I have never used any other hooks other then bashlins and never had an issue out of them. I will tell you this it is def worth the extra investment for the velcro pads. saves your shins a little wear and tare. out of the box they were razor sharp and ready to climb. I only had to sharpen mine after i had an insodent with a conduit power line and it sparked the hell out of my right spike but sharpened it back up and it was good to go.
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