Front View: Closed	Rear View: Closed

Front View: Open for Rigging	Rear View: Open for Rigging	Side View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

Artyom Babin (Артём Бабин) sent me this ascender in 2024.

This ascender is 63 mm. tall, 74 mm. wide, 24 mm. thick, and weighs 84 g.

The shell is an irregular shaped stamping made from 2.0 mm. titanium alloy sheet bent into a "U." The resulting rope channel is 14.5 mm. wide. The cam is mounted on a pivoting cam carrier loosely riveted to a vertical slot in the lower right rear of the shell. The cam axle is a 13 mm. i.d. tube. In use, the tube hole aligns with 14 mm. holes punched through the front and rear of the shell, where it is secured by the user's attachment carabiner. The cam carrier swings open for rigging.

The spring-loaded cam is milled from 8.9 mm. titanium alloy plate. It has ten notches forming ten straight teeth. A thumb lever opposite the cam face assists in releasing the cam. It can also be used to add additional holding power.

There are no markings on this ascender.

Comments

This is an interesting design, but I do not like it.

The slot attachment allows the cam carrier to move vertically. While this eliminates the need for accurate manufacture, it forces the user to align the axle and shell holes manually. Binding in the rivet/slot coupled with the cam spring forcing against the rope (thus opening the cam carrier) makes this a two-handed operation. When derigging, one must push the cam tab toward the rope while pulling the cam away from the rope to open the ascender. In other words, I find myself fighting the device whenever I try rigging or derigging it.

The attachment point is high on the shell, so the ascender rotates 90° when loaded. The lost motion on each step reduces climbing efficiency.

On the positive side, this ascender is small and light.