I used the Venom for five days on a row and have never met a better ice axe for general climbing. It is certainly not a specialized ice-climbing tool, but it is light, easy to use and durable enough for any trekking across snow and ice. And the slight curve of the handle at the end makes it a great assistance on those rock climbing moves. A few times I was literally hanging by the axe itself on the rock.

A very fine piece of climbing equipment. The only regret I have after five days of climbing out in the glacier is that I only took two of the 'biners with me. Should've had at least six...

I use these little things as additional tool hooks, and for that purpose they work nicely. I generally carry two: one for my knife and one empty in case I'll have to hang something into it fast. They also act as a nice little backup for climbing, especially in icy/snowy conditions. When the primary carabiners have their rollable locks frozen useless I'll take one of these off my belt and switch to using it.

I generally need knife for cutting string or rope, opening meal packages and doing all sorts of little things in the camp. The small Spatha definitely ain't the easiest for one-hand opening but face it: how often do you really need one hand opening anyway? In a tight spot I can one-hand it open by sticking the end of the handle into a pocket or through carabiner loop or belt. It also works in full gear, in sub-zero temperatures and with heavy gloves on. Trust me. I've tried.

The light weight and easy carrying when clipped into one of my spare carabiners overshadow any little hindrances with the opening. Besides it is cheap so I can buy a few, carry one and not feel that bad if I accidentally lose the knife somewhere in the glacier. It is not the best knife in the world, but it’s definitely worth the money.