I have one Steve and have been using one for the past month or so.
And... It great.
Pros
- I couldn't imagine going back to an old traditional bungee strop, the extra reach is a real advantage on the treemotion with the anchor point being on the middle of the back (green ring). It coils up shorter than the stein bungee strop so the extra length is there if you need it and not there if you don't.
- It has a few ways of attaching to a top handle, you can clip a carabiner on to the end of the strop and then onto the rear ring of the top handle, my favorite. Or you can choke it directly onto the top handle of the saw, I have yet to try this, the advantage of this being that is hangs higher when short clipped.
- I use a large caratool with the gate removed and the hook cut off, this creates a smooth one handed action for both removal and stowing.
- The elastic spring is just right, not enough to feel like your pulling against it, but enough for it to quickly retract out of the way.
- I would say it gets caught up less than a normal strop due to its smaller retracted length, although when it does get caught it goes on for miles!
The cons:
- When sending the saw aloft you need to either directly tie the climbing line to the saw or use the same carabiner connecting the strop to the top handle ring. Due to the fact that being 2.2m long you end up having to pull for longer and then make sure the strop isn't twisted and is a pain as it can get caught up in the rope. This is alright if you work with only one or two groundies but it you work for a few companies it feels condescending telling someone how to clip on a chainsaw!!!
- When reaching over your harness because of its coiled shape it can get caught on a piece of the harness or other hardware edge and this limits the reach, a quick pull will sort this out but can be annoying for that one quick cut.
- Again being 2.2m long you NEED to have it short clipped, ie. clipped onto your harness will a caratool or other accessory carabiner so that it hangs directly off your harness, letting it dangle below you would be a pain and this is not the tool for you.
Overall, if you dont tend to cut through your strops then buy it you wont be disappointed. If you do then stay with the five quid webbing.
Jack