How rare/outlier would you guys say I am
being that my only 'tending' is a micropulley under my hitch?
I am a real small guy, even going up with a lot of gear I'm hardly >150lbs, so maybe I'm just not causing hitch-jams as badly....though TBH I don't really even put pressure into my hitch until I've finished my ascent, most of the time.
But yeah I have been looking at the Rope Wrench (or even Rope Runner) for a couple years now, but anytime I get the urge to buy it I just think
"your hitch already moves easy as pie, how much is it worth to make it a subtle bit smoother?"
Would appreciate thoughts since I see even more 'minimalist/no-nonsense' guys like Reg Coates using the Wrench, but even if I'm descending into a position to cut (IE hitch above a figure-8) it's always super easy to go up-or-down into precisely where I want (and, if I've got a good position with my 20' flipline, thenit's child's-play getting into position whether it's up-or-down'ing even when having to weight my hitch ie no footing just free-hanging)
Thanks! Wish I could just try one lol, have never even seen one IRL (in my years of climbing the only good climbers I've ever seen are "older dogs" and they're almost universally laughing at my SRT gear / climbing DdRT themselves, never had an IRL chance to see/talk SRT-anything :/ )
[edited-in: Context: My "ropewalk"/ascend setup is cheap&basic, not because I refuse to spend on it, but because it just works real well: handled ascender with string down to the micropulley under my VT hitch, with a bungee going from the micropulley to my knee-ascender cam for my left-foot, and right-foot cammed ascender...have tweaked it for stride-length and, so long as I stay 'in-line' with the rope, can all but run up a rope...hence my hesitation spending the paltry $hundred for the Wrench, arguably the "most-common piece of SRT kit" in use it seems..]
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Rope wrench on 11mm velocity with a michoacan on 9mm rit. 3 over 1 runs and tends like butter. Just as good as a mechanical.
If you're not dead-set on Velocity but like 11mm, try their Mercury line next, I cannot fathom ever changing my climbing line away-from this line (and when the hank has had its time climbing, you can retire it to bullrope-- 8.5k ABS and 3.5% elongation make it a formidable bullrope, and its tight jacket lets you natural-crotch friction all day, still amazed how cheap they sell the stuff for..)
