of Kailas Entheos II. Given how relatively unknown these tools are in the North American market, sharing our initial impression of the tools seems the right thing to do. Ice climbers who are looking for alternatives to the most common offerings (Black Diamond and Petzl) may find this review useful.
For the last 5 seasons I have been climbing in a pair of Cassin X-Dreams. Naturally, a lot of what follows is a direct comparison between the two tools.
The Kailas Entheos II is an award winning product produced using CNC machining. The most impressive feature of the tool is the unibody design; the head, shaft, and handle is a single piece of 7075-T651 aluminum.
Shape
The Entheos is a an aggressively curved tool. It is about the same length as a Grivel North Machine/Quantum Tech making it a shorter tool than the X-Dreams.
Pick
The Entheos comes with the Invader pick. It is a thicker blade than the Mixte picks that come with the X-Dreams. We climbed mostly hero ice for two days with the Entheos, making it hard to judge how much ice they would displace in comparison to the Mixte picks. I think it is safe to assume that thicker picks would displace more ice but should be more durable.*
*As good as the X-Dreams are, the stock picks they come with are by far the least durable I have ever used. It probably explains why there is a large demand for after market X-Dream picks. Check out Howeytools for locally made picks.
Spike
The tool has a small spike that can easily accommodate the accessory carabiners that come with ice tool umbilicals. Small carabiners (i.e. Edelrid 19g) still work but anything larger makes for an awkward, if not impossible, fit.
The X-Dreams do not come with a spike and I initially thought the Entheos spike would interfere with my swing, but for the most part it did not.
Unfortunately, I found no information on the strength rating of the spike.
Handle
The handle is covered in rubber similar to many other tools. They are slightly longer than the handles on Nomics/X-Dreams. However, they are definitely skinnier, accommodating big hands or small hands equally well. The pinky rest on the Entheos is narrower than the X-Dreams, this made them a bit harder to rest on, but had a positive impact on the swing.
The secondary handle has a nice shape that made it comfortable to match on. The angle on the second handle appears slightly different than the lower handle. I did not experience any pick shift when matching, but I was on ice and not hooking on little micro rock nubbins.
The top of the shaft has contours that effectively gives the tools a very nice comfortable “handle” when using them in dagger mode.
Swing
How well did the Entheos swing? One tester with limited ice climbing experience felt the Entheos swung better than most tools he had tried this season. This tester had tried Cassin X-Dreams, Grivel Quantum Techs, Black Diamond Vipers, Black Diamond Fuels, Trango Raptors, and Petzl Quarks.
The swing is different from the X-Dream and is more akin to the Nomics in this regard. Climbers accustomed to Nomics would adjust very easily once they dial in the reach/length of the tool. Most likely due to the shaft design, compared to the Nomics, the Entheos has noticeably more dampening.
The narrow pinky rest allowed me to easily let the tool rotate through my palm, giving it that flick, at the end of a swing. It was easier to flick the Entheos compared to the X-Dreams. The small spike did not prevent the tool from this rotation, but over the course of a season it would probably start to eat through gloves. If the option to remove the spike was there, I would remove them for ice or dry tooling crag days.
Pick weights (55g) give the tool a nice balance and I would keep them on for ice climbing. The additional hammer for alpine use may or may not eliminate the need for the pick weights.
Pros
Handle, head, and shaft constructed with one single piece — should prove to be more durable than many of the tools out there
Cons
Cost - retails for $459 USD! Currently on sale at Verti Call for $345 CND
Limited pick selection - as far as I’m aware the only option is the Invader pick
Final Thoughts
Ice climbers are now spoiled for choices. All modern tools work very well, otherwise, elite climbers would all be climbing with the same set of tools -- but they don't. Climbers just need to find a set of tools that works best for them for the type of climbing they are doing. The Kailas Entheos II provides another option in the Canadian market and I think that having choices is a good thing. Given the recent broken handles on Petzl Nomics/Ergonomics, I think the Kailas Entheos II is worth considering.
Additional reviews of this product can be found here: