Good to see you here. It’s been a minute…
What the bananas
- Thread starter islandarb
- Start date
Quintanana
Participating member
- Location
- Hawai'i
Ok I didn’t read the whole thread but I see the freexion being called out. I know a guy that has had a prototype for a long time from fiori. I was told that fiori and Bingham were working on their respective devices at the same time but the wrench got the patent first…or something like that but now Kevin’s not tied to ISCs wrench then it’s fair game. From what I can tell Kevin seems to support it. Also the prototype definitely felt different than a wrench but I couldnt explain it sorry. @treebing can you correct the details of my fragmented recollection?
Y'all noticed the notch flow bollard adjustment slot in the zk-1? old is new
Re that Mumford RW and RR video putting one load cell in the tether is... fraught, to quote Timone. Once I was testing with two load cells and realized that I still wasn't getting the data and resorted to 3 load cells rigged up in Colonel Sanders secret recipe. I was able to separate out start and stop spikes, moving, hitch and RW performance and best of all hand force. I leave the pondering to the interested students. remember f = ma
The floppy tether I noticed was the fellow practice-competing in the spreading tree. Customer supplies own tether?
Re that Mumford RW and RR video putting one load cell in the tether is... fraught, to quote Timone. Once I was testing with two load cells and realized that I still wasn't getting the data and resorted to 3 load cells rigged up in Colonel Sanders secret recipe. I was able to separate out start and stop spikes, moving, hitch and RW performance and best of all hand force. I leave the pondering to the interested students. remember f = ma
The floppy tether I noticed was the fellow practice-competing in the spreading tree. Customer supplies own tether?
bobs yeruncle
Participating member
- Location
- Golden Horseshoe
the freexion tether is a short dyneema webbing sling that's been folded over on itself and sewn down then given clear heatshrink, so the overall length after being girth hitched to a pulley is 18cm with the top 5cm stiff.
i assumed that loop on the tether would be for tending as well but the diagrams in the manual make it clear that the device is not meant to be tended anywhere but from the climbers life support connection to the hitch
also interesting that the only approved orientation is with the device and tether on the rope opposite the climber. if someone used to a rope wrench picked it up without any other context it might seem natural to install it on the rope incorrectly and try tending from that little loop. to me the loop on the tether seems like a risky design decision for just that reason. but im a fan of the trevor kletz school of thought
i assumed that loop on the tether would be for tending as well but the diagrams in the manual make it clear that the device is not meant to be tended anywhere but from the climbers life support connection to the hitch
also interesting that the only approved orientation is with the device and tether on the rope opposite the climber. if someone used to a rope wrench picked it up without any other context it might seem natural to install it on the rope incorrectly and try tending from that little loop. to me the loop on the tether seems like a risky design decision for just that reason. but im a fan of the trevor kletz school of thought
- Location
- Austria, Europe
Has some infos about the Akimbo 2 ? After the looong waiting time for v1 they seem to try it the opposite way know with their announcement 
For me the Buck Throttle looks clever also, though some might find it ugly...
I also heard of ART bringing out a SRS/MRS device, hardly any info about that too...
And then there is Regs device...
For me the Buck Throttle looks clever also, though some might find it ugly...I also heard of ART bringing out a SRS/MRS device, hardly any info about that too...
And then there is Regs device...
Lignotuber
Participating member
- Location
- Socal
I'm still waiting on some info on the akimbo 2, buck looks like it could be good as well. Really fits my climbing style though.Has some infos about the Akimbo 2 ? After the looong waiting time for v1 they seem to try it the opposite way know with their announcement
I also heard of ART bringing out a SRS/MRS device, hardly any info about that too...
And then there is Regs device...
roxy
New member
- Location
- Home In The Driftless
All these mechanicals have me evaluating my bank account, so.....
moss
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Carlisle, Massachusetts, U.S.
I'm looking at my ZK-2 Rope Wrench and nicely tuned hitch and thinking... not only does it work so well, it works well on wet lines when it's raining. Money staying put for now.
-AJ
Quintanana
Participating member
- Location
- Hawai'i
good ole reliable wrench!
moss
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Carlisle, Massachusetts, U.S.
Serious consideration though. So far haven't ridden a mechanical multicender that functions on soaking wet lines. Maybe that doesn't matter to a lot of climbers. A hitch-based system like the HitchHiker (any version) or Rope Wrench (any version) is not going to be high performance on wet climbing lines but it will work. Makes a big difference if a person climbs frequently in wet environments or gets caught in rain while at height in an otherwise drier part of the season.
-AJ
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Quintanana
Participating member
- Location
- Hawai'i
That person is me! East side of Hawaii island is definitely wet. And a wrench system can take a beating. Try side loading a runner….
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
I definitely bust out hitch cord and a wrench in dense architecture, where I can see many possible sideloading possibilities.
moss
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Carlisle, Massachusetts, U.S.
I've always liked the way I can flex/slide my way past a limb with opposing direction rope loading, using a wrench and a tether with a smidgeon of flex when that needs to happen. The list of favorable attributes is long. The search for the Holy Grail mechanical multicender continues. Very not bad, it's fueling an entire sub-economy within tree climbing ;-)
...and the Quest keeps the always creative minds of tree gear innovators from getting bored! It's a win no matter how you look at it.
-AJ
- Location
- Austria, Europe
Personally I prefer hitch based systems as well, but have to say Petzl ZZ works very well and reliable in the rain. Best of the actual devices IMO.
Impressive message control on the Akimbo 2 it seems!
Impressive message control on the Akimbo 2 it seems!
moss
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Carlisle, Massachusetts, U.S.
That is good to know. I have yet to fly a Zag. Is it fair to call the ZZ a "metal hitch"? ;-)
-AJ
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
I'd say it is the closest approximation of a 'metal hitch'. I haven't climbed much in rain, but it definitely didn't feel as bad as I expected.
False Hemlock
New member
- Location
- San Juan County
I’ve heard the ZZ described as a “mechanical hitch” and I tend to agree with that nomenclature. Check the spring each time you use it, that’s one of the most critical parts in it’s ability to function as a mechanical hitch.
