I love my pear-shaped twist-lockers, but they could stand to slim down. With a streamlined size and versatile shape, the new MAD ROCK OVAL TWIST-LOCK ($11.95, madrockclimbing.com) fits the bill nicely, weighing only 2oz thanks to I-beam construction. Although ovals have traditionally been weaker than asyms, the Oval Twist-Lock rates at a burly 23kN/ 7kN/7kN. The twist-lock mechanism’s snappy action makes one-handed opening a cinch, and the nose has a snagless, keylock design. Resistant to load shifting but easy to rotate under partial weight, the Oval Twist-Lock was solid on anchors and as a belay biner, as well as part of a 3-to-1 system we used to lower a giant choss block off a proto-route.