arborplex

DanS

DanS

Location
Minnesota
Hello all... first off, what a great site....spend alot of time bouncing between this site and MB's place and both are informative, fun and in general very nice places to be. Getting late, so on to the question, and i will try to make it brief. Has anyone had any luck with the less expensive ropes as climbing line? By less expensive, i mean lines such as arborplex, Yale Maverick (if they still make it) forestry pro, Safety Pro and the like. The reason i ask is about a month ago i stupidly cut my fly rope and while trying to decide what to buy, spent a week working on arborplex... a new one that was designated as our new lowereing line, but had not been out in the field yet. Surprisingly nice....footlocked really well... both SRT and Ddrt , very light and tough feeling and not as mushy as i thought it would be. I eventually ordered some new spearmint XTC, which i like, but it just started me thinking...maybe i don't need such a premium line to climb on. Our lowering lines are pretty much all XTC, and being a small outfit, we need to save money where we can...obviously very critical that the lowering lines be top notch, so I really don't want to skimp there, but hence my question...any of the cheaper lines work for anyone here? Thanks to anyone who responds.... BTW... in the past have climbed on blue streak, safety blue, fly, and tree pro red. Just looking to perhaps save a little money.
 
AP will tend to get a bit square instead of staying round. That effects how yhour hitch will run. If you like AP go for it. It has certainly stood the test of time. It is a very popular rope because of it's low cost and durability. The performance isn't quite there for most climbers, especially after they've used 16 strand ropes etc.
 
Hi Dan,

I would agree with Tom. Any rope made by a quality company like NE Ropes, Yale, PMI and Samson will be fine if it's made for life support. There are differences that each will offer. It's really up to as to which rope suits your needs. Expensive doesn't mean better. One big issue for most is if it is splicable. 12 strand lines aren't and neither are most kernmantle lines used for access. Other than that, it's really your choice.
 
hi! new poster but very savy on the rope questions.... and i agree with Mark..... the fact that a rope is not splicable is very important to me(being a ne cert. splicer)for a couple of reasons:
1. safety
not only do splices keep 90-100% of the breaking strength of the rope, but in my case, i never have to worry about any of my guys using a incorrect hitch to tie in.
2. speed and convenience
I just love not having to tie more knots than i have to. not to mention if you are using a friction saver you can just clip a small biner in the splice to retrive it
 
Thanks for the input...I think I should have phrased my question a little more clearly...wondering mainly if anyone has had any LUCK with the more inexpensive lines?...maybe one that they could recommend. Tom rightly pounted out that arborplex flattens out, it does and so I went with XTC...just drawing on the deep well of experience here at the buzz on the off chance that someone is a fan of some line that may be often overlooked.
 
Fly is probably the best cheap rope you can get for the money.

2 things, Doesnt hold certain knots well, AND blakes hitch does not work on it very well at all for a climbing knot, you need to use, one of the prussik like knots, ie vt, xt, distel something along those lines.

p.s. I like the fly alot, just two things people should know when buying it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the input...I think I should have phrased my question a little more clearly...wondering mainly if anyone has had any LUCK with the more inexpensive lines?...maybe one that they could recommend. Tom rightly pounted out that arborplex flattens out, it does and so I went with XTC...just drawing on the deep well of experience here at the buzz on the off chance that someone is a fan of some line that may be often overlooked.

[/ QUOTE ]
A local old-timer who won the TX TCC a couple of years back resisted all my attempts to convert him to NE Safety Blue (this was pre-Fly). He prefers AP because of the stiffness, which makes it easier to flip a loop or throw in general. I think he did finally switch to some other rope (one of the newer ones I'm not familiar with).

Like Mark & Tom said, it's a personal preference thing. If you like it, you like it. Personally, I hate it (AP).

k
 
[/ QUOTE ] wondering mainly if anyone has had any LUCK with the more inexpensive lines?...maybe one that they could recommend.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you ever tried the safety blue? i heve recently bought a spool and used some of it for climbing line and spliced the rest of it into all kinds of cool stuff for my bags of tricks (ie. my version of the rope guide, retriveable rederects, friction savers, and lanyards). seems to be very good in the tree and is very easy to splice..... also will not break the bank.
 
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... One big issue for most is if it is splicable. 12 strand lines aren't and neither are most kernmantle lines...

[/ QUOTE ]

not 100% true...

Spliceable 12 Strands Link

Just keepin' you on your toes! /forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

love
nick
 

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Yes yes Nick, but most aren't and the ones that are can be a hassle. I had one spliced in Salt Lake City by Stanley, but it wasn't technically correct. Sure it was done well, but I doubt that the manufacturer would have said "go". And some 12 strands have a very large splice that will get stuck in crotches and such.

Fly is an exception to the kernmantle as well. I'm sure that you knew all this already Nick.
 
very true about the large splices..... i hate them.... i do quite a few crane removals and i like to tie in using a rescue pulley attached to the cable (when the operator and i deem the tree too dangerous to climb!!) if you are using a rope with a large bury area on the splice, sometimes it is hard to retrieve it before you make the cut(by too dangerous i mean that when the operator wants a big tip /forum/images/graemlins/applaudit.gif).

p.s. Mark, not Odis...... Rob
 
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