New device from ISC

[evo]

manual? whaaaaat?

Seriously, though. I looked through it before even putting the thing on a rope and I found I needed to play with it a little on my own. The video somebody linked above from TCIA was helpful instruction.

Anyhow, I learned "on my own" that it really matters how you place you hand descending. The video talked about holding the whole chunk of friction pieces in your hand. I figured out that putting fingers between each helps reduce the possibility of squeezing them too far. I also "figured out" that you want your pinkie on the "outside" not "inside" so the rope isn't running against it. Then you go mentioning the manual and I see that the proper way is pictured in there. I was gonna post that recommendation as if I discovered a useful tip LOL.

View attachment 101166

"The REFLEX must be used with EN 1891 Type A rope..." (pg 14). Had to look that one up:
Apparently, that's most 24 strand arborist ropes?

I've been using it on Imori. I mentioned above, I used another friend's rope for one climb. I'll have to see what that was. Both of those were great.

I'll try it on an old piece of Tachyon and Bluemoon (or another Yale 11.7mm cousin) in the next week or two. I also have some Tango Ivy that I'll try. I think that is a exclusive SherrillStuff rope and their websites don't say much about its certifications that I can find so not sure if its EN1891A?

I cannot find whether Arborfreak is EN1891A either... except this excerpt from American Forestry (under the difference between climbing and rigging lines): "Arborist climbing ropes must be certified to EN1891. This should be marked on the rope, along with a serial or identification number." Is that true...are all arborist climbing lines meeting that standard?

Take this with a grain of salt. I believe EN A ropes have a nylon core which theoretically give a little more bounce or energy cushion in a fall. Personally I dislike them

 

[flyingmosstreen]

Looking at that picture in my above post again... it looks like the are wrapping the rope over the top of the device (kinda like a Unicender wrap?) for SRS descent? I did not do that and felt very in control coming down. Will have to try that... @ghostice did you do that when you felt it too jerky?

I'm at home in front of the computer, not with a rope right now...but trying to picture getting into that position. You'd have to either unclip and pass the rope across or feed the whole length of the tail over your bridge to hold it that way, right?

You can just swivel the reflex around as you wind the rope over the device. I thought the same thing then actually sat in my saddle in the basement and tried it. Pretty straight forward

 

[RyanCafferky]

I’ve had the Reflex for probably around 2 months and still haven’t climbed on it. I just keep using my Zigzag.

 

[pcpTR33]

I haven’t been able to climb on my co-workers yet but he’s been an avid zigzag for Mrs and rope runner for SRS, he hasn’t ran the reflex SRS yet but he does like MRS so far, he says less jumpy than the ZZ, almost like a dialed in hitch as far as feel to him. He’s climbing on kalimba.

 

[ATH]

You can just swivel the reflex around as you wind the rope over the device. I thought the same thing then actually sat in my saddle in the basement and tried it. Pretty straight forward

Yeah...thats what makes it almost as fast as the Unicender now.

Also, realized that when I am working my way up the arrows will point down until I go around that cam cam and flip it. I was trying to keep them pointing up the whole time.

 

[Bill_N]

I've had the Reflex for about 3 weeks and did a few climbs. I climb mostly MRS, but wanted to get a good SRS climb before writing a review. Did that today. The other devices I "normally use for comparison:
*Unicender has been my primary device for MRS climbs for about 6+ years.
*Zigzag...I've liked climbing on the ZZ better than Uni, but didn't like fussing with feeding rope through every time, so I used Uni more.
*Hitch cord+wrench has been my preferred SRS system - never really liked the Unicender for that mostly because not a great place to clip into chest harness. Just my preference.

OK, so to some comparisons:
*Slightly less intuitive than the Unicender to hook into the rope...not hard, just took a few times to figure out aligning the friction points correctly. After maybe 10 uses, its just as fast.
*Smoother than Unicender. Maybe not as smooth as the Zigzag, but its close.
*No setback. Others weren't bad, Reflex is better.
*I probably do like descending the the Unicender a touch better - a little more control when you wrap the rope over the top. I like small rope movements while limb walking on the Reflex better.

As of now, I cannot imagine wanting to go back to either Zigzag, Unicender or wrench=hitch cord/climber. Not that I dislike those, just like the Reflex more.

Things I don't like:
*I don't like that the MRS attachment hole has to use a ISC Small Oval. Nothing against the Small Oval, just didn't love having to buy another carabiner for that.
*More than that, I don't like how tight that small oval fits in there. I'm assuming there is a reason it cannot flop around. Maybe it causes the friction points to release when it does? But being in a tough spot in the tree, wanting to reposition the tie in point, it is not enjoyable to fight with that tight fitting carabiner.
*When I get down and want to unhook everything, I need to take out that same tight fitting carabiner to open the gate and get the rope out. It's not a bad thing that it keeps the gate from opening accidentally...but again, It's a little annoying to wiggle that out just to unclip.
(So I guess everything I don't like is the MRS attachment point..maybe I should try climbing from the "OK" hole instead of the "Optimal" hole...didn't really think of that until I put this into words and looked back at the instructions).

View attachment 101165

"Things I don't like:
*I don't like that the MRS attachment hole has to use a ISC Small Oval."

This is not true.
Even the instructions (which of course want you to use proprietary brand biners) recommend a full size, or compact.
I've tried multiple different carabiners and almost all of them fit just fine.
I didn't take notes on each individual one but I know the Rock Exotica Rock O was the loosest I tried so far.
I didn't like how loose it was, it totally bypassed the whole point of the configuration aid.
If you prefer your biner or to be loose and flopping around I suggest you try the Rock O but I think you'll find that many different carabiners fit just fine.

 

[Bill_N]

Good review @Bill_N ! I'll have to try the swivel directly to bridge. I'm not sure I want the device that low - have you clipped it into a chest attachment like that? I guess a longer bridge fixes that...

Hooking into a carabiner and the swivel on my bridge has worked for me, so I didn't even think of trying the swivel by itself.

I've never climbed with a Spiderjack...but as I mentioned just above, I think this will replace my Zigzag.

Yes, and I've always found the more compact the connection from the device to the bridge the easier it is to have a tending point that doesn't have to be up at your throat. I have the Kinisi adjustable bridge, so I can easily make it the perfect length. But even before the adjustable bridge configurations were around I usually pulled by bridge in and put an extra knot in it for ascending.

 

[Bill_N]

It's funny, I actually find how well and perfectly this device works right out of the box a little... I don't know, boring... LOL.
Bear with me here, so from the beginning of tying multiple different configurations of hitches with multiple different lengths of hitch cord and different diameter ropes and different diameter hitch cord with different tethers on different wrenches and then different hitches and cord and rope combinations on the Hitchhiker and then different rope and friction settings on the Akimbo. And then taking into consideration the break-in period of mechanical devices. There's always been this process of getting to the perfect combo, setup and adjustment, which is kind of fun. It can be a little annoying at times but still it's this personal pursuit of finding the perfect rope and the perfect hitch or the perfect device settings on the perfect rope, etc, etc. Whereas the Reflex just works, there's nothing to do, there's nothing to figure out, there's nothing to fix, there's nothing needed to try, it just works.
Even more recently, I've been battling with trying to get the Throttle to work well for months. Trying different ropes, buying ropes I didn't already have, soaking ropes, (which I had never heard of before) and milking ropes, till finally I called Buckingham and found out that I needed to excessively lubricate the upper pivot point in order for it to grab on some of the ropes suggested in the manufacturers approved ropes list. But now it works (despite still hurting my hand) and I feel like I've accomplished something.
There's nothing to accomplish with the Reflex, you just put it on the rope and climb. I suppose getting faster with getting the rope on and off and the muscle memory of that type of stuff but as far as making it work properly there's just nothing to figure out.

 

[Reach]

It's funny, I actually find how well and perfectly this device works right out of the box a little... I don't know, boring... LOL.
Bear with me here, so from the beginning of tying multiple different configurations of hitches with multiple different lengths of hitch cord and different diameter ropes and different diameter hitch cord with different tethers on different wrenches and then different hitches and cord and rope combinations on the Hitchhiker and then different rope and friction settings on the Akimbo. And then taking into consideration the break-in period of mechanical devices. There's always been this process of getting to the perfect combo, setup and adjustment, which is kind of fun. It can be a little annoying at times but still it's this personal pursuit of finding the perfect rope and the perfect hitch or the perfect device settings on the perfect rope, etc, etc. Whereas the Reflex just works, there's nothing to do, there's nothing to figure out, there's nothing to fix, there's nothing needed to try, it just works.
Even more recently, I've been battling with trying to get the Throttle to work well for months. Trying different ropes, buying ropes I didn't already have, soaking ropes, (which I had never heard of before) and milking ropes, till finally I called Buckingham and found out that I needed to excessively lubricate the upper pivot point in order for it to grab on some of the ropes suggested in the manufacturers approved ropes list. But now it works (despite still hurting my hand) and I feel like I've accomplished something.
There's nothing to accomplish with the Reflex, you just put it on the rope and climb. I suppose getting faster with getting the rope on and off and the muscle memory of that type of stuff but as far as making it work properly there's just nothing to figure out.

For some of us who run production outfits, having nothing to figure out is perfect. I love the idea of that. I haven't bought a Reflex yet and neither has anyone who works here, but I suspect that someone is going to end up with one soon. I might end up being the first, even though I rarely climb, just to try to promote the thing if it works that simply and reliably.

 

[flyingmosstreen]

Yeah...thats what makes it almost as fast as the Unicender now.

Also, realized that when I am working my way up the arrows will point down until I go around that cam cam and flip it. I was trying to keep them pointing up the whole time.

Oh, sorry I was talking about on decent in srt. But also I can understand this with placing the device on rope. I can’t wait to get some hours on this device. Gearing up for my first season on my own, getting jobs lined up

 

[ghostice]

"Things I don't like:
*I don't like that the MRS attachment hole has to use a ISC Small Oval."

This is not true.
Even the instructions (which of course want you to use proprietary brand biners) recommend a full size, or compact.
I've tried multiple different carabiners and almost all of them fit just fine.
I didn't take notes on each individual one but I know the Rock Exotica Rock O was the loosest I tried so far.
I didn't like how loose it was, it totally bypassed the whole point of the configuration aid.
If you prefer your biner or to be loose and flopping around I suggest you try the Rock O but I think you'll find that many different carabiners fit just fine.

Bino H talks about biners and the Reflex. I found DMM Ultra O's/ Perfect O's go in just fine, including all the way around so you can clip into an MRS eye from the top. Not sure about 11.7's and 11.8's but the Reflex and CRIC work fine for a 3:1 on 11.5's like Tachyon, up as well as ambling out on a limb and back (things might get kinda tight on the CRIC is all). Super.
And thinking about Bill_N's post above, another thing I like about it is that it may make rescue simpler - if you need to carry down more weight, clip on a wrench and you're good to go for two person load. ISC makes good rescue-quality gear as Rich Hattier often has demonstrated.

 

[ATH]

Oh, sorry I was talking about on decent in srt. But also I can understand this with placing the device on rope. I can’t wait to get some hours on this device. Gearing up for my first season on my own, getting jobs lined up

Oh...even better!

 

[roxy]

I’ve had the Reflex for probably around 2 months and still haven’t climbed on it. I just keep using my Zigzag.

I have the zigzag plus and the reflex; I think the ZZ is more rope-like and intuitive but the REFLEX is burly. I don't like the swivel attachment point on the REFLEX with the ability to remove it. To be fair, I haven't removed the swivel yet. Also to be fair, that's the same point on the ZZ that I inspect like a hawk. Also to be fair, I do really enjoy rope on rope.

 

[Maplegeddon213]

I saw a video of a Spanish, average build, climber on Xstatic where the reflex would not grab whatsoever unless manually opening the links. He said that he had it happen once before when he was working in Germany and that he thought it was due to how cold it was that day but now that its happened again he doesn't think thats the case. He said in the video that he had climbed on some pitch the day before but that he had cleaned it like new.

I suspect that if the top spring loaded link gets pitch inside on the spring then that could cause that problem, I wonder if he truly got it clean. Not sure if he inspected the top spring before making the video. Interested (and frightened, my company ordered 3 lol) to see if its a longevity issue or just not as steadfast with sap as I'd hoped.