UKC

was wondering if anyone has used the ropeman and whats theyre opinion. was thinking of investing in a couple but not to sure. i noticed that they have teeth and can the damage the rope.

In reply to taffyboy:

I use a Ropeman a fair bit for soloing on a 10.5mm Mammut Static line , have been doing so for over a year , before that I used a shunt but prefer the Ropeman doesn't seem to damage the rope noticeably . Good for back up in some situations too .

I always back up the ropeman & the shunt with a Klemheist or Prussik loop on 6mm static procord atleast .

Not had a problem with the Ropeman yet , I did have a wee problem with the shunt once but that was down to operator error 80S .

PS not saying any of this is right by the way ! Just that I've been doing for a few years now and it works for well me .

In reply to boogie man: thanx

In reply to taffyboy: First, which one? There are three. Second, what do yu want it for?

With a decent search you should be able find a few threads on here and on other forums over the last few years discussing the various pros and cons of the three different versions of the WC Ropeman, along with alternatives such as the Petzl Tibloc, Petzl Micro Traxion or Kong Duck.

If it is just for emergency use, then most people I know (including myself) now carry Petzl Tiblocs. For regular use, proper handled ascenders are better, or a caving systems using petzl Croll/Basic ascenders.

However, for other things like crevasse rescue it seems to be a toss-up between the Ropeman Mk3 and the Kong Duck, e.g. see http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=509187

In reply to taffyboy: which version of the ropeman you want depends on what diameter of rope you use as each one is best suited to a different range of diameters of rope.

In reply to boogie man:

Yes important factors raised aboved , apologies very slack on my part .
Mine is this one ; http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/products/ropeman-1-and-2/new-ropeman-1/

A Ropeman 1 ; suitable for 10 ~ 13mm diameter ropes . Sorry .

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: i dont use double ropes yet, and the ropes i have are 10.5 if i remember correct. when the summer comes was thinking of doing a few sea cliffs in west wales area, and if i get stuck i thought it might be quicker than trying to set up prusiks.

In reply to taffyboy: For a good summary of the 3 versions of the Ropeman see http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=4443

For the sort of emergency use you describe, I think Petzl Tiblocs are a better option being both cheaper and lighter.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer: cheers, thanx very much.

In reply to taffyboy:

Ascenders having teeth does not equate to rope damage.