New or redesigned anchors: Upper row, left to right: The heavy stainless steel Wasi anchor with universal swivel, two HydroBubble anchors (we tested only the larger one), and the galvanized Davis Talon XT plow. The two anchors below are the Spade Oceane (left) and intriguing XYZ anchor (right).

The more we test anchors, the more we remind ourselves of the obvious: This is a topic fraught with variables. It's like the blind men trying to describe the elephant, each having hold of a different pachydermal part. Yet the more circumstances in which we test, the better we get to know these metallic comrades upon which we place so much responsibility.

Here's a recap of the tests over the last few years.

In the February 1998 issue we reported the results of a test of nine anchors for initial setting ability (in wet, packed sand). The clear winner was the Bruce, followed, in the order of how they did, by…