As we close out the year, we thought it appropriate to see which Treetools brands were the winners for 2025. Notch, DMM Professional, Protos, Petzl, and Clogger have held or improved their relative positions, and newcomers like Courant have also made a dent in the market. Industry stalwarts like ISC, ART, Yale, Stein, Rock Exotica, Distel and Samson have all held their own.
Without much thought, many people assume price is the deciding factor in product choice. Regarding climbing and rigging gear, Treetools has found this assumption to be incorrect. Value for money, functionality, and quality lead the ‘hard’ decision-making criteria, and soft influences like brand trust, supply continuity, and after-sales support always trump price. With this in mind, it's always an interesting exercise to see which products were the year's top sellers.
Top Tree Climbing Harness
For over ten years, Teufelberger's treeMOTION has topped this category, but in 2025 it was bumped off the top perch by DMM's Kinisi Pro, one of four new tree climbing harnesses designed by the Treemagineers. The DMM Kinisi Max started the trend, but the Kinisi Pro version ticks all the boxes for kiwi tree climbers. The irony is that the treeMOTION reached its ten-year peak when Teufelberger, DMM, and the Treemagineers worked together.
Top Climbing System
For years, another Treemagineers-inspired kit, The DMM Hitch Combo, dominated the tree-climbing system market, largely because company buyers felt comfortable with the product. In 2025, this market segment was dominated by mechanical devices, with the Petzl ZigZag family leading. The NOTCH Rope Runner options (Rope Runner Pro and Vertec) came in a very close second, which is surprising since the RR is best suited to SRT.
Top Arborist Helmet
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Petzl and Kask helmets dominated this category, and helmets like the Protos were considered a novelty. Not so for 2025: Protos now takes the top spot, with functionality, value for money, colour choice, comfort and quality as the main drivers.
Top Climbing Line
The biggest category in the ropes section is the ‘mixed’ climbing lines; those that are ‘spliceable’ and work equally well in SRT or DbRT. Yale dominates with 11.7mm Blue Moon, but the Scott Forrest-inspired Donaghy Cougar Blue still holds its own, despite its age. Newcomers from Courant, including Kalimba, SquirV2, and Rebel, have also made inroads into this market, thanks in part to endorsements from reigning women's world champion Steph Dryfhout, bumping out more dated lines like Cousin Atrax and Sterling Scion.
Top Chainsaw Boots
There was a time when the range of chainsaw protective boots was very limited. That is not so today, and yet one of the ‘originals’ still dominates the market, Meindl AirStream. Quality and supply issues plagued the boot for several years, but it has still managed to hold the top position in the New Zealand market. Boots from the Arbpro and the Stein Defender range (due for a revamp in 2026) will continue to pose a challenge for Meindl locally, particularly if the NZ Distributor does not get its act together on supply.
Top Climbing Spurs
Notch, Stein and Buckingham have all attempted to topple Distel from the top spot in the climbing spurs category, but to no avail; Distel wins again in 2025. The Buckingham brand, which once dominated the NZ tree climbing market, has all but disappeared due to a lack of innovation and pricing. In contrast, the Distel team continues to innovate, introducing new and improved products each year.
Top Ascenders
The CT Quickstep foot ascender takes the honours for 2025, and the Climbing Innovations SAKA wins in the knee ascender category. The Arbpro Gemini knee ascender is a relative newcomer, but it also made big strides in 2025.
Top Climbing Carabiner
DMM Ultra O wins again, driven largely by the popularity of the multi-colour MultiPacks. The oval style also offers the most versatile shape for tree-climbing configurations.
Top Throw Bag
Harrison Rockets from the Kiwi Tree Team still hold the top position for 2025. The stainless shot and pricing of the Notch throwbag option appeal to a certain segment of the market, but loyalty to the local brand wins out.
Top Tool Carabiner
Price and value for money heavily influence this purchase, making the Petzl Caritool range the overall winner in this category. The DMM Vault range and the Notch Swinger offer respectable numbers considering the price difference between plastic and aluminium options. The ISC Nessie, although not technically a tool connecting carabiner, also falls under this category and produced solid sales throughout the year.
Top Chainsaw Trousers
No surprises on this one. Clogger Zero, including the newer Ultra option, wins hands down. The Europeans (SIP, Stein and Pfanner) try hard in this category, but the functionality and value-for-money of the Clogger Zeros present a formidable challenge to competitors. The highly specialised Clogger ArcMax chainsaw trousers also sell in significant numbers.
Top Lanyard Adjuster
Here is another example where price is not the decider. You could run a friction-hitch-based lanyard system for a much lower price, but the ART Positioner wins hands down. Ease of use, precision adjustment, and replaceable parts contribute to the Positioner's appeal. The Notch Glide and Petzl Zillon try hard, but are no match for the ART Positioners' popularity.
Top Throwline Storage
The Stein Cube ultimately wins this category, but the NOTCH options and the original Falteimer are not that far behind, considering pricing. When it comes to storing specialist throwlines like FTC Stiffline or Petzl Airline, you cannot go past the FTC Matriosac.
