bonner1040
Nick from Ohio
I made a similar modification to my futura hand ascender as Dave did.
His photo and words.
I really like the Futura but only for certain uses. If you are looking for a life support component it would be a bad choice. Aside from the adverse feelings many have for the company, it is not stable enough on the line for me to feel comfortable in critical situations. It will come off some lines as easily as a Pantin.
In non-critical use, such as a handled rope grab, it can be just perfect. But even then it can be hard to remove from the line due to the operation requirements of the cam lock, as many have noted.
So because I use it for only noncritical rope grab type situations I decided to remove the cam lock. For my use this makes it perfect! It can be put on or off the line with just a simple twist of the wrist and with either hand.
I like the way it works now but if you decide to try this, understand that the ascender will be permanently altered and unfit for life support use.
Dave
I didnt go so far as to punch out the cam lock but simply removed the spring. It took about 2 seconds with a screwdriver. I have been using it for quite a while and its fantastic.
Here is a quick 30 seconds showing how it works.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ELtDHypV-nA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
His photo and words.
I really like the Futura but only for certain uses. If you are looking for a life support component it would be a bad choice. Aside from the adverse feelings many have for the company, it is not stable enough on the line for me to feel comfortable in critical situations. It will come off some lines as easily as a Pantin.
In non-critical use, such as a handled rope grab, it can be just perfect. But even then it can be hard to remove from the line due to the operation requirements of the cam lock, as many have noted.
So because I use it for only noncritical rope grab type situations I decided to remove the cam lock. For my use this makes it perfect! It can be put on or off the line with just a simple twist of the wrist and with either hand.
I like the way it works now but if you decide to try this, understand that the ascender will be permanently altered and unfit for life support use.
Dave
I didnt go so far as to punch out the cam lock but simply removed the spring. It took about 2 seconds with a screwdriver. I have been using it for quite a while and its fantastic.
Here is a quick 30 seconds showing how it works.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ELtDHypV-nA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
