Finish / texture on Apex wrench's cam

[attom]

I want to start some SRS, with a wrench / hitch setup. Bought an ISC Apex (bottom one in the pic), and also have a borrowed Notch Flow (top). The Notch is brand new, never used. The Apex has only been used for two 1' (not a typo -- about 12 inches / 25 cm) descents, from initial playing around in my low-ceiling basement. So it's basically brand new as well.

I am wondering about the finish on the Apex's adjustable cam, the lower of its two friction points. It's not as smooth as the Apex's bollard / top friction point, nor the Flow's bollard and SLIC pin. It doesn't feel very rough, but it definitely does not feel smooth either. You can even see some of the color, or maybe fibers?, from my Blue Moon on the cam.

One of my thoughts is that this should not be so rough, and will cause premature wear on the rope. Another thought is that I see users of mechanical devices talk about metal friction points incurring wear and needing occasional replacement, in which case maybe this relatively rough finish will quickly become shiny smooth and not be a problem.

Have other Apex users seen a similar situation on their wrenches? Any advice as to whether this may be a concern?

I did try asking ISC about this; emailed a query over a week ago and have had zero response. I am trying again but am not optimistic. Being in the U.S. I'd rather avoid the international phone call to them if I can help it.  (I know, ArbTalk says it is for UK-based people, but I'm hoping it's okay to ask here especially with ISC being based in Wales).

[Dan Maynard]

I'm not an apex user, but an 'other mechanical device ' user, I think it'll wear smooth pretty quickly. Unless you're going to send it back, try it out on your least favourite rope for a bit.

[Juniper Climbing]

Fellow apex user here-this hadn’t crossed my mind until you raised it, but mine is the same I can only describe it as a ‘carbon’ finish.. my rope was decently worn when I got it so hadn’t noticed any excessive wear/ fluffing that you might see if the rope was new.. the cam on mine hasn’t gone shiny smooth yet tho I haven’t used it loads, as I switch back to dDRT often.

 

Wondering if yours has or if you ever got a reply from ISC. I can’t think of another rope-contact component with the quite same texture 🤷‍♂️