Front View: Closed	Rear View: Closed
Front View: Open for Rigging	Rear View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my GripTech from Pat Clark in 2021.

The GripTech is 178 mm. tall, 98 mm. wide, 87 mm. thick, and weighs 529 g.

GripTech frames are milled from aluminum alloy. The frame contains two opposing channels. One channel is rounded and becomes the rope channel. The other is a square channel cut into the upper part of the handle and holds the cam. The rope channel is 17 mm. wide. A hole drilled through both sides of the cam channel accepts a 5/16-18 x 1-1/2" UNC socket-head cap screw. The cam and cam spring are mounted on this screw. The hand grip below the cam is 25 mm. square with slightly rounded edges. A foot at the base of the handle has 19 mm. sling attachment hole drilled through it. A 50 mm. handle is bolted to the front of the base of the hand grip with a 1/4-20 UNC socket-head cap screw.

The cam is also milled from aluminum alloy. The cam radius increases from 51 to 64 mm. over an angle of 21°, giving a 29° cam angle. The cam has number of small wedge-shaped teeth. The teeth are milled with a 2^8 pattern. The end opposite the cam face protrudes beyond the frame, and is serrated with a number of small ridges. There is no cam safety.

The side of the hand grip is milled with "GRIPTECH."

Comments

The GripTech is an unusual and massive handled ascender. It was designed as a hauling device for use as part of the GripTech Rescue System, and not as a climbing ascender. This explains the side handle.

The hand grip on this ascender is large, even for my hands, and rather uncomfortable. It would have been nice if GripTech had rounded the corners more than they did.

The milled teeth do not grip rope as well as the more typical conical teeth do, but the lower cam angle offsets this so that the ascender will grip well enough for hauling.