Since it's being discussed, one issue that has not been brought up, and is somewhat contentious, is the "edge" issue with the hard coat. Once the coating wears through, the underlying aluminum is exposed, and softer than the coating above it. Consequently it wears a groove in the ring with a sharpish lip or edge where the coating stops and the aluminum begins. This edge can increase wear on the rigging rope.
Yes I've seen it firsthand. Yes it was a dirty rope. I love the rings, all of them, and enjoy their application. The ABR rings carry a lifetime warranty against "grooves" fwiw. The X/Antal rings are more durable while the coating persists.
I have never seen this "sharpish edge" thing. This was discussed once before with a "rock climber" that had strong opinions without ever using the X-Rigging Rings. I've been using the rings hard at work since 2011. I've also destroyed plenty of them and other brands of rings on a continuous rope machine. I finally experienced wear through at work in 2014 when working in down-pouring rain and complete mud covered ropes, I also wore out my spider jack clutch that day as well. I'll seen pictures and samples of other XRRs that people wore through the hardcoat with mud, dirt and sand. Thousands of XRRs are in working use in treework and started in 2012 when I started promoting them. One guy a few years ago showed a ring with deep grooves and while on a public forum, he talked negative about them and said there was an edge. I was baffled by this and wanted more information. Well, in private, it was a very different story. Facts can be omitted or twisted when a person supports one particular person, arborist supply store or brand. Intentional or non-intentional.
The facts: If you use gritty, muddy or sandy ropes, you have the possibility of getting through the hardcoat. IF you get through the hardcoat, there will be a shiny patch of bright aluminum. If you see this, stop using it, but you will NOT have a sharp lip or edge. In reality, I personally would rotate the ring and keep using it. Officially, to be very safe, my advice to the public is, I say stop using it.
Using clean ropes will not wear through the hardcoat. Normal rope, I don't mean you have to use new or clean or washed ropes, just normal used rope that most of us use, will not wear through the hardcoat. Years of use! I don't care if you pull with a truck or not. We pull really nasty trees all the time with trucks and I use the beast rings all the time for it, cause I often use 1 inch diameter rope and I only own one block that can handle 1" rope. We run the truck down the road with that 1" rope through beast ring redirects. On long drives and incredible pressure it does create the most heat I've felt on the rings ,but there is NEVER wear in the hardcoat.
IF there was ever a soft aluminum product, covered by a hardcoat and it was worn through, maybe there is a lip then. I've never seen it on the XRRs and no one else has either that has shown me proof. maybe someday someone will use a dremmel tool or dip it in an acid bath and doctor up an XRR and falsely create a sharp lip between the hardcoat and aluminum patch; I wouldn't put it past some human to do that. I've seen enough wear and tear over the years and damaged enough on purpose to say there is no sharp edge after a wear through. Sorry dude, but it doesn't happen. IF you ever get a wear-through, when you concentrate as you rub your finger over the worn patch, you can tell the difference between the feel of the aluminum and the hardcoat, but that's it. no sharp edge.
We are tree guys, we are rough on things. The hardcoat gives the aluminum XRR the hardness similar to sapphires and rubies or hardened tool steel. Having multiple rings bang together on negative rigging, tossing rings out of a tree, or dropping tops or whole trees with rings still in them and NOT having to worry about aluminum burs, dents and scratches has got to be a very positive thing. A bur on an aluminum friction rope tool, should be a negative thing I would think.
I'm not here to bash other rings. But I won't stay quiet on information that appears wrong to me with as much experience that I have with the X-Rigging Rings. I'm not here to fight, but I will defend an awesome product.
. I've been experimenting with what ring set up is most versatile. I've pretty much settled on a dead end with two larges on 5/8th tenex and two single large ring dead end slings, one ten foot and one 18 foot. Blocking big wood is a job for the double beast ultra. I've got several rings from other slings I've been trying (whoopies, loopies, prussics, etc) and the experiment is ongoing. For now it's the double with one or two singles for 95% of rigging. Looking forward to the THT, or SafeBloc (as it will apparently be known) for drift lining. I'm sure that will become part of my "go to" gear bag.
