D Mc

Nice video! Hitch based systems will always have greater latitude and adjustability and in my opinion, be smoother, if you understand how to get them working. It seems that some climbers have trouble with that. How much time do you have on the Akimbo? It seemed a little jumpy in the vid but I know it can be real smooth with the right rope. It should also come off and on the rope super fast with practice. It is also my opinion that if a mechanical can't be smoothly one-handed during swings, it will not be a good general use tool.

Have you read Paolo Bravarescos work on hitchs? It is not really possible to make generalisations on how a hitch will respond without more details. You are correct that one should not presume anything about our equipment. I was curious if any testing had been done on how the ZZ responds in the specific overload conditions that were mentioned.

I do not own a ZZ so cannot test this myself but is this a true problem? There is a large amount of information on how hitch cord responds to overload conditions. Does the ZZ not slip at a predictable load? Will it continue to grip until failure of it or the rope?

Best answer!

That is what I would do. Just make sure that it can't be pulled out before you cut it.

You should be able to milk it in either direction with a hitch. If you absolutely can not slide the sheath by pulling below the bunched area, I would suspect that the sheath yarns have snagged the core yarns. Not good.

That is most definitely a rope problem, not an Akimbo problem. It is amazing how much rope will vary batch to batch. You need to milk the cover and balance the core on the piece you have in order for it to do its job. Try tying off one end and use a hitch cord to load the rope for one continuous pull to the other end. It very well might take more than one time to stabilize it.

Yeah, one of the prototypes Paul made had a D shackle. Looked good like in the video but in actual use it was not an improvement. When in an awkward position, like passing the HH through a fork out on a limb it could be a real hand full. With the carabiner it can be done with one hand. Not so with the shackle.

Sweet! Making a BDB that works well with Vortex should be a great option.

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.

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.

LOL! That is indeed what I found. I was hoping it might though because Vortex is so nice to work with. It looks like the open space between side plates is 13mm so I'm still not sure why 12.7 Vortex fit so badly.

Man, it just sucks the problems that you guys are experiencing. I would love to offer a counter point, but in truth I have not been able to assess this newest Akimbo in the field. Winter here has been rough plus I am recouping from a knee injury. I have not had the problems described with the prototype I was using last year. Even when wet it worked well. Not as good as dry but no real problems. For me it works best on mid-range ropes like Tachyon. Velocity and Vortex didn't work for me. The only big differences in this new one is the upper spring cam and the anodizing. I am going to take a wild guess here as I have no proof but anodizing on friction points has a track record of being a problem, especially when things are wet. Enough so that I have already removed it from the contact areas on mine. Do the ones having problems still have anodizing on the contact surfaces or has it worn off?

The instructions that came with the GoFundMe Akimbo say " for use on ropes of firm construction from 11mm to 12mm ". This it will do. However, as with any other rope tool it will have some performance changes not only with different settings but with different ropes, conditions and climber weights. Experimenting with different ropes is not mandatory as it will work but if you are after the ultimate in performance, you will need to do your part.

The Akimbo is brilliant! I think as climbers start to get a handle on how it works and what ropes work best with it for their climbing style, you will hear nothing but rave reviews. It just flat works.

Al, the BDB always worked well for me and I love its simplicity; but even though I have not heard anyone having issue with them, the potential of having one of the cut chain links come under load in an unsupported position, always bugged me. The way the Akimbo opens to accept the rope and then fully locks is pure genius. I have also been able to get smoother, more consistent overall performance with the Akimbo. It has a great deal of adjustability which makes it more hitch-like than any full mechanical tool I have tried. Consequently though, it will take some experimenting, by the individual climber, to get things just right. Climbers need to remember how many times they had to adjust something on their current system to get it to where it is. This GoFundMe version will take some time to break-in. The anodizing on the cams does not have the same frictional coefficient as the bare aluminum will have when it wears off. I believe that the Akimbo is a huge advancement in climbing tool design.

A swivel can't be mated to the Akimbo like it can with the BDB.

Ben, the condition you describe is often caused when the bottom roller is set too close to the cam. Try opening it up one hole.

Did you not look at the link in post #160? Do yourself a favor and listen to the numbers and how they are being achieved. Follow the links. This is being done successfully all over the world.

We are dependent on products like Roundup for all the wrong reasons. This article is discussing corn but in truth virtually all modern agriculture follows the same format. There are better ways. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-corn/

The problem with products like Roundup is they propagate the myth that we can successfully and indefinitely live outside the laws of the natural world. Gravity is not a suggestion and neither are life cycle systems. For anyone interested in a simple and truly sustainable farming method, check out some of the videos in Gabe Browns collection.

The tending shackle works great in that location, Al. If you look at the BDB and Akimbo side by side, you will see that they move quite differently.

Some things to keep in mind. DdRT is not an ascent system, it is a work positioning system that has been overly used for ascending. The mechanical advantage in a DdRT system is optimized when utilised with arm power but wastes energy when utilised with leg power, compared to an SRT system. Think of trying to get somewhere on a bicycle while it is stuck in a very low gear. Your legs are moving furiously but your not getting anywhere fast. Size of tree and time should be less of a factor than most people think. Like bending over at the waist to pick up wood will eventually cause problems, even if that wood is not particularly heavy, so too, doing 4 small trees will have you covering the same vertical distance as doing one large tree. The wear on your body will be the same. In most trees, there is not an obvious speed advantage when using one over the other. So instead, use the system that is most efficient at accomplishing what needs doing and don't limit your choices through lack of proficiency in available systems.

Nice post, scotspine1 .

I agree with this.