Cassin X-All Mountain Ice Axe

Pros - balanced, comfortable, head clip, versatileCons - matching, over-stickI've had a chance to demo most of the competitors tools out there and these felt the best on ice by far. If I were going to do mainly dry tooling, then I would probably get Nomics. Where the Cassin tools really excel is on super thin ice. I've tried other tools on the same super thin lines and struggled.These tools are really light and yet they still stick so well, sometimes too well. I've heard about other people changing and filing the pick to make it easier to clean, but I've found that a lighter wrist flick solves the problem.I did notice that the first few times I matched on the tools it felt a bit awkward. It is just that the angle is a bit different, easy to get over though. I have dry-tooled routes up to and around M7 and had no issues.These tools are also very versatile with an easy to swap out handle system. When not in use, the opening on the head of the tool is super easy to clip in and out of an ice clipper.Best uses: steep, thin ice - side by side, no other tool holds thin ice as well.