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Paid $300 for a climbing saddle that broke after 6 weeks
Bought this cheap saddle off a Facebook marketplace ad thinking I got a steal, but the D-ring snapped while I was pruning a big oak branch. Has anyone else had luck with budget gear or should I just bite the bullet on a name brand rig?
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bencampbell21d ago
Yeah that "Facebook steal" thing is a trap man. I learned the same way when a $40 harness from some random dude on Craigslist gave out on me. Those budget saddles are usually made with cheap cast metal for the hardware and it just cant handle real tree work. I'd say skip anything under $150 honestly. Even the midrange stuff like the Buckingham Ergovation or the Weaver leather saddle will last you years if you take care of it. That D-ring snapping at height is a nightmare waiting to happen - you got lucky it was only a 6 week lesson.
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And that's just how it goes with so much budget stuff these days - the price looks good but the materials are absolute trash across the board. I've seen the same pattern with cheap carabiners, cheap ladders, even cheap rope and it always ends the same way with something failing at the worst possible time. A real name brand saddle might hurt your wallet now but at least you know the hardware is actually tested for what you're doing.
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