FP-7208-AL	FP-7208-AS

Overview

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Puma FP-7208-AS
(#1655)

Front View: Closed	End View: Closed	Top View

Front View: Open for Rigging	End View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Fusion Puma FP-7208-AL from Fusion Climb online in 2017.

My Fusion Puma FP-7208-AL is 97 mm. long, 111 mm. wide, 62 mm. high, and weighs 328 g. The Puma closely resembles a Type 1 lever cam ascender. It has a milled and painted aluminum shell with an interesting rope channel. The channel is 17.6 mm. wide with a U-shaped base, and then a second, deeper 11 mm. U is cut in the base of the first. The cam appears to be cast stainless steel. A thin wire cable secures the cam to the shell, and also acts as a weak cam closing spring. The cam axle is a generic QR pin.

One side of the Puma is marked with an up-pointing arrow, "UP," " EN567," "FUSION," and a cam icon. The other side is marked "PUMA PRO," "ROPE 1/2"-5/8"(13-16mm)," "INSPECT BEFORE EACH USE," and "23kN 7208-AL Z359.1," a Fusion logo, and"15B."

Comments

Bob Thrun had a pair of Fusion Pumas, one FP-7208-AL for 13-16 mm. rope and one FP-7208-AL for 7-12 mm. rope, and he showed them to me at the 2016 Old Timer’s Reunion, asking if I could see any difference other than the paint color and the rope size markings. I couldn't, and neither could he. At the time, I only had a FP-7208-AS, but resolved to get a FP-7208-AL for comparison. Eventually I acquired this one, and I still cannot find a difference. As an aside, the whereabouts of Bob’s pair is unknown - they were not with his collection when I acquired it.

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Puma FP-7208-AS
(#1655)

Front View: Closed	End View: Closed	Top View

Front View: Open for Rigging	End View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired a pair of Fusion FP-7208-AS Pumas from Yi-tien Tuan in 2009.

The Fusion Puma FP-7208-AS is 112 mm. tall, 96 mm. wide, and 63 mm. thick, and weighs 330 g. The Puma closely resembles a Type 1 lever cam ascender. It has a milled and painted aluminum shell with an interesting rope channel. The channel is 17.6 mm. wide with a U-shaped base, and then a second, deeper 11 mm. U is cut in the base of the first. The cam appears to be cast stainless steel. A thin wire cable secures the cam to the shell, and also acts as a weak cam closing spring. The cam axle is a generic QR pin.

One side of the Puma is marked with an up-pointing arrow, "UP," " EN567," "FUSION," and a cam icon. The other side is marked "PUMA PRO," "ROPE 1/4"-7/16"(7~12mm)," "INSPECT BEFORE EACH USE," and "23kN 7208-AS Z359.1†07A1" where "†" represents a strange symbol that looks like a "[" rotated clockwise with an "o" inside.

Comments

This looks very much like a Type 1 lever cam ascender and that is what I thought I was buying, but the manufacturer’s (Ace Metal) instructions clearly state that it is a rope grab. The instructions specifically warn against using the Puma for any other purpose, including "towing, hoisting, or leveraging." It is "not intended for self-belay of solo climbers." "Only use the product between temperatures of 20 degree Fahrenheit to 95 degree Fahrenheit." The manufacturer requires that the product be destroyed or removed from use after arresting its first fall. Good Grief - the company’s lawyers seem to want us to go elsewhere.

That said, the Puma is well made. I particularly like the double-diameter rope channel, since it keeps the cam from closing completely, which means that the cam cannot cut ropes in the specified size range. I think that ropes at the lower end of that range are too thin for fall arrest applications.

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