New device-ART Blackbird

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

Ropes ,knots ,pulleys, carabiners all I need all those gimmicks is a trash for me , the main thing is when you use same technique for 10 years it’s becoming a n extra  hand, don’t see point to change anything , plus things you can do with prussik just impossible with all those metal things ,but as a toy it’s ok!

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

Why they never show off those new thing in 100 years old bushy conifer , nice good macrocarpa with 500 limbs😂

[Mr. Squirrel]

On 12/05/2025 at 01:21, gand said:

Definitely bigger than the Akimbo. I'm not a fan of that if I'm honest, let's see what the Mk2 Akimbo brings. As for the Throttle I've been told it's better than the Akimbo by my American friends who've be lucky enough to have a good climb on it

No, I don’t like the akimbo either. There seems to be a fair amount of resistance when tending, and, from my brief fondling, it certainly didn’t seem very smooth on ascent. 

[Treetom15]

On 08/05/2025 at 21:23, Joe Newton said:

Pretty much all ART devices these days have 10 year lifespan for hardwear and replaceable wear parts. I'd expect the same from this. 

When I was climbing mostly MRT, I'd get 12-18 months from a ZZ before it was worn to the point of slippage.

 

That was climbing daily with a thin rope and pulley friction saver, so the ZZ links took pretty much all of the weight.

 

I thought that was pretty decent value. 

I would agree completely-my latest ZZ is 12 months old and starting to show signs of slippage, £600 for 10 years use doesn’t sound like awful value. Especially if it’s good for changing between ddrt and srt. I don’t like the clunky-ness of the RR when you change to double rope. 

[Martin du Preez]

10 hours ago, Treetom15 said:

I would agree completely-my latest ZZ is 12 months old and starting to show signs of slippage, £600 for 10 years use doesn’t sound like awful value. Especially if it’s good for changing between ddrt and srt. I don’t like the clunky-ness of the RR when you change to double rope. 

Do you ever need to change to double though? I capture the tail in a pulley at the start of an awkward limb walk if needed, or occasionally when advancing. What rope are you using with the zigzag? My old shape is still going strong albeit I haven’t used in much in a couple of years

[Treetom15]

I swap between the 2 pretty regularly. Especially during takedowns, I find the faff of setting up a retrieval system for srt on a stem more hassle than swapping to ddrt and chucking a cambiam saver on. And for big/dieing trees when you can’t shoot straight for a tie in point and need to advance beyond your base anchor. 
 

I’m sure most devices would do both fairly well, but something with a swivel that is made for both and not just a compromise does look pretty appealing. 
 

I also think the older ZZ last a lot better, I had nearly 5 years from my old style one-newer style ones don’t seem to go much beyond 2. Although I’m using 11.5mm cougar blue predominantly so it’s the smaller end of the range.