UKC

Looking for a set of 9mm 50m doubles for trad. Have chosen 9mm, as hopefully it will make the ropes less likely to cut through and falls more easy to hold for the belayer. I will go for the superdry in whichever I get, to help the ropes last.

Weight doesn't bother me and the two ropes cost the same, but... do I go with Beal's low impact force (5.3 kN as opposed to 6.3 kN) or Infinity's promise of durability (true/false?).

The two ropes can be found here: http://www.needlesports.com/acatalog/Mail_Order_Ropes_23.html

Doubt there's going to be a lot of difference between the two, but I have too much time on my hands - also, maybe I should consider alternatives to these ropes - what do you think?

JT

...and now I'm thinking that maybe 50m of mammut genesis is the way forward...

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Mammut Genesis? Are there better alternatives? Is it robust? Will it be too slick?

In reply to The_JT: I've been using Mammut Geneses for five years now, they're fantastic ropes. Not too slick at all, in fact they're a perfect match for most belay devices old and new. I find 9mm halves are a bit 'sticky', but I guess it's whatever you get used to. The Geneses are really hard-wearing (one of mine is 5 years old and still going strong!), handle well, and are a fair bit lighter than a lot of 9mm ropes.

As for Beal vs. Infinity, i've used a few single ropes from both manufacturers. In my experience, Infinity is by far and away the nicer rope. Handles amazingly well from day one, feels nice and 'solid' in use, and gives a nice soft catch every time you bin off. Best of all, they're really durable. The Beal ropes i've used have felt quite nice to start off with, but don't seem to be as durable, something to do with their rope spinning process using less fibres than other manufacturers or something like that I think.

In reply to Sean_J: Just to sort out a few mis quotes there is very little difference in the amount of fibre used between different ropes and if you want a true representation then look at the weight per metre, in fact this is a better comparison than compairing stated size. Beal do have a diferent spinning proces and it is all to do with getting the least possible sheath slippage and the lowest possible impact forces and this brings me on to the mention of the "softer catch". This is dictated purley by the impact force and Beal have the lowest impact force on the market (or did last time I looked) and so will always give the "softest catch".
I have used Mammut for some time and for the past 6 years have used Beal Booster 3, Cobra 2 and occasionaly when weight is an issue the Joker. All have performed as well as the Mmamut ones did and have the longest lasting and best dry treatment available.

Ok, cheers guys - so beal gives the softest catch, but otherwise the ropes are all pretty similar..

In reply to The_JT:
I got a 10mm infinity sprint, and was so impressed that I went straight for infinity halves (the 8.4mm flavour). I also bought a load of the 10.5mm enduros for our uni club when I was gear officer, and we have the same as work lead ropes.
I can't say enough good things about infinity ropes, I have been really impressed with every one I have used. They all handle brilliantly, and don't seem to wear at any noticable rate