Akimbo

[T14EES T14UNK]

Mines no where near that wear. Maybe that's the big problem at the mo. But I did wonder how much testing had been done in crap weather and not new ropes. Once dialled in today on cougar blue, cold dry and time to play with settings. It was lovely. Just what you don't have most days though. Pissing it down and stressed, reach for the ..... instead!

[BenR]

Pissing it down and stressed, reach for the ..... instead!

 

Constantly:lol:

[T14EES T14UNK]

I had time to play today so I did do some bombing out to see what happened. It was nice to see it does come to a nice steady holt (when set up right).

But funnily enough, when I went 'one tighter' on the top cam, it didn't stop. Just a steady slip but didn't stop. Tried again, one slacker. Worked perfectly.

It's a really complex device as far as I can see so far.

[D Mc]

.... I realised that the bottom cam also plays a massive role in stopping the device self tending to it's full potential...

 

Yes, good observation. I find this is similar in both the BDB and the HH. Unless you counter the engaging force on the carabiner you will be creating drag in the lower friction component. If you clip into the ring that the carabiner goes through it will not do this.

[BenR]

Yes, good observation. I find this is similar in both the BDB and the HH. Unless you counter the engaging force on the carabiner you will be creating drag in the lower friction component. If you clip into the ring that the carabiner goes through it will not do this.

 

See that's interesting to hear Dave because I have absolutely no trouble with that on the BDB. Furthermore, with the tail deflected directly above me on the BDB I have full control over descent and slack tending back up. However, with the Akimbo if the tail is deflected above, even on the smallest diameter, low friction branch, I am completely unable to move unless manually pull slack through.. to me that is a problem because I do not want to be constantly managing my tail unless I absolutely have to.

 

Edit: I guess it just goes to show that everyone is having completely different experiences due to weight, climbing style, rope choice etc.

 

Also Dave, Ive looked at clipping into the bridge ring to negate the bottom cam issue, however it seems like that will just tip the pivot point behind the top cam straight into the rope and again ruin any self tending. Im planning to make a special "loosy goosy" neck tether for the akimbo, but I will try it on the bridge ring too.

Edited February 9, 2017 by BenR

[surveyor]

The difference with the Bones may be that Dave has an early Bone. The later Bones have a groove at the bottom of the spine which eases the rope through in a straighter path when slacked.

[D Mc]

If you pull up on the top of the BDB while at the same time pulling down on the main carabiner attachment ring, you will activate the leverage that induces lower arm friction. The same thing happens with the Akimbo.

 

The tending shackle on the Akimbo is perfectly located for tending if the carabiner is not pulled tight by a chest harness. This is most noticeable when using a rope-walker setup and can add lots of drag. Clipping the chest harness or neck tether to the main ring when rope-walking will not cause this particular action.

 

I have noticed that all my tools seem to get much better, smoother, as they wear in.

Edited February 10, 2017 by D Mc

[Porkbrick]

Hi guys, jaime here. Sorry I haven't been on this site as yet. I'm currently reading through this thread an taking it all on board. The Akimbo is definitely still a work in progress and I want to be sure I hear your feedback so that I can make it better. Some of the issues I'm reading about are my fault due to some of the hardware and manufacturing choices I had to make in order to get this batch made. I will try to sort it all out so I can look at modification for improvement. Cheers all. It may take me a day or two to read through the rest.

[BenR]

Hi guys, jaime here. Sorry I haven't been on this site as yet. I'm currently reading through this thread an taking it all on board. The Akimbo is definitely still a work in progress and I want to be sure I hear your feedback so that I can make it better. Some of the issues I'm reading about are my fault due to some of the hardware and manufacturing choices I had to make in order to get this batch made. I will try to sort it all out so I can look at modification for improvement. Cheers all. It may take me a day or two to read through the rest.

 

Hey Jaime, good to see you over here. Although we limeys often seem a grumpy bunch, please don't take any of the criticism as rude/destructive. I for one am really hoping to be a beneficial part of the improvement process. It's a good device, lets make it great:thumbup1:

[Porkbrick]

don't you guys know that California has been in the longest drought in recorded history?ive nearly forgotten what rain is!

 

but seriously, the last version i made did not have the kinds of problems you guys are describing with wet conditions. as they were made to basically the same design i am a little confused why it seems to be working so horribly. i do have a couple of theories. first off, the anodizing most definitely adds friction until it is worn off. second, this version is made with a different alloy of aluminum. while i dont think that really makes any difference it could. lastly, and most likely, is the difference in machining quality between the old cams and these new ones. the new ones are cnc machined to very high tolerances while the old ones were made by me with my crap tools in my crap shop. i think part of the issue is that the old ones had enough slop that the upper cam rotated a few degrees farther down when the akimbo was weighted. the new ones ride a little higher and that puts them close to the point where they flip up into the locked position. if any of you have another situation where it suddenly becomes really difficult to descend, take a look at the pin that engages the top cam. if the pin is up against the top "hook" on the cam then that is exactly what has happened. ive just made a couple of new cams to test this theory and if they work out i will make them available. thank you guys for your feedback! like ive said before, its still not perfect and if i dont hear about the negatives i wont be able to make improvements. cheers. Jaime

 

ps, i absolutely plan on making the gap between the sides bigger for 13mm ropes in the final version. it was unfortunately beyond my budget to have that machined for this version.

Edited February 13, 2017 by Porkbrick