This is the Akimbo

You poor, late to the game smucks :D...This damn thing is over the top, the BEST mechanical friction hitch device EVER. Suck it up, you have to have it, put in a pre-order, no matter the cost.

I ran around on my Poison Ivy with it yesterday and today with a rare break in our deep winter weather. That's a bit thick of a line for the Akimbo, but it works fine so far at 5 and 5. Damn, this sucka is awesome. Sweet release, total rap control, almost no drag up line even with my fatty Poison Ivy.

Jaime...out of the park stroke, brother. First class performance.
 
I have been wrenching since it hit the market and will likely continue to.. got a unicender and can't get over the lack of control and the difficulty keeping the line from hopping over the hook on the bottom.. I was going to start the retro fitting process but am seriously thinking of selling the uni for a loss and getting in line with the rest of ya gear whores. How long until this beautiful piece of go go gadget is in my arsenal??
 
The Akimbo kicks the Unicender to the curb, imo. Rode the Uni for some good time and never did get it quite right for full trust and comfort.

Then Paul's Rope Walker hit and that was sooo much of an improvement. Still a great tool that I like immensely.

Now Jaime has hit a very sweet spot in performance with his Akimbo. It is the best yet for mechanical hybrid SRT tools from where I stand.

But the Akimbo is somewhat less forgiving to rope type and diameter than the Rope Walker, in my experience so far.

Akimbo is finer than frog's hair split three ways in the 10 to 12 mm diameter...the RW allows one to use 1/2 inch older style arb lines better, I think. So if you have a distinct preference in ropes, you may wish to look to those advantages/disadvantages.
 
Getting senile, I think. Had to happen eventually, a Jaguar can only keep you young for so long.

Burnham, Hitch-hiker is the name!
 
O.k. Jaime, the gloves are coming off. Either one shows up at my door air shipped to my address by Tues. or I'll slander the device, reporting numerous malfunctions/injuries/multi-car collisions, and etc.
 
Wow, I should have read this thread a long time ago! The Akimbo REALLY looks incredible. I still have not read through all 1,018 posts...but I will. Have taken a quick looks at some of the YouTube videos and I am truly impressed.

Has anyone tried the Akimbo out in industrial applications? I currently have to ascend with a hand ascender and chest ascender on my primary (working) line, and then switch over to descent mode using my Petzl RIG.
 
The thing that I have always liked about SRT "Industrial Method" (with a hand ascender and chest ascender, such as a Croll), is the absolute zero sit-back that you have with them. That is why I still use the Croll to self-tend my SRT tree climbing. Changeovers are no big deal for me, as it really doesn't take anymore time for me than it does for some to unclip a chest harness self-tail system.

Just wondering, does the Akimbo have "zero sit-back" when you apply tension to it, or is there a little give/slippage in it? Again, this may have already been answered in this thread, but I have not had a chance to read through all the posts.

Thanks.
 
With a Rope Walker, sit-back isn't a concern.

With a potential for a TIP to break, toothed ascenders above a hitch, or in place of a hitch could cause rope damage.
 
With a Rope Walker, sit-back isn't a concern.

With a potential for a TIP to break, toothed ascenders above a hitch, or in place of a hitch could cause rope damage.

Don't use a Rope Walker system much. I prefer the Sit-Stand aka Frog Method better.

Never try to set my TIP so high that I worry about it breaking, but I have had it happen twice while SRT ascending over the years. Once fell 6', the other time 10'. F*cking stupid mistake each time trusting the size branches that I did. Only thing is that in each time the reason that I went forward with the ascent, is that I knew that I had really good limb below my TIP to mitigate a fall. Still not a good idea to plan on having a TIP break.

Also in each case, I came down on my Croll (which as you know, is a toothed cam ascender) and there was ZERO rope damage. Sean, I know that you are more experienced than this, but if climbers are more concerned about damaging their ropes using cam ascenders than they are about having their TIP's break out, than they are really misguided and are listening to the wrong people.

Take if from someone who is a 2 time member (though I am not proud of it) of the "Halfway to Hell Club".
 
Back
Top