Version A	Version B

Overview

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Version A
(#1541)

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

Technical Details

I acquired my Hugh Banner, Version A from G. Wright in 2010.

Version A is 192 mm. tall, 99 mm. wide, 28 mm. thick, and weighs 241 g.

The shell is a tall irregular shaped stamping made from 4.2 mm. aluminum alloy sheet metal. A 17 mm. wide rope channel is formed in the upper portion of one side and a smaller cam channel lies opposite. A hole drilled through both sides of the cam channel accepts a 5 mm. rivet. The cam and cam spring are mounted on this rivet. The handle below the cam has a soft "rubbery" two-piece hand grip riveted into place. The hand grip has four shallow finger grooves. A 15.0 mm. sling attachment hole is punched below the handle opening, and a 9 mm. hole is punched below and outside the first. A 14.8 by 21.1 mm. oval hole through both sides of the rope channel provides an attachment point just above the cam. A curved 16.7 by 32.3 mm. slot behind the cam reduces the ascender’s weight. There is no cam stop.

The cam is a plated skeletonized steel casting. The cam has number of small conical teeth, all of which have their axes approximately in line with the corresponding radius from the cam pivot. The cam radius increases from 43 to 60 mm. over an angle of 37°, giving a 26° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (4.5)^4(4.3)^4. small nubbins surrounding the cam axle help keep the cam centered in its channel. Two notches on the cam engage the safety mechanism to hold the cam open.

The safety mechanism consists of several parts. A safety trigger, sear, and trigger spring are mounted on a 2 mm. rivet below and outside the cam rivet. The trigger is cut from 6.3 mm. aluminum. The inner end keeps the cam from opening until one depresses the trigger. The sear is stamped from 1 mm. stainless steel. The lower end is a channel with two notches that engage the safety rivet, allowing the sear to rotate. A coiled sear spring holds the upper end against the cam. The sear spring sits in a stamped cap that fits into a hole in the cam channel (this cap is barely visible in the photographs). When the cam is fully open, sear engages the outer notch on the cam. Depressing the trigger forces the sear away from the cam, releasing the cam and alowing it to close.

The front of the ascender isstamped "N8994." The back is printed with a design, the HB icon, "WALES," an arrow with "UP," "Ø 8-13mm," "CE0086 EN 567," "NFPA 1983 (2001)," the letter "L" inside a circle, and the UIAA logo.

Comments

My Version A is a left-handed ascender. If you have a right-handed Version A that you are willing to part with, please email me.

The primary difference between Version A and Version B is the safety. Opening and locking the cam may seem like a two-handed operation at first, but one soon learns how to do it single-handed. The problem with the safety mechanism is that its complexity makes it susceptible to jamming in muddy conditions. While it works well when kept clean, the locking mechanism is unreliable in muddy conditions.

My "non-safety-related" comments on Version B apply to Version A as well.

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Version B
(#199)

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

Technical Details

I acquired this pair of ascenders from John Bull Clothing in August 2005.

Version B is 191 mm. tall, 93 mm. wide, 39 mm. thick, and weighs 274 g.

The shell is a tall irregular shaped stamping made from 4.2 mm. aluminum alloy sheet metal. A rope channel is formed in the upper portion of one side and a smaller cam channel lies opposite the first. The rope channel is 18 mm. wide. A hole drilled through both sides of the cam channel accepts a 6 mm. rivet. The cam and cam spring are mounted on this rivet, along with a flat washer on each side of the cam. The handle below the cam has a soft "rubbery" two-piece hand grip riveted into place. The hand grip has four shallow finger grooves. A 15.8 mm. sling attachment hole is punched below the handle opening, and a 9 mm. hole is punched below and outside the first. A 14.8 by 21.1 mm. oval hole through both sides of the rope channel provides an attachment point just above the cam. There is no cam stop.

The cam is a plated skeletonized steel casting. The cam has number of small conical teeth, all of which have their axes approximately in line with the corresponding radius from the cam pivot. The cam radius increases from 43 to 60 mm. over an angle of 37°, giving a 26° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (4.5)^4(4.3)^4. A spring-loaded manual safety bar is bolted to a cylindrical cam inset. The normal action of the spring holds the safety against the cam. When the cam is opened, the shell interferes with the safety bar, thus preventing opening the cam. If the safety bar is moved away from the cam (opposing the spring), it will clear the shell and the cam will open. At full open the safety can be released and the spring will hold the safety against the back of the shell. This provides a means of locking the cam open. A pin on the safety assists in operating the safety mechanism.

The front of the left and right ascenders are stamped "N778" and "N774," respectively. The back is printed with a design, the HB icon, "WALES," an arrow with "UP," "Ø 8-13mm," "CE0086 EN 567," "NFPA 1983 (2001)," the letter "L" inside a circle, and the UIAA logo.

Comments

The Hugh Banner is essentially the same ascender as the PMI Cat, except that the bolt attaching the safety to the cam is much smaller. The Hugh Banner is about 14 grams lighter - which I cannot explain.

They are well-made ascenders and perform much like the Petzl Ascension. All sharp edges have been removed. The attachment points are simply holes in the shell, and although rounded they should have been beveled more; even so, I would consider their small radius too sharp for directly attaching sling ropes. They are probably acceptably rounded for webbing (or could be made so), but considering the proximity of the attachment points to the main rope, I would recommend using a small maillon for most attachments in order to reduce the risk of sling abrasion. The lower attachment hole could theoretically have the same safety problems as the one on Clog Version A. The upper rope attachment hole is located very close to the main rope. A carabiner through the upper attachment hole will probably drag on the main line. Note that such a carabiner will prevent putting the ascender on or off rope, so one’s climbing system must be designed accordingly.

The safety is one of the easiest to use with one hand. The Hugh Banner web site showed a different safety design on their ascender, similar to that found on the Clog Expedition and CMI Expedition ascenders (see photo at right, taken and modified from that site). I was disappointed to receive what amounts to a duplicate of the PMI Cat instead of a different ascender, but the safety on the Hugh Banner I received (and PMI Cat) is so much easier to use one-handed than the ones on the Clog Expedition and CMI Expedition ascenders that I prefer the new design.

The ribbed handle is not comfortable for me because the ribs are spaced poorly for my hand. In addition, the handle is too square. A file can eliminate both objections. The rivets holding the cam to the frame are countersunk more than those on my PMI Cat. The cam is very well made, and the teeth are reasonably sharp (unlike those on my PMI Cat).

This ascender has the same pit lip disadvantage as the Clog and other stamped frame ascenders. The shell is thicker that the one on the Camp Pilot, Kong-Bonaiti, and Petzl Ascension but it isn't reinforced as it is on those.

I'm not sure the extra holes are needed at the base. Except for the Petzl Pompe, I've never found a real need for a second hole. Some people like them, and I might find them more appealing if they were large enough for a standard carabiner to fit through.

If you are looking for a stamped-frame handled ascender, the Hugh Banner is yet another a reasonable choice to consider.

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