Dialing in the uni

evo

evo

Been here much more than a while
Location
My Island, WA
I just bought a unicender, as a last gasp for mechanicals. I’m needing help dialing it in for my climbing style

Biggest issues I’m having is reliable rappelling. The amount of force it takes to close the links is a bit too much, and in ‘control’ mode I think I’m too light to even budge.

I can’t get control mode to work at all with exstatic and only mildly with Yale 11.7…. It nearly seems it needs a thin 11mm that is super supple.

Any tips?
 
evo said:
I just bought a unicender, as a last gasp for mechanicals. I’m needing help dialing it in for my climbing style

Biggest issues I’m having is reliable rappelling. The amount of force it takes to close the links is a bit too much, and in ‘control’ mode I think I’m too light to even budge.

I can’t get control mode to work at all with exstatic and only mildly with Yale 11.7…. It nearly seems it needs a thin 11mm that is super supple.

Any tips?
Click to expand...

Is this srs or ddrt?
 
SRS or MRS?

MRS, I just squeeze it more than wrapping - especially with moving around the canopy. Final descent, I'll wrap it.

I don't climb a lot of SRS, but definitely wrap it more - especially if moving more than little bit.

Bluemoon and Tachyon.
 
Gorman said:
Is this srs or ddrt?
Click to expand...
Both…. Obviously worse on srs. While on srs there seems to be no sweet spot, squeeze hard and it is either stuck or not, take a wrap and it tries but so much friction it’s nearly like the rope wants to be fed into it. Thus re engaging the arms.
Feels like there needs to be a break in period
 
It is certainly tough to have a controlled descent without the wrap on SRS. I think with the wrap, it is a hard pull down, then almost feed the rope to get going. Smaller diameter rope would be less friction for sure. Maybe 11.7 for MRS (not using wraps to move around canopy) and 11 for SRS?

I don't climb a lot of SRS but probably agree with @rico there - friction hitch + Wrench is becoming my preference when I do.

Speaking of the Uni...anybody hear any news about the new version? I saw it at TCIA in 2019. I had called RE late last year and they said hopefully summer 2021. That should be easier to dial in, I think.
 
I've used Fly and Tachyon for the most part w/Uni and never felt like I didn't have dialed-in control for moving around.

There are different ways to 'palm' the Uni to adjust the friction. Trying different grips may help.

A supple rope has always worked better for me
 
When I bought my uni I also bought the minimum diameter rope that works with it , with the thought that I'll use it until it wears then I'll move up in rope diameter. I think it's 11mm. I made my own rope capture with skateboard bearings for tending. The nice thing about mine is I can take a wrap in either direction when rappelling.


I remember when mine was new, breaking the tension was kind of hard, occasionally using two hands, then only one hand to control it on descent. Once broken in it releases much easier. I always take a wrap to rappel on SRS which is what I primarily use this for. If I'm on a 3:1 I squeeze it by hand to release it.


I would recommend a smaller diameter rope and some break in time.
 

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Jehinten said:
When I bought my uni I also bought the minimum diameter rope that works with it , with the thought that I'll use it until it wears then I'll move up in rope diameter. I think it's 11mm. I made my own rope capture with skateboard bearings for tending. The nice thing about mine is I can take a wrap in either direction when rappelling.


I remember when mine was new, breaking the tension was kind of hard, occasionally using two hands, then only one hand to control it on descent. Once broken in it releases much easier. I always take a wrap to rappel on SRS which is what I primarily use this for. If I'm on a 3:1 I squeeze it by hand to release it.


I would recommend a smaller diameter rope and some break in time.
Click to expand...
Crap, another rope…. How does the all poly kernmaster handle in it?
 
evo said:
Crap, another rope…. How does the all poly kernmaster handle in it?
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I think it has done well, but full disclosure, it's the only rope that I have ran in the uni and I primarily climb on a rope runner. I pull out the uni on sappy jobs, a second tie in, and just whenever I get an urge to run it.

Other climbers will have logged many more hours on it than I have.
 
Jehinten said:
When I bought my uni I also bought the minimum diameter rope that works with it , with the thought that I'll use it until it wears then I'll move up in rope diameter. I think it's 11mm. I made my own rope capture with skateboard bearings for tending. The nice thing about mine is I can take a wrap in either direction when rappelling.


I remember when mine was new, breaking the tension was kind of hard, occasionally using two hands, then only one hand to control it on descent. Once broken in it releases much easier. I always take a wrap to rappel on SRS which is what I primarily use this for. If I'm on a 3:1 I squeeze it by hand to release it.


I would recommend a smaller diameter rope and some break in time.
Click to expand...
I have owned 2 unis. Worked pretty nice but just a few cons that made me run. Your mod is pretty nice. I only climb SRT. Except on a crane day. So my 3 runners get no work really anymore. Damn I own 5 wrenches. No joke. 4 eccentrics. 6 HC. And 3 bearing phlotichs. I got a problem. Love the ropewrench. No room for a uni in my life. It is a neat device though. But in black.....lolol
 
evo said:
Both…. Obviously worse on srs. While on srs there seems to be no sweet spot, squeeze hard and it is either stuck or not, take a wrap and it tries but so much friction it’s nearly like the rope wants to be fed into it. Thus re engaging the arms.
Feels like there needs to be a break in period
Click to expand...
This must be in part to the tree height in your area? Years ago at an AR Training, @Mark Chisholm shared an experience of his doing some work at a theme park. Someone was trying to do a demonstration and it turned into a rescue scenario. They were so high, that the tail weight prevented the climber from descending normally and they had to manually feed rope into the device (Petzl Rig or I’D). By half way down the climber’s arms were completely pumped and couldn’t go any further.

My point really is that this issue may be inherent with all 360 wrap style devices at extreme height. I just gravitate back to linear rope path style devices.

The Uni is one of those things that I really want to use, and whenever I see it in my gear stash, I feel all warm and fuzzy, but I haven’t been able to tie it into my work and feel seamlessly connected. Hats off to Morgan for the design. Maybe I need an immersion course with some resident experts or something.
 
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oceans said:
This must be in part to the tree height in your area? Years ago at an AR Training, @Mark Chisholm shared an experience of his doing some work at a theme park. Someone was trying to do a demonstration and it turned into a rescue scenario. They were so high, that the tail weight prevented the climber from descending normally and they had to manually feed rope into the device (Petzl Rig or I’D). By half way down the climber’s arms were completely pumped and couldn’t go any further.

My point really is that this issue may be inherent with all 360 wrap style devices at extreme height. I just gravitate back to linear rope path style devices.

The Uni is one of those things that I really want to use, and whenever I see it in my gear stash, I feel all warm and fuzzy, but I haven’t been able to tie it into my work and feel seamlessly connected. Hats off to Morgan for the design. Maybe I need an immersion course with some resident experts or something.
Click to expand...
I wish this was the case.. I don’t do the big stuff and still taking it low and slow with the uni
 
The Unicender does have a bit of a learning curve. I rarely used the wrap method except when using just one hand was the only option. Taking some of the weight by placing your off hand below the Uni makes modulation much easier.

It is a good tool with its own set of idiosyncrasies and attributes.
 
The Unicender was my first mechanical (and last) I learned on, and I must say I see exactly where you are coming from. I have never been able to find the sweet spot on SRS for it, It always seems like you have to fight the damn thing to engage it properly and it's just not very smooth at all in SRS. This is the reason I ended up settling (very happily) with the rope wrentch setup.To be fair I did only run it on my yale bluemoon and focus 11.7 lines so maybe it is just that rope? I also never tried to mod it out. I do tend to use it sometimes, but exclusively in ddrt and as a secondary positioning line and on samson Silver ivy 11.7 Something about the pulley/prusik combo just feels right and is my go-to SRS, so I stick with it, but I guess thats all personal preference.
 
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