Anyone climb on 13 mm htp or km3 max?

[RBJtree]

A little more testing in my backyard today. 50 foot tip. No discernable elongation, but flex at my tip was significant, so it was hard to tell. Mini saka and ct foot ascender working perfectly, bdb and hh2 also working great. Got a little bit of limb walking in and the tending on return for both devices was great. Not worse at all than smaller lines. But the real shine was walking up hill on a limb walk. The grip on this rope is unreal and matches my climbing style perfectly.
Here is a comparison picture with red scandere 11.7, blue moon 11.7, black km3 max 11, and the orange km3 13 mm.

 

[RBJtree]

It doesn't look that much larger than the blue moon in the picture, but it feels a lot bigger. Under body wieght tension the blue moon shrinks and the km3 does not. The blue moon also gets flattened out a lot more, the km3 is staying very round in my devices.

 

[JeffGu]

That's the experience I've had with the rope, too. Stays round, feels fat, doesn't get like a cable under load. My blue one w/white tracers LOOKS lots bigger than the orange version... interesting. I'll have to do this... take some pics with several ropes together. I'll put the 11mm KM3 Max next to the KM3 13mm like you did... I have some Aztec (same rope as blue moon) but no Scandere. I'll think of something to throw in there.

I've always been surprised at how different ropes of the same make/model in different colors appear... and sometimes measure... different sizes. But, I also know that on any given day those machines will braid a rope with slightly different tension and final size.

 

[JeffGu]

Top to bottom, fattest to thinnest by look and feel only... didn't take micrometer with me to the shop. Some of these, the order is not exactly what you'd expect.

KM III 13mm or 1/2"
A 13mm or 1/2" 48-strand 100% nylon kernmantle used in rescue work (version of HTP if I remember right)
Yale 11.7mm Hedera
Yale 11.7mm Aztec
AllGear 11.5mm Cherrybomb
Teufelberger 11.8mm DrenaLINE
KM III Max 11mm or 7/16"

 

[Joeybagodonuts]

That's the experience I've had with the rope, too. Stays round, feels fat, doesn't get like a cable under load. My blue one w/white tracers LOOKS lots bigger than the orange version... interesting. I'll have to do this... take some pics with several ropes together. I'll put the 11mm KM3 Max next to the KM3 13mm like you did... I have some Aztec (same rope as blue moon) but no Scandere. I'll think of something to throw in there.

I've always been surprised at how different ropes of the same make/model in different colors appear... and sometimes measure... different sizes. But, I also know that on any given day those machines will braid a rope with slightly different tension and final size.

Seriously man... Im right there with ya.. lol. We were just talking about this!!!

In comparison to the others in the table, that KM3 looks about the same size as the 12.5 hipstar flex hank i have. It's a very rugged/bumpy cordage. They call it Sirius in the manual but it's really a Kern/ Type A Rescue cordage, even says so on the core tag. It does not run through my zillon very good though, very tight. I sometimes wonder if it's the Grip version as I'm confident its a KM.

Speaking of which, what is the difference with the Grip? Is it more knobby? Different weave, thicker cover stands?

 

[RBJtree]

The pictures really don't do justice, but its cool to see the differences.

 

[JeffGu]

The KM3 Max 11mm and the DrenaLINE 11.8mm are both 32-strand kernmantles with a 1-over-1 braid, so are real smooth and slick feeling. The two 13mm kernmantles are a 2-over-2 braid and are a little bumpier feeling... both have pretty thick covers. Both are too fat for me to use with a RopeWrench. The friction is just ridiculously high.

The Hedera version of Yale 11.7 is a little fatter than the other color schemes I've had (Aztec, Blue Moon, Calamine, Tropical Ivy) and feels a bit more baggy. Flattens a little more.

The AllGear 11.5mm 24-strand doublebraid ropes are a little bumpier than most, with a thick cover. I found them easy to splice, and more static than a lot of the more popular ropes, but some people don't like them. I thought they were fine, especially for the price.

I've had a ZigZag on all these ropes and it works on them all, a bit too much drag on the 1/2" ropes, which just means it doesn't fall through the device while tending, like the others. The 11mm KM3 Max is just a tad slick and I never liked the feel of it in the ZigZag. In all fairness, though, it's smaller than the 11.5mm minimum stamped on the ZZ, so I didn't expect it to be great.

I was initially disappointed when I got the DrenaLINE because I could tell right off the bat that it is not the advertised 11.8mm and you can tell that from the pics. But, I got it because I had read that it was a beautiful match for the ZZ, and it absolutely lives up to that. Soft, nice hand for a kern. Very little flattening and very smooth.

 

[RBJtree]

I got a little more experimental rec climbing in today on my km3 13mm. Got it dialed in pretty well on the hh2 with rit, and it accualy works good with a rope wrench too. Ran it with hrc on the wrench with a micho. I'm new to the wrench and haven't climbed with it on anything else yet. It does have a good amount of friction, but I was able to decend at a decent medium speed rate with no problem. Probably not as sporty as some would like for a comp setup, but totally good for work climbing. Tending was great on ascent and limb walking.

 

[RBJtree]

Oh and btw, at a 100ft canopy tie, this rope had no elongation or bounce. I'm 175lbs with no gear or shoes, I was probably close to 200 with all the stuff I brought up with me.

 

[DSMc]

With 13mm climbing line you might want to try running less wraps with your HH2.

 

[islandarb]

Km3max is super bouncy and shit on your hands. Horrible rope. I would never entertain a 13mm rope. I been on SRT for so long and bounce in a line is just not acceptable to me.

 

[RBJtree]

With 13mm climbing line you might want to try running less wraps with your HH2.

I have. I like it how I have it. Good control, very responsive, easy tending, drops like a bomb, but only if I want it to, and will stop smooth or on a dime if I want it to. What more could you ask for? Plus I like something to grab.

 

[RBJtree]

Km3max is super bouncy and shit on your hands. Horrible rope. I would never entertain a 13mm rope. I been on SRT for so long and bounce in a line is just not acceptable to me.

Why would you never entertain 13mm? I have been loving mine. This is my 5th srt line in the last year and my favorite so far. Also had km3 max 11mm and didn't find it to be bouncy. Maybe its your/my climbing style? This km3 13mm doesn't budge at my weight.
Edit: the km3 max 11mm was too hard to grip for me and did have more stretch then the km3 13mm, just didn't bother me.

 

[rico]

I got a little more experimental rec climbing in today on my km3 13mm. Got it dialed in pretty well on the hh2 with rit, and it accualy works good with a rope wrench too. Ran it with hrc on the wrench with a micho. I'm new to the wrench and haven't climbed with it on anything else yet. It does have a good amount of friction, but I was able to decend at a decent medium speed rate with no problem. Probably not as sporty as some would like for a comp setup, but totally good for work climbing. Tending was great on ascent and limb walking.
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If your gonna run 13mm on the Wrench you might want to look into some 10mm hitch cord. Gawd knows I love my HRC on 11mm, but it isn't what I would call free flowing on 13mm. Also try flipping the tether around so the rubber grommet its facing the other way and it wont keep the Wrench from sitting down all the way during ascent and tending. Both should free up that Wrench like a mofo.

 

[RBJtree]

If your gonna run 13mm on the Wrench you might want to look into some 10mm hitch cord. Gawd knows I love my HRC on 11mm, but it isn't what I would call free flowing on 13mm. Also try flipping the tether around so the rubber grommet its facing the other way and it wont keep the Wrench from sitting down all the way during ascent and tending. Both should free up that Wrench like a mofo.

On my initial testing today, the hrc seemed to run great. The wrench it's self seems to give a little bit more friction than what might be optimal, but thats just theory for me at this point in my wrench experience. I'll probably order some 10mm and give it a try. Tending seemed smooth to me, but I will probably get around to flipping the tether at some point too. Thanks for the tips!