I like the Omni triact. It makes me feel safe. A poor night of sleep camping could cause someone to forget that imo, at least for me, so I like that I don’t have to worry about it so much.
Exactly, I’ve seen people have some close calls just cause they never paid attention or forgot to check every over before putting their weight on it, a long time caving buddy of mine was just getting his nephew into rope work and had brought him along on multiple pit drops ranging around 60ft but he went with us on a grotto trip to Pine Hill to drop the skylight entrance, a few people had already gone down and he was getting on rope and everyone was shooting the bull waiting their turn as always and I just happened to glance over and notice his micro rack was rigged backwards and he was about to put weight on it!! After I deafened the the rest of the crew thankfully I stopped him before he plummeted 125ft at the speed of gravity lol not good at all, one simple but fatal mistake, to always double check everything and never get in a hurry or feel pressured cause someone is waiting their turn behind you..
I use the Omni Triact these days (so much easier), but used a steel maillon for quite some time. Little known fact and only relevant if you use a petzl bobin or stop, but the top part of the device (between the plates) is perfectly spaced to be used as a wrench to open a 10mm Maillon. I am certain it is just coincidence, but a handy tip if you get stuck and the Maillon is only just that little bit too stuck to undo with your fingers alone. Cheers, Paul, caver from Victoria, Australia.
Thanks for the tip. Yes, that gap between the bobbin plates is the same as the maillon barrel. I plan to demonstrate using it as a light-duty wrench when I put together a tutorial on bobbins.
I keep a 7mm long Maillon on my Steel D it's the perfect size to use as a wrench in the same way as the Stop, once tightened I move it to the side and rotate it so it doesn't go over the gate then can use it for attaching tackle bags making the D less busy.
Excellent review. I'm a bit old school and I prefer a demi rond maillon. How does the omni's strength compare to a stainless maillon? - caver from Manila :)
I think the steel screw links are rated for around 50 kN and aluminum are about 20-25 kN. The strength of the steel versions is definitely overkill. I haven't owned a stainless steel demi rond maillon, but I've heard of problems with the threads seizing due to galling. It helps to use a little lubricant and don't over-tighten. The plated steel maillons have less of an issue with this.
I like the Omni triact. It makes me feel safe. A poor night of sleep camping could cause someone to forget that imo, at least for me, so I like that I don’t have to worry about it so much.
Exactly, I’ve seen people have some close calls just cause they never paid attention or forgot to check every over before putting their weight on it, a long time caving buddy of mine was just getting his nephew into rope work and had brought him along on multiple pit drops ranging around 60ft but he went with us on a grotto trip to Pine Hill to drop the skylight entrance, a few people had already gone down and he was getting on rope and everyone was shooting the bull waiting their turn as always and I just happened to glance over and notice his micro rack was rigged backwards and he was about to put weight on it!! After I deafened the the rest of the crew thankfully I stopped him before he plummeted 125ft at the speed of gravity lol not good at all, one simple but fatal mistake, to always double check everything and never get in a hurry or feel pressured cause someone is waiting their turn behind you..
I use the Omni Triact these days (so much easier), but used a steel maillon for quite some time. Little known fact and only relevant if you use a petzl bobin or stop, but the top part of the device (between the plates) is perfectly spaced to be used as a wrench to open a 10mm Maillon. I am certain it is just coincidence, but a handy tip if you get stuck and the Maillon is only just that little bit too stuck to undo with your fingers alone.
Cheers,
Paul, caver from Victoria, Australia.
Thanks for the tip. Yes, that gap between the bobbin plates is the same as the maillon barrel. I plan to demonstrate using it as a light-duty wrench when I put together a tutorial on bobbins.
I keep a 7mm long Maillon on my Steel D it's the perfect size to use as a wrench in the same way as the Stop, once tightened I move it to the side and rotate it so it doesn't go over the gate then can use it for attaching tackle bags making the D less busy.
I own the tri act as well. A caver from California.
Great video Derek. I learned something from it!
A caver from Virginia:-)
Thanks Mark. I'm surprised I might have had something to teach.
A caver from Colorado.
Excellent review. I'm a bit old school and I prefer a demi rond maillon. How does the omni's strength compare to a stainless maillon? - caver from Manila :)
I think the steel screw links are rated for around 50 kN and aluminum are about 20-25 kN. The strength of the steel versions is definitely overkill. I haven't owned a stainless steel demi rond maillon, but I've heard of problems with the threads seizing due to galling. It helps to use a little lubricant and don't over-tighten. The plated steel maillons have less of an issue with this.
I use a million half moon and keep a normal million as a wrench and it lives on the Half moon