ziontree wrote:
Hi Nick
I have bought the rope and agree it is a little stiffer.
On a side track (sorry)I have been told that splicing 'old' rope, as in not brand new rope is a total no no. The fibers have been stretched and therefore the splice will not be certified.
I can understand why a company would not splice a used rope but can you tell me the science on why its not done.
Will the stretched fibres not hold sufficient friction in the splice?
Would you climb on a not new rope splice that you knew the history of?
Forgive my ignorance and thanks for all your answers.
Cheers

Zion- "used" splices are fine. It is not a matter of certification...it is merely a matter of convenience. Splicing used rope is very difficult. I always recommend that people learning to splice only splice NEW rope. With practice, one can develop techniques that make the splicing of used ropes more manageable, but for the average splicer, it is not worth the hassle.

The used fibers will hold the splice together just fine. One could argue that the splice will hold even BETTER because there is more friction on used fibers than on new fibers! As a matter of practice, I don't like climbing on any rope that I don't know the history of. I wouldn't climb on the splice only if it's simply a bad splice. Whether or not it was new makes no difference to me.

What do you mean by "certified?" There is no over-seeing body that will certify a splice or a splicer. Some manufacturers will "certify" a splicer- basically saying that this person has created A splice in the last year that meets our minimum strength requirements- but it by no means is an approval for all splices created by that person.

Keep the questions coming!

love
nick