hilti6

i've had a couple of tree magic harnesses they were excellent, really light weight. I've also had a comet also good but in my opinion not as good as the tree magic. However i got a tree motion over a year ago and havnt looked back. Took a while to set up but its definateley the comfiest harness i've ever owned and you can customise it to suit your own style. Regarding the durability a mate of mine has had one for the last 4 years climbing in uk,germany and norway and he's only just had to replace the hip straps and padding which i think is really good going and the fact you can replace all the stuff is another plus point more than justifying the purchase price.

I've been using the rope wrench for a solid six months now and could not go back to working off ddrt. The only time i use ddrt is for access when not using a throwline. I can't bear the friction problems with ddrt. Using the wrench your rope can touch as many branches as it wants to and the friction never increases. With regards to tip reduction I just pop in a redirect and drop down into free space do all my cutting and then shoot back up the line after, easy peasy!

I am the same ian. Its easy to have your hand on the knot and set after each pump of the foot which means there is hardley any sit back and a rapid ascent. I use a sling and karabiner as a simple chest harness now for longer ascents. Much comfier than LOTS and a lot less painfull than the bungee over the shoulder technique (been whipped on the backside too many times!) you forget you're actually wearing it when you're working.

i agree definitely get a pantin. Legs are stronger than arms. I've suffered/suffering with tennis elbow on and off for years a good chiropractor sorted mine out but I recommend getting a decent arm support. Use that and get it looked at at least you should be able to work.

Totally agree with you. Saw your video on the other thread. Nice work mate, great use of the sling carabiner redirect.bet it saved loads of time:thumbup1:

I was taking big steps at first and found i kept hitting the hand ascender with the wrench and hitch. Tried it today with smaller steps it was much easier and i managed to get into a good rhythm. Probably down to age as well the getting tired bit!!

Not really found any downsides to the wrench so far. I'm still finding ascending is expending a fair bit of energy (i'm no racing whippet like these younger lads!) and is not as easy as i thought it would be but i think thats down to needing more practice. I've done a couple of straight up hanging free frog walks in beech trees and was knackered but when i looked down and saw how far i'd gone there is no way i could have gone that far on ddrt as quickley. The techniques involved using the wrench just seem to get you into a working position quicker.

Ok first ever post on Arbtalk here goes. Been following this thread since the start and at first was a bit sceptical as to how effective the wrench would be. Even considered getting a spiderjack but decided against that and went a ahead and purchased the wrench. What a revelation it is. I've been climbing for the best part of 20 years (from prussick to blakes hitch to VT) and am pushing 40 but this has totally revolutionised tree climbing for me. The fact that there is no friction on the line at all is amazing and the effortless redirects using a sling and carabiner or dropping through a fork to gain a stable work position is something you just can't acheive in the same way with ddrt. All praise to Kevin Bingham for creating such a simple device that works so effectively and a big thanks to all the lads on this thread for all there ideas on wrenching techniques. Cheers:thumbup1: