This hooks like a bat. Great on mixed. It doesn't swing quite as well on pure ice as some of my other tools, but not too bad.. It is a little longer than many tools, giving good reach. I do get tired a little faster swinging it due to the length. Matching is awesome, with very little shifing when going from one grip to the other.
"Solid mixed tool. Better on ice than previous generation."
10/31/11
BD has made some nice improvements on the second gen fusion. Definitely a better swing on pure ice. The removable and clipable spike gives it a serious advantage over other tools in the same category. As with previous fusion, this tool excels at dry tooling and hooking on steep, chandeliered, or stepped out ice.
I found that the new fusions climb ice better than the old ones. Not great, but better than the previous gen. They excel at drytooling though. The new fusion IMO rocks the nomics on drytooling. Everything feels more solid, It is a little tougher to wedge the axe deep into cracks though to bite onto small flakes, or deep frozen turf wedged back because it bulges out, but its a great tool.