Ortovox 240 Light PFA Probe

This is a basic avalanche probe at a great price. It's very easy and quick to open up and stays tight.
I bought it for around $22 from here. Great deal.

Let's get the cliche "hope I never have to use it!" out of the way.

I grabbed this for $22 on sale on Backcountry. Value - Ridiculous!

It weighs in at 291g (10.25oz) with the bag, 262g (9.125 oz) without, so the claimed weight is a bit light if you plan on carrying it in the included sack. I have a pocket in my pack, so the sack will stay home. That may be completely irrelevant for most of you.

The PFA system is intuitive and works well - pull it out, throw it out, yank and you're done. The T-grip is sized adequately for glove use without getting in the way. Although it's not easy to get the grip to clip onto the probe shaft, it's also not that important. The first time I used the release, it was sticky. It has since loosened up and works perfectly now.

When fully assembled, there's a tiny bit of play between the shaft segments. It's enough to feel, but I don't think it will result in much deflection during probing.

My only suggestion for improvement: Print the length markers all the way around the shaft. Presently, they cover maybe 1/8 of the circumference and never line up when the probe is pulled together, resulting in the need to twist and search for a measurement. Annoying in snow study, time consuming during a search!

Got this probe as part of a set last winter. Thankfully I have yet to use it in an actual burial, however in the nurmerous practice sessions I have done it has functioned flawlessly. I'm a big fan of the PFA assembly - all you gotta do is give a yank on the T-bar and the sections pop into place. I would give it 5 stars, but I'll wait till i have to use it when it counts for a rating like that.

Great for its intended use and also great for tent poles. Using it for a Nemo equipment meta 2p. Just for a reference, the poles stood up to about 40 mph winds without a problem. Very impressed! Comes with a nice case as well.

assembles in about a second, even gives you enough time to go "holy crap that was cool" then go look for your burried buddy. Rubberized handle keeps hands comfy and gripped.

This probe deploys super fast and the T-grip is really useful. Great weight vs strength ratio makes this a really solid piece of gear.

The flash assembly is great, pretty light, easy to use with gloves on. Works fine, have not had to use it yet in a real avalanche (fingers crossed)

Snaps together in a flash. Wide foam handle and pull tab make it easy to grip with both hands. So quick and efficient, I'll never go back to a lesser model.

I HAVE NOT USED THIS PRODUCT & HOPE I NEVER DO. I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT UNFOLDS & EXTENDS QUICKLY & IS WELL MADE. VERY HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF THIS PRODUCT, BACKCOUNTY.COM SHIPS QUICKLY & IS EASY TO DEAL WITH. WOULD RECOMEND BOTH.

I used this all weekend at an avalance rescue training course and it did the job perfectly. It is on the short side but if a victim is buried deeper in Cascade Cement than this probe will reach, they are statistically dead before I could get to them.

It's also long enough to probe for a 3-man snow cave. Alas, it missed the pine tree that odorized my last cave, but that wasn't the probes fault. :)

I gave this to my nephew for Christmas and he used it in a week long avalanche training course. He said that it worked great.