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PaliKoa Axol Pivot
PaliKoa Element, Version A
PaliKoa Element, Version B
PaliKoa Pivot, Version A
PaliKoa Pivot, Version B
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| PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version A |
PaliKoa Element, Version B |
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| PaliKoa Pivot, Version A |
PaliKoa Pivot, Version B |
[ Top | PaliKoa Element, Version A | PaliKoa Element, Version B | PaliKoa Pivot, Version A | PaliKoa Pivot, Version B | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired my Axol from Glacier Black in 2023.
The Glacier Black Axol is milled from stainless steel plate. Mine is 131 mm. tall, 93 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 40 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 29 mm. and 38 mm., respectively. The belay slots are 38 mm. high and 10 mm. wide. The eye diameter is 14 mm. The ears are 15, 22, and 25 mm. long. My Axol weighs 404 g.
The front of the Axol is etched with the Glacier Black logo and "Axol."
The PaliKoa Axol is a canyoneering descender and it falls into my miscellaneous figure eights with ears category.
The PaliKoa Axol is one of a growing population of canyoneering descenders that are essentially figure eights with a multitude of horns and/or ears that provide a variety of friction arrangements by looping the rope around various combinations of horns. I find this idea to be rather humorous - how many different ways to rig a device does one need?
The value and need for horns strongly depends on the rope being used. On stiff mud-covered PMI pit rope, descending with an eight sometimes requires hand-feeding. At the other extreme, rappelling on clean, thin, polyethylene "strings" can be bloody fast, and one can appreciate almost anything that provides more friction.
To be fair, I see nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept of multiple horns, I just don't think their value offsets the increases in device size and complexity. One can debate whether adding horns to a constant-friction device is a better approach than using a variable friction device (or even a constant friction device that provides the right amount of friction for the user), but it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer to K.I.S.S.
The Axol is made from stainless steel. This gives it excellent wear resistance, but also makes it nearly three times as heavy as an aluminum version would be. The Axol is simly too heavy for my taste.
The eyes are small and there are many normal carabiners and maillons that will not fit through them. This is a fatal flaw, in my opinion. A tiny eye restricts versatility, and eliminates the option of using two carabiners for redundancy. Plan on dedicating a special carabiner if you want to use your PaliKoa Axol.
Each eye is machined for those annoying o-ring inserts that many canyoneers seem to love, but my PaliKoa Axol came without o-rings. This was accidental, as the Axol normally ships with an o-ring in the lower eye and a spare for the upper eye. I have plenty of proper-size o-rings in my shop, but I hate them and have no intention of adding them to any device that comes without them. You may disagree with me about o-ring eyes, I don't mind, we each have our reasons.
I'm not alone in my views. I when I noticed the missing o-rings, I sent the following question and comment to Shawn Breaux at Glacier Black:
One quick question on the Axol: The eyes are machined for O-rings, but do not include them. Was this Intentional or an oversight?
I have plenty of the proper size O-rings in the shop, so there is no need to send me any. Personally, I absolutely hate $%^& O-rings that are so common in canyoneering descenders, but that’s just my preference.
Sehawn sent the following reply:
Hello Gary,
I guess I left them out accidentally. I typically put one in the bottom hole and leave the upper hole empty and include an extra if you want one in the upper hole.
It’s funny you said that. My original did not have an o-ring. I had left it out intentionally because it’s easier to use the holes for rigging and alternate connections.
[ Top | PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version B | PaliKoa Pivot, Version A | PaliKoa Pivot, Version B | Return to Figure Eights ]
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| Front | Rear |
I acquired my Glacier Black PaliKoa Element, Version A from Glacier Black in 2021.
Version A is milled from aluminum alloy. Mine is 130 mm. tall, 106 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 45 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 56 mm. and 30 mm., respectively. The auxiliary hole is 31.9 mm. high and 13.7 mm. wide. The eye diameter is 14 mm. The ears are 25, 19, and 19 mm. long. My Glacier Black PaliKoa Element, Version A weighs 162 g.
The front of the Version A is stamped with "PALIKOA," the Glacier Black logo, and "ELEMENT." The rear is stamped with "821A."
The PaliKoa Element, Version A is a canyoneering descender and it falls into my miscellaneous figure eights with ears category.
The PaliKoa Element, Version A is one of a growing population of canyoneering descenders that are essentially figure eights with a multitude of horns and/or ears that provide a variety of friction arrangements by looping the rope around various combinations of horns. I find this idea to be rather humorous - how many different ways to rig a device does one need?
The value and need for horns strongly depends on the rope being used. On stiff mud-covered PMI pit rope, descending with an eight sometimes requires hand-feeding. At the other extreme, rappelling on clean, thin, polyethylene "strings" can be bloody fast, and one can appreciate almost anything that provides more friction.
To be fair, I see nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept of multiple horns, I just don't think their value offsets the increases in device size and complexity. One can debate whether adding horns to a constant-friction device is a better approach than using a variable friction device (or even a constant friction device that provides the right amount of friction for the user), but it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer to K.I.S.S.
The eye is small and there are many normal carabiners and maillons that will not fit through it. This is a fatal flaw, in my opinion. A tiny eye restricts versatility, and eliminates the option of using two carabiners for redundancy.
The eye has an annoying o-ring insert. In my mind, this is just a bad idea that won't go away.
Plan on dedicating a special carabiner if you want to use your PaliKoa Element, Version A.
Canyoneering descender designers and users may love o-ring eyes, but I hate them. O-ring eyes increase cost without providing a corresponding benefit. I see too many disadvantages to the small o-ring eye design and no advantages.
You may disagree with me about o-ring eyes, I don't mind, but the undersize o-ring eye alone is sufficient for me to eliminate the PaliKoa Element, Version A from serious consideration.
[ Top | PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version A | PaliKoa Pivot, Version A | PaliKoa Pivot, Version B | Return to Figure Eights ]
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| Front | Rear |
I acquired this Glacier Black PaliKoa Element from CanyonZone.com - Gertjan van Pelt in 2022.
Version B is milled from aluminum alloy and then soft anodized. Mine is 130 mm. tall, 106 mm. wide, and 9 mm. thick. The rope hole is 45 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 9 mm. The shaft length and width are 56 mm. and 30 mm., respectively. The auxiliary hole is 32.1 mm. high and 14.2 mm. wide. The eye diameter is 14 mm. The ears are 25, 19, and 19 mm. long. My Glacier Black PaliKoa Element, Version A weighs 161 g.
The front of Version B is printed with the Glacier Black logo, "PALIKOA," and "ELEMENT." The rear is printed with "0122."
The PaliKoa Element, Version A is a canyoneering descender and it falls into my miscellaneous figure eights with ears category.
The PaliKoa Element, Version B is one of a growing population of canyoneering descenders that are essentially figure eights with a multitude of horns and/or ears that provide a variety of friction arrangements by looping the rope around various combinations of horns. I find this idea to be rather humorous - how many different ways to rig a device does one need?
The value and need for horns strongly depends on the rope being used. On stiff mud-covered PMI pit rope, descending with an eight sometimes requires hand-feeding. At the other extreme, rappelling on clean, thin, polyethylene "strings" can be bloody fast, and one can appreciate almost anything that provides more friction.
To be fair, I see nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept of multiple horns, I just don't think their value offsets the increases in device size and complexity. One can debate whether adding horns to a constant-friction device is a better approach than using a variable friction device (or even a constant friction device that provides the right amount of friction for the user), but it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer to K.I.S.S.
The eye is small and there are many normal carabiners and maillons that will not fit through it. This is a fatal flaw, in my opinion. A tiny eye restricts versatility, and eliminates the option of using two carabiners for redundancy.
The eye has an annoying o-ring insert. In my mind, this is just a bad idea that won't go away.
Plan on dedicating a special carabiner if you want to use your PaliKoa Element, Version B.
Canyoneering descender designers and users may love o-ring eyes, but I hate them. O-ring eyes increase cost without providing a corresponding benefit. I see too many disadvantages to the small o-ring eye design and no advantages.
You may disagree with me about o-ring eyes, I don't mind, but the undersize o-ring eye alone is sufficient for me to eliminate the PaliKoa Element, Version B from serious consideration.
Printing the markings instead of stamping them saves manufacturing cost, but does not affect the Element's function.
[ Top | PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version A | PaliKoa Element, Version B | PaliKoa Pivot, Version B | Return to Figure Eights ]
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| Front | Rear |
I acquired my Glacier Black PaliKoa Pivot, Version A from Glacier Black in 2021.
Version A is milled from aluminum alloy. Mine is 130 mm. tall, 101 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 45 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 56 mm. and 30 mm., respectively. The auxiliary hole is 31.9 mm. high and 14 mm. wide. The eye measures 14 mm. by 14 mm. The ears are 15.5 and 19.2 mm. long. My Glacier Black PaliKoa Pivot, Version A weighs 156 g.
The front of Version A is stamped with the "PALIKOA," the Glacier Black logo, and "PIVOT." The rear is stamped with "821A."
The PaliKoa Pivot is a canyoneering descender and it falls into my miscellaneous figure eights with ears category.
The PaliKoa Pivot is smaller than the PaliKoa Element, and includes two additional o-ring-lined eyes on the top T-horns. These provide some additional rigging options, as if we didn't have enough already. I prefer the Pivot over the Element, since it is smaller, lighter, and has additional options that are there if I want them.
The PaliKoa Pivot, Version A is one of a growing population of canyoneering descenders that are essentially figure eights with a multitude of horns and/or ears that provide a variety of friction arrangements by looping the rope around various combinations of horns. I find this idea to be rather humorous - how many different ways to rig a device does one need?
The value and need for horns strongly depends on the rope being used. On stiff mud-covered PMI pit rope, descending with an eight sometimes requires hand-feeding. At the other extreme, rappelling on clean, thin, polyethylene "strings" can be bloody fast, and one can appreciate almost anything that provides more friction.
To be fair, I see nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept of multiple horns, I just don't think their value offsets the increases in device size and complexity. One can debate whether adding horns to a constant-friction device is a better approach than using a variable friction device (or even a constant friction device that provides the right amount of friction for the user), but it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer to K.I.S.S.
The eye is small and there are many normal carabiners and maillons that will not fit through it. This is a fatal flaw, in my opinion. A tiny eye restricts versatility, and eliminates the option of using two carabiners for redundancy.
The eye has an annoying o-ring insert. In my mind, this is just a bad idea that won't go away.
Plan on dedicating a special carabiner if you want to use your PaliKoa Pivot, Version A.
Canyoneering descender designers and users may love o-ring eyes, but I hate them. O-ring eyes increase cost without providing a corresponding benefit. I see too many disadvantages to the small o-ring eye design and no advantages.
You may disagree with me about o-ring eyes, I don't mind, but the undersize o-ring eye alone is sufficient for me to eliminate the PaliKoa Pivot, Version A from serious consideration.
[ Top | PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version A | PaliKoa Element, Version B | PaliKoa Pivot, Version A | Return to Figure Eights ]
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|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this Glacier Black PaliKoa Pivot from CanyonZone.com - Gertjan van Pelt in 2022.
Version A is milled from aluminum alloy and then soft anodized. Mine is 130 mm. tall, 101 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 45 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 56 mm. and 30 mm., respectively. The auxiliary hole is 32 mm. high and 14 mm. wide. The eye measures 14 mm. by 14 mm. The ears are 15.5 and 19.2 mm. long. My Glacier Black PaliKoa Pivot, Version A weighs 152 g.
The front of Version B is printed with the Glacier Black logo, "PALIKOA," and "PIVOT." The rear is printed with "0122."
The PaliKoa Pivot is a canyoneering descender and it falls into my miscellaneous figure eights with ears category.
The PaliKoa Pivot is smaller than the PaliKoa Element, and includes two additional o-ring-lined eyes on the top T-horns. These provide some additional rigging options, as if we didn't have enough already. I prefer the Pivot over the Element, since it is smaller, lighter, and has additional options that are there if I want them.
The PaliKoa Pivot, Version B is one of a growing population of canyoneering descenders that are essentially figure eights with a multitude of horns and/or ears that provide a variety of friction arrangements by looping the rope around various combinations of horns. I find this idea to be rather humorous - how many different ways to rig a device does one need?
The value and need for horns strongly depends on the rope being used. On stiff mud-covered PMI pit rope, descending with an eight sometimes requires hand-feeding. At the other extreme, rappelling on clean, thin, polyethylene "strings" can be bloody fast, and one can appreciate almost anything that provides more friction.
To be fair, I see nothing fundamentally wrong with the concept of multiple horns, I just don't think their value offsets the increases in device size and complexity. One can debate whether adding horns to a constant-friction device is a better approach than using a variable friction device (or even a constant friction device that provides the right amount of friction for the user), but it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer to K.I.S.S.
The eye is small and there are many normal carabiners and maillons that will not fit through it. This is a fatal flaw, in my opinion. A tiny eye restricts versatility, and eliminates the option of using two carabiners for redundancy.
The eye has an annoying o-ring insert. In my mind, this is just a bad idea that won't go away.
Plan on dedicating a special carabiner if you want to use your PaliKoa Pivot, Version B.
Canyoneering descender designers and users may love o-ring eyes, but I hate them. O-ring eyes increase cost without providing a corresponding benefit. I see too many disadvantages to the small o-ring eye design and no advantages.
You may disagree with me about o-ring eyes, I don't mind, but the undersize o-ring eye alone is sufficient for me to eliminate the PaliKoa Pivot, Version B from serious consideration.
Printing the markings instead of stamping them saves manufacturing cost, but does not affect the Pivot's function.
[ Top | PaliKoa Axol | PaliKoa Element, Version A | PaliKoa Element, Version B | PaliKoa Pivot, Version A | PaliKoa Pivot, Version B ]
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