|
sixleggedinsect
Jul 23, 2005, 5:52 AM
Post #1 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 14, 2004
Posts: 385
|
I've had a B52 for a while now and love it dearly. It's started to wear noticeable grooves into the thinnest part of the device, however, leaving a sharpish edge (although not an edge the rope would presumably be loaded over) and a lot less material than there used to be.
clearly, the device is not as strong as it used to be, and i want it to be strong.
is there some sort of guideline for replacement? i admit that it seems a little early to be retiring it. no other belay device ive has has come close to being a retirement candidate this soon. id rather squeeze another season out of it if that was a safe option.
thoughts? knowledge?
-anthony
|
|
|
|
|
markanite
Jul 23, 2005, 6:09 AM
Post #2 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 30, 2003
Posts: 282
|
Sharp and rope should not come in the same sentence.
I don't see how ur causing it to wear like that though.
|
|
|
|
|
sumo
Jul 23, 2005, 7:22 AM
Post #3 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 28, 2005
Posts: 176
|
^ ditto
would be interesting to see a pic
anyways rule of thumb when in doubt toss it out (retire it)
seriously another season?
$25 will give you peace of mind
s
|
|
|
|
|
moss1956
Jul 23, 2005, 1:37 PM
Post #4 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 6, 2002
Posts: 213
|
Hi,
Mine developed a sharp edge too. I am not sure enough that it is bad enough to cut a rope, but unsure enough to have retired it. Certainly, pulling a rope across that edge will add to wear and tear on the sheath of the rope. It developed that edge in less than ten days of use. Has anybody else had this experience?
The sharp edge is on the leading edge of the device where the rope goes out to the climber. The device wore two shiny grooves that are the shape of the rope I was using and the edge is at the top of the grooves.
|
|
|
|
|
vegastradguy
Jul 23, 2005, 3:33 PM
Post #5 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
|
interesting- this is a known problem with the reverso, but i thought the B-52 was free of this.
i've retired one reverso so far...it got about 18 months of service in. my second reverso was starting to get a little thin on one side and then i started using that neat little rappel trick posted on this site a while back and the edge is starting to round off instead.
anyway, like anything else, if you're nervous about it, you shouldnt be using it. you dont need to be a 100' up worrying about whether or not your belay device is going to cut your line....
|
|
|
|
|
ronolsen
Jul 24, 2005, 5:38 AM
Post #6 of 6
(997 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 8, 2003
Posts: 47
|
I showed my B-52, with worn grooves after one year of heavy use, to Malcolm Daly several months ago. He asked if I used the B-52 in autoblock mode; I said no. He said that it should be good for another year or two before I should consider retiring it.
He said that the 7075-T6 aluminum used in the B-52 is very durable and strong.
He also said that Trango may be making some slight modifications to the B-52 design to beef it up in this area that is prone to wear.
So I'm continuing to use my B-52, grooves and all, but I won't use it in autoblock mode (not that I ever did that).
|
|
|
|
|
|
