Petzl - Am'D TriAct,  Monday, 10 December 2007 I have a matched set of these in a kind of coppery color and they look and perform beautifully. I have noticed the "sharp" edge on the locking collar and for this reason I don't use them in applications where your supports regularly become slack enough to drape down and catch, like with a Texas clmibing system.

I was pretty surprised to read these reviews and find that no one mentioned the primary reason to opt for this style 'biner - the non-snag "nose". I guess most of us take this for granted, but for those newbies not familiar, many carabiners fall into the "wire gate" category. This means that the "nose" of the carabiner has a notch to catch the wire. I only know of one wire-gate carabiner that doesn't have this notch. So when a wire-gate 'biner is opened, that ragged notch will snag nearly everything possible (besides the wire it's meant for) when detaching from your saddle or your current configuration. Not the end of the world, but bad enough so I created a separate place on my harness for all non-snag biners. If I'm in a particularly tough predicament, I don't want to have further frustration.

I strongly recommend "smooth" carabiners to every climber, especially these. I have not had any of the problems described in the other reviews, but of course debris jamming can happen to any device.

One particular application is with an eye to eye prusik, which I use frequently because of the friction knots I choose. The smooth end slides in and out of the small splices quickly, with no hanging up or wear on the spliced eye.

I have to qualify my rating on "Type of Use" by saying that some certified arborists to whom I have spoken only use steel 'biners. In my opinion I feel this is a totally versatile piece of gear, to be used in all normal life support situations. But since some tree service companies require their personnel to "stick with steel", I give it a 4.

"Frequency of Use" a 4, only because I have so many frickin' carabiners, I like to rotate thru them and experiment.

I find the action easy and the shape ergonomic enough to be opened easily with either hand, although in the winter insulated gloves make it tricky. Even young people with smaller hands should be able to do it once they have experience. (Not so with the "William", which is very wide and you need big hands to do it one handed without struggling.)

I have tested this carabiner by hanging on it and then operating the gate to see whether or not there is any appreciable flex that distorts opening/closing under load. My full gear and I weigh about 180lbs (not including chainsaw) and there is no discernable distortion of normal operation under that load. I have tested other 'biners and this is not always the case.

Once every couple of years I wash them in soapy water, blow them dry with compressed air and then hit them with either WD40 or Remington light machine oil. Beauty mate!

 Buckingham Falsie - 48" - Aluminum Rings,  Thursday, 06 December 2007 This is a very handy piece of gear. Color coding allows easy ID of wide/narrow side for removal.

The rings are very fat and provide a perfect friction-reduced glide for any climbing line. I do not worry about them coming into contact with the tree and torquing and possibly fracturing, like I do with carabiners in a web sling false setup. You would have to be abusing this thing with destructive intent to compromise the rings.

After reading the Sherrill 2007 Master Catalog (only about 200 times) I learned a new application for this false crotch - using it with a Prusik that allows length adjustment. I have not yet, but intend to try it, in a "wire-core lanyard" scenario. My current flipine is homemade from Yale XTC Fire, and while it works well for most situations, during a take-down it's a little tricky to maneuver. I am hoping this 48" Buck falsie (or a longer one) would serve better because of its semi-rigid nature.


The aluminum rings are very light - so much so that for the first year or so I thought (like an idiot) they were made of some tough polymer. Then after talking with the people at American Arborist they set me straight.

I only give it a 4 for durability, because it is NOT idiot proof. I would NOT let it fall to the ground onto a hard surface like asphalt or concrete. Rings are aluminum and I wouldn't chance it. Mine is still in great shape after years of use, usually left up in trees for extended periods. The colors are a little sun-bleached but still very identifiable.

I gave it 3's for Skill and Ease of Use because I personally have never tried to set it like the instructions describe. (Instructions are very good, by the way.) Usually I just get up there, tie on with my flip line, then re-crotch with this. But certainly, setting it from the ground is not as easy as the leather sleeve cambium saver, which is a no-brainer.

5 for Portability. It's easy to carry on your saddle, clipped and hanging at the ready. Just make sure you have an oversize pear if you expect to get both rings clipped into the same 'biner. Also stuffs easily into a carry-all.

And you can shorten it by changing the way you hang it around the crotch. If the limb is narrow and I don't want the rings to be too far away from the tie in point, sometimes I wrap it around away from me, bringing both ends back around and crossed over on the far side of the limb like an X.

I would defintely describe a cambium saver as a "must have" for any tree climber. I don't know if I would necessarily say this particular one is a mandatory piece of gear, but I would not do without it.

 Petzl Ascension - Going Up (Straight Up, that is),  Wednesday, 05 December 2007 When you read my numbers, you have to understand that the ratings are based on a "Texas Climbing System" which includes the Petzl ascenders, but also includes straps and carabiners. So once you add all the straps and biners (which stay as part of the assembled system - you don't take it apart unless you are changing left to right or something) then it becomes a little more challenging to rig up, use smoothly, a little harder to drag around, etc.

I have been using this system since I started climbing, so lets say 5 years. And here's what I have learned:
** - I can tell you that routing the tailing line thru is a personal thing with the Texas system and I have played with it for a long time. Now I have a consistent method where things don't get in the way and it works well without frustration.
** - These are a great way to get a seriously aerobic workout while climbing.
** - You can switch left and right around (I usually do it 1st of every month) to become adept at climbing both ways.
** - If you have to go a long distance straight up, on a single line, this is the way to go.
** - I have never had an ascender torque free of my climbing line, but a few times, when fatigued, I almost torqued it out. Technique is important - you can't tug on these when advancing - but I also would never teach a new climber to use these without safety biners clipped into the safety holes.
** - Very lightweight, very durable. I have done probably 200-300 climbs on these and the handgrips still look perfect.
** - The "changeover" is something you practice low and slow, if you're planning on coming down the same line you went up.
** - I saw on "Planet Earth" series, a shot of climbers going up the giant Redwoods - and they were going up single line with these, and also using foothold on the trunk to push off. Point being they are versatile and be used several different ways
** - I just recently started using these with the DdRT - It's kind of slow going, but if you have no good way to advance because the tree is too far away, it works. The Petzl Pantin vs. the Petzl Ascender? Depends on how far you're going. Not really sure yet.

I used these on many jobs - could never do without them. The leg straps are looking fuzzy, the green guard part is frayed, but straps are still structurally sound.

Highly recommended.

 Petzl Pantin - When you need it, you need it.,  Wednesday, 05 December 2007 After reading al the reviews before mine, I just say YES, Yes and yes.
I agree with everything.
You DO have to wear a chunky heel to make it work.
You DO really appreciate it when you have to monkey up a line that's very far from the trunk.
It DOES slough off the line easily, but who cares because
YES, it's just a convenience.

I can add this - Be mindful when using it while working where you are both ascending AND descending, because this Petzl can pretzl your leg. Not so serious really.

And it sheds a whole new light on what is an "adequate placement" of a line. Rather than re-throw to catch something better, you can use the Pantin to go up a line in the middle of nowhere (read: no foothold) and then fix it when you get there.

When I bought it, the girl at the store was like "Pantin? You like that thing?" She is experienced in arborculture, and I knew from her attitude that she must have heard several negatives about it. I almost put it back, but I decided that in those situations where the line is swinging in the breeze, I could use it.

And that's exactly where I need it. Yeah, I could footlock, but it's quicker.