New Ascender from Reg Coates

Reg said:
It's supposed to close, then drop open again. This is to help find it's way through foliage and eventually to the target. As for size, it's as big as it needs to be so it's not so limited to just small branches. But when it's hung on the saddle, it's obviously very compact.

Thanks for the interest on this whole thread, by the way, on the climbing device too. I just read the whole thing.

Ask me anything about either device, and the Notch situation too, if you are interested. I'll check back
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Hi, Reg! Great to read you sharing your knowledge on the Buzz again.

My question on your hook is: have you run into any issues with the hook getting stuck on limbs that are border line too large?
 
DSMc said:
Hi, Reg! Great to read you sharing your knowledge on the Buzz again.

My question on your hook is: have you run into any issues with the hook getting stuck on limbs that are border line too large?
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Hi Dave. That's never actually happened to me. Can't speak for the other guys who were test it through the last year, but nothing was brought to my attention. Maybe if you were wanting to make a retreat/rappel, and jammed it on something by hand, it might get stuck. But if you are using it normally then I think the chances of it getting stuck are very low, due the the shape.
 
@Reg All I really want to say is how heart warming it is to see you back here. It's been too long. You've been missed....a lot. To say I'm not a Notch fan is an understatement but thats just me. It's not worth going into the weeds on that one for the millionth time. I'm sure plenty of people are sick of the same sad song, and may have actually told me so. I will say the same thing I said to Kevin. I think @treebing is one of the kindest and most genuine people I ave met in this industry. I believe he does what he does for the betterment of the craft not for his personal brand (if he even has one). we have talked back and forth about Notch and I'll leave it with this. I highly respect you and Kevin and feel you both come from a place of caring for the art. It's not necessarily about entrepreneurship or income. It's just what you do. Kevin's reasoning for working with Notch, if I am paraphrasing correctly, was they were able to work with him on a product he felt could come to market with the quality and affordability he felt comfortable associating his name with. I can respect that because I respect the man. I will say the same for you and your product. I purchased a Notch Runner to support Kevin, not Notch, Sherrill, Treestuff. I would purchase this hook to support you, not Notch, Sherrill, or Treestuff. I also would purchase it from almost any other gear shop than them. In these 2 instances I will purchase a Notch product because its Kevin and Reg. Thats the gist of it. You wont see any other products from them being purchased by me. I wish you great success and welcome back.
 
Reg said:
As for the hook and hinge design you mentioned. I think you just have to lubricate and keep it clean. Especially if you are doing pitchy trees. You don't want to let the pitch set and go hard over night. The production model is quite a different build from the early prototypes that I made at home. I've had no issues with it through the last year, but I am a good shot and I don't abuse my gear in general. If any such teething problems arise we will work it out. Sabotage is a genuine concern for me. I've read and picked up on a few things in the last week that I don't like the look of.
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Just be careful, you got the brain for this stuff and don't want to see anyone shafted. I still want my silky pole saws back!
I've had a replacement part on order for 18 months which is available only through one distributer in the states..
There was a few items I ordered that were 'out of stock' and obviously dropped shipped from the distributer, showed up on my door about 2 months later covered in the 'competitors' branding complete with a coupon code from a certain company... Pretty shady shit if you ask me.
 
Steve Connally said:
@Reg All I really want to say is how heart warming it is to see you back here. It's been too long. You've been missed....a lot. To say I'm not a Notch fan is an understatement but thats just me. It's not worth going into the weeds on that one for the millionth time. I'm sure plenty of people are sick of the same sad song, and may have actually told me so. I will say the same thing I said to Kevin. I think @treebing is one of the kindest and most genuine people I ave met in this industry. I believe he does what he does for the betterment of the craft not for his personal brand (if he even has one). we have talked back and forth about Notch and I'll leave it with this. I highly respect you and Kevin and feel you both come from a place of caring for the art. It's not necessarily about entrepreneurship or income. It's just what you do. Kevin's reasoning for working with Notch, if I am paraphrasing correctly, was they were able to work with him on a product he felt could come to market with the quality and affordability he felt comfortable associating his name with. I can respect that because I respect the man. I will say the same for you and your product. I purchased a Notch Runner to support Kevin, not Notch, Sherrill, Treestuff. I would purchase this hook to support you, not Notch, Sherrill, or Treestuff. I also would purchase it from almost any other gear shop than them. In these 2 instances I will purchase a Notch product because its Kevin and Reg. Thats the gist of it. You wont see any other products from them being purchased by me. I wish you great success and welcome back.
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could be rad, if some of the 'royalties' or some entitled element of the contract was x number of units to be supplied to the inventor for their own personal resale... Thinking of publishers, not that they pay the author shit to begin with but they 'give' a shit ton of copies to the author for their resale.
 
Steve Connally said:
@Reg All I really want to say is how heart warming it is to see you back here. It's been too long. You've been missed....a lot. To say I'm not a Notch fan is an understatement but thats just me. It's not worth going into the weeds on that one for the millionth time. I'm sure plenty of people are sick of the same sad song, and may have actually told me so. I will say the same thing I said to Kevin. I think @treebing is one of the kindest and most genuine people I ave met in this industry. I believe he does what he does for the betterment of the craft not for his personal brand (if he even has one). we have talked back and forth about Notch and I'll leave it with this. I highly respect you and Kevin and feel you both come from a place of caring for the art. It's not necessarily about entrepreneurship or income. It's just what you do. Kevin's reasoning for working with Notch, if I am paraphrasing correctly, was they were able to work with him on a product he felt could come to market with the quality and affordability he felt comfortable associating his name with. I can respect that because I respect the man. I will say the same for you and your product. I purchased a Notch Runner to support Kevin, not Notch, Sherrill, Treestuff. I would purchase this hook to support you, not Notch, Sherrill, or Treestuff. I also would purchase it from almost any other gear shop than them. In these 2 instances I will purchase a Notch product because its Kevin and Reg. Thats the gist of it. You wont see any other products from them being purchased by me. I wish you great success and welcome back.
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Hi Steve. Thanks for the welcome. A few years back I just ran out of things to say. And then whe covid hit, I decided to say a lot less.

In regards to the other matter, I do have quite a lot of insight and experience in those circles and networks on the manufacturering/retail side. And I can assure you there's rats hiding in every corner, scheming and making rat moves, big and small companies. Much of it flys under the radar or out of the public eye. But rarely are they all held to the same standard.

From my perspective, and probably Kevin's too. You need a partner who can deliver on their side. Not a dreamer, or group off with no real money or resources. So many good ideas fall by the wayside because the wrong people take control of it. I certainly know my own strength, but I'm also well aware of my limits. Overall I'm optimistic on the situation.
 
Reg said:
... I do have quite a lot of insight and experience in those circles and networks on the manufacturering/retail side. And I can assure you there's rats hiding in every corner, scheming and making rat moves, big and small companies. Much of it flys under the radar or out of the public eye. But rarely are they all held to the same standard...
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Extremely well said and is worth repeating and understanding.
 
Glad to hear it from someone like Reg. I know of some dealings in the distribution/manufacturing spaces that make me cringe when I hear people praise some companies while cursing others. Little of what we see is what it seems, whether it seems bad or good.
 
Reg said:
Hi Steve. Thanks for the welcome. A few years back I just ran out of things to say. And then whe covid hit, I decided to say a lot less.

In regards to the other matter, I do have quite a lot of insight and experience in those circles and networks on the manufacturering/retail side. And I can assure you there's rats hiding in every corner, scheming and making rat moves, big and small companies. Much of it flys under the radar or out of the public eye. But rarely are they all held to the same standard.

From my perspective, and probably Kevin's too. You need a partner who can deliver on their side. Not a dreamer, or group off with no real money or resources. So many good ideas fall by the wayside because the wrong people take control of it. I certainly know my own strength, but I'm also well aware of my limits. Overall I'm optimistic on the situation.
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Thanks for the reply Reg. Point well taken!!! I have no doubt you're well situated for whatever you get into. Not your first rodeo, if you weren't so savvy they'd own the rites to the Arborella already.
 
Reg said:
It's supposed to close, then drop open again. This is to help find it's way through foliage and eventually to the target. As for size, it's as big as it needs to be so it's not so limited to just small branches. But when it's hung on the saddle, it's obviously very compact.

Thanks for the interest on this whole thread, by the way, on the climbing device too. I just read the whole thing.

Ask me anything about either device, and the Notch situation too, if you are interested. I'll check back
Click to expand...
Good to see you back here Reg. Hope all is well with you, and I hope you stick around and continue sharing your knowledge and experience...
 
There is an old conundrum, if it's easy to release/descend with your hand it''s also easier for a falling branch/debris to cause unwanted descent. Hitches are largely immune but mechanicals are a bit prone. I recall you making special efforts for this. Is this issue anywhere in the standards a multiscender gets tested to, or as arborist/designers is consideration of that issue above and beyond? This goes back as far as a falling branch pushing a floppy tether RW down to release the hitch. Don't recall any documented cases of it occurring but it's nice to know your life support is robust.
 
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27RMT0N said:
Curious to hear your impressions. I see he just put up the second video about it, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet
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I played around with the RC Grapple today. I have a small sugar maple that has some lower branches. First impression, it’s well built for being made in Taiwan. It’s not life support so I’m ok with that. The weight is listed as 1.4 lbs but, I haven’t weighed it. It has smooth edges and feels good in the hand. Initially, I thought it was heavy but, I have Samson Silver Ivy 11.7 with the bolt through the eye. The weight sends the grapple and rope through the limbs to the branches. It will take awhile to get the hang of throwing it. I’m going to use the rope I have for now. I “might “ benefit from a lighter rope. Be cautious throwing overhead to advance. It’s easy to manipulate the grapple by twisting the rope and a quick jiggle to release. I have a job next week to trim the ends off some long branches and a traverse between trees. If you’re good at throw line you’ll probably do well. Careful not getting rope caught like I did. A loop spun around a limb and caught a knob. I had to do a lot of shaking to get it to loose. I’ll report back next week.
 
Bart_ said:
There is an old conundrum, if it's easy to release/descend with your hand it''s also easier for a falling branch/debris to cause unwanted descent. Hitches are largely immune but mechanicals are a bit prone. I recall you making special efforts for this. Is this issue anywhere in the standards a multiscender gets tested to, or as arborist/designers is consideration of that issue above and beyond? This goes back as far as a falling branch pushing a floppy tether RW down to release the hitch. Don't recall any documented cases of it occurring but it's nice to know your life support is robust.
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The manufacturer is supposed factor in reasonable, foreseeable misuse during the design process, which would be evident in the functionality of the final product, as well as the instruction manual and warnings where appropriate. Having said that, efficiency and safety are often codependent in a fluid operation such as tree climbing. If you are having to force and fight your way through a task, then you are probably increasing your risk of having an accident overall. A dull or underpowered saw cuts slow, but is actually way more dangerous than one that is sharp and high powered.

The user obviously shares responsibility for selecting their equipment and techniques for the given task.

In the worse case scenario, it would come down to a judges interpretation as to whether the manufacturer did his due diligence through the whole process of R&D, field testing, complying with the applicable industrial standards and so on.
 
ClimbingTN said:
I played around with the RC Grapple today. I have a small sugar maple that has some lower branches. First impression, it’s well built for being made in Taiwan. It’s not life support so I’m ok with that. The weight is listed as 1.4 lbs but, I haven’t weighed it. It has smooth edges and feels good in the hand. Initially, I thought it was heavy but, I have Samson Silver Ivy 11.7 with the bolt through the eye. The weight sends the grapple and rope through the limbs to the branches. It will take awhile to get the hang of throwing it. I’m going to use the rope I have for now. I “might “ benefit from a lighter rope. Be cautious throwing overhead to advance. It’s easy to manipulate the grapple by twisting the rope and a quick jiggle to release. I have a job next week to trim the ends off some long branches and a traverse between trees. If you’re good at throw line you’ll probably do well. Careful not getting rope caught like I did. A loop spun around a limb and caught a knob. I had to do a lot of shaking to get it to loose. I’ll report back next week.
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Thanks for making the investment. The Taiwanese will be grateful too. They are nice people. A humble nation. like a shoal of minnows living next door to Piranas. Living in Canada it's hard to imagine.

Anything thinner than 11.7 will make for a more effective grapple line. I personally like 10mm. Weighs nothing, takes up less space, throws further, less drag and so on. It's also worth remembering that if you can get level or even slightly above your target, you'll get much better accuracy and distance. All the best.
 
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