Owner: Thomas
Used since: 2004
Tested by: Thomas
Review by: Thomas
Primary Use: Abseiling, Canyoning
Review:
I have only used this ascender a few times before I knew about the Petzl Shunt. Its a great ascending device for occasional use and is relatively compact and light to take along (usually you would have 2 - one for the harness and the other for the foot sling). The disadvantage of this device is that it can only be used on single rope, so for the normal abseil or canyoning trips where you abseil on double rope, this is not very useful. On 2 occasions I have also used this device to setup some self-breaking mechanism as part of a hauling system with a mini-traxiom. It uses little teeth to get a grip on the rope, so if used frequently that can damage the rope (hence another reason why I prefer the Petzl Shunt).
Pros:
- Fairly small and light ascender
- Can be used as single rope ascender or as self-breaking device (ie. as part of a belay or hauling system setup)
Cons:
- Uses teeth to grab the rope
- Can only be used on single rope
Comment:
If you are for an ascender to use primarily on single rope for emergency ascending or for building belay systems with auto-break, this is a good device. I would not recommend it however for abseiling or canyoning trips where you typically descend on double rope. The Petzl Shunt would be my preference for those activities (see Petz Shunt Review).
Manufacturer Website:
http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/Ascenders/BASIC?l=INT