Nomic

I can't believe nobody has reviewed these yet considering they've been out for a few years. I got these back in Sept 07 and have been using them all season so far. These are my first set of leashless tools. I demoed a ton of tools pryor to settling on the Nomics. I found their versatility and ergonmics light years ahead of the rest. First, they perform better on steep WI than any tool I've ever used. They have a steep approach angle which promotes a wristy swing, a real boon when you are trying to stay efficient on a long pitch of steep ice. On mixed they are extremely stable, allowing you to pull down on the tiniest of holds and keeping the force vector straight over the tip. I've climbed up to M8+ in these and can say that only one tool I've used bests them in mixed - the BD Fusion. But the latter does not perform nearly as well on ice.

My ice/mixed skill has skyrocketed this season, in large part due to this tool. Simply put, it is the best piece of gear I own.

i bought a pair of these on a trip to new hampshire and they were an amazing improvement over my old tools (vipers). they are great for making precise placements becuase f the removable pick weight. using these definitely causes less fatigue on vertical waterfall ice. if you need a set of tools for hard ice/mixed climbing these are a great option, they come sharp as hell too which is nice.

I used these tools 3 or 4 times this winter mainly on steep britle ice, and I was disappointed with the way they penetrate ice, the Astro pick shatters ice and requires several swings before a secure purchase...I now changed the pick to the Cascade pick and I will try it this weekend, will see how it goes...
I am also thinking that I may have to change the way I swing, I am used to the Quarks.
Ok...with the Cascade pick there is a world of difference....
I bet that the hammer version of this pick will add even more weight to the head and therefore even better penetration...