This is the Akimbo

Just my opinion but trying to mimic some other climbers settings will be less effective than just following initial setup instructions and working it out from there. It is simple and will encourage thought and understanding of the tool.

It is so rare to have multiple climbers successfully use the exact same setup.
 
DSMc said:
Just my opinion but trying to mimic some other climbers settings will be less effective than just following initial setup instructions and working it out from there. It is simple and will encourage thought and understanding of the tool.

It is so rare to have multiple climbers successfully use the exact same setup.
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That is all true, but a gauge for climbers to go by or reference to is not a complicated thing.


Reed Wortley
CA# SO-6953A
CTSP# 01739
 
I think you guys are missing the point that I was going for. Talking about this stuff and sharing experiences is what a forum is all about. It is fun and productive.

Unfortunately, what can sometimes happen is that we so obsess on some small component or detail of what we are talking about and the quickest way to "the hot setup" that another important aspect is overlooked.

The work we do demands a high level of analytical thought proficiency. It is good to propagate that ability. The Akimbo is a simple tool but to understand how it works and, therefore be as safe as possible, requires more insight than just knowing what holes so and so is using.

It seems ridiculous to have to constantly repeat that no two situations will be identical but when you read the accident reports, clearly some would have benefited from that reminder.
 
I don't find the pins that easy to see... indoors, I have to hold it under a lamp (but then, I'm an old coot)... I've marked mine "T" and "L" and think that #1 for tightest, #6 for loosest is probably an easy way to keep them straight.

I wholeheartedly agree that the settings are nothing but a starting point.. it is going to vary from one device to the other, and the climber's weight as well as the rope. But I think having a place to start with any given rope is going to save people a lot of frustration. Marking mine has helped me to keep it straight in my head, as I make changes, what the relationship is between the two adjustments, regarding tight or loose settings, between the two ends of the device. I could have marked it "1" and "6" but that wouldn't tell me anything about which way I'm going unless everyone agrees with how the numbers should be read.

I think the discussions about what is working on various ropes is more likely to increase the chances that future buyers will like, and understand, the device. The Akimbo is a bit confusing at first, in spite of its ultimate simplicity. Having a starting point, knowing that others have solved the nuances of the device, etc. probably won't stagnate the critical thinking process. Not as much as, say, politics and religion do, anyway.

I do hear you, @DSMc about the need to make sense of the device before climbing more than a few feet off the ground with it, and the need for us to engage our brains for deductive reasoning and situational analytics in the tree... but I think that there needs to be consistency with how we describe the adjustments, and fumbling around in the dark with it probably isn't going to increase brain activity if the frustration level goes up and the user begins drinking heavily.

;)
 
Well that rope I was gonna order, they only had 100' left so I switched it to the work pro that came out today on Ts. Evidently its not spliceable since the only offer stitches eyes. Magnum said he loved a sample he had and I think Jamie said RE had tested the akimbo on sterling ropes. Hope it's a win!!
 
Steve Connally said:
Well that rope I was gonna order, they only had 100' left so I switched it to the work pro that came out today on Ts. Evidently its not spliceable since the only offer stitches eyes. Magnum said he loved a sample he had and I think Jamie said RE had tested the akimbo on sterling ropes. Hope it's a win!!
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Work pro is great you will enjoy even if it does not work will this device it makes a great lanyard. It has similar feel to HTP with a better hand.
 
Maybe this has been answered but has anyone try the fatty Vortex in this yet? I had a chance to use it with a HitchHiker and loved the feel, gonna try it with a wrench as soon as UPS shows up. I'm guessing the 12.7 diameter would be squeezed pretty tight in the Akimbo.

Dialing in the settings is quite easy, just takes some minor experimenting low and slow. I switched from Fly to Tachyon to Kernmaster and had to fine tune the settings each time but it really wasn't that hard at all. I like the idea of the pin being hi-viz and have the holes marked in some way, maybe RE will pick up on this?
 
Got out today to set up some DdRT systems for a project this coming spring, and remembered that I had a 33' long lanyard made from All Gear Cherry Bomb 11.5mm and that I hadn't really tested the Akimbo on that rope, other than to try it on a 6' piece that I had at the house. Well, this is another winner. The device doesn't creep on this one, at all! Settings were (counting the tightest setting on both cams as #1) perfect at 4T/4B at 193 lbs. geared up, no spikes, no saw. The rope has seen a bit of use as a lanyard, and a dozen or so climbs before I cut it up due to a slight mishap with a stupid nail that somebody hammered into a tree. Only had it up in the tree about 25' and went up and down it a few times and swung around a little bit. Really liked how the Akimbo performs on this rope. It's plenty firm, not too bouncy, and the device grips it real nice without having to use settings that add drag on ascent. Very impressed, and this is not an expensive rope, as climbing ropes go.
 
Raven said:
I'm guessing the 12.7 diameter would be squeezed pretty tight in the Akimbo.
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I think the 1/2' lines that I've tried (unsuccessfully) are true 13mm lines... so there's a chance it might work. I'd try it out, for sure, if I had any of it. But as much as that rope intrigues me, I haven't actually bought any of it.
 
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