I'm curious if you've tried a Raumer Handy and how you think it compares to a Freino. I've never tried the Freino. I really like the idea of the brake 'biner being fixed to my Stop 'biner. I think that would allow more flexibility for running my Stop on either side of my Croll depending on my needs--like wanting to face the other way on a J-hang. I don't like that I can't move my Handy around. I have to unhook my Omni to do so. Otherwise I like how the Handy performs.
I use either a Handy or a steel oval carabiner attached to the carabiner that holds the Stop. In my experience the Handy is a little jerky on thick rope (10mm and thicker), especially when the rope is a little stiff. It work very smoothly on 9mm. I use the steel oval for thick rope.
I have a Handy, but don't have much experience with it yet. I got it from a friend who travels to Europe. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a distribution channel in the US. I plan to start using it more. In my limited experience I found it to be grabby and the rappel wasn't very smooth, but I've since learned there's a technique for managing the space between the bobbin and Handy with the brake hand that smooths the rappel. The Handy also benefits from a little bit of breaking-in.
I use a variety of descenders depending on the cave, but I do more often use bobbins. I like the Petzl Simple for most vertical caving due to the light weight and simple operation. I use the Petzl Stop in caves that have more technical vertical work or where I may be doing some rigging because it makes it easier to lock-off and the backup of having a brake feels safer. I use a rack less and less often, but still favor it for long drops (>300 feet) or for TAG-style pits (i.e. single drop entrance pits where I don't need to drag it through crawls).
@@DerekBristol Are you using the bobbin due to the long drop ? I'm trying to understand the advantage of it over other descent devices as well as what practical scenarios it excels. Our normal operations are currently done with petzl IDs.
MrHassancehef I’ve not used the vertaco method. I don’t like the idea of opening and closing the main attachment biner when crossing rebelays, or the idea of causing wear to the main attachment point.
Very clear thank you.
Great review. I wish Petzl would makes a steel version of this.
Agreed. A stainless Freino would be awesome.
I'll do some research but could this be used in double stand abseil applications? I use a figure 8 so I'm not sure how beneficial it would be.
I'm curious if you've tried a Raumer Handy and how you think it compares to a Freino. I've never tried the Freino. I really like the idea of the brake 'biner being fixed to my Stop 'biner. I think that would allow more flexibility for running my Stop on either side of my Croll depending on my needs--like wanting to face the other way on a J-hang. I don't like that I can't move my Handy around. I have to unhook my Omni to do so. Otherwise I like how the Handy performs.
I use either a Handy or a steel oval carabiner attached to the carabiner that holds the Stop. In my experience the Handy is a little jerky on thick rope (10mm and thicker), especially when the rope is a little stiff. It work very smoothly on 9mm. I use the steel oval for thick rope.
I have a Handy, but don't have much experience with it yet. I got it from a friend who travels to Europe. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a distribution channel in the US. I plan to start using it more. In my limited experience I found it to be grabby and the rappel wasn't very smooth, but I've since learned there's a technique for managing the space between the bobbin and Handy with the brake hand that smooths the rappel. The Handy also benefits from a little bit of breaking-in.
I see you frequently use a bobbin in your videos; what advantages do you think they have over racks? Great video as always!
I use a variety of descenders depending on the cave, but I do more often use bobbins. I like the Petzl Simple for most vertical caving due to the light weight and simple operation. I use the Petzl Stop in caves that have more technical vertical work or where I may be doing some rigging because it makes it easier to lock-off and the backup of having a brake feels safer. I use a rack less and less often, but still favor it for long drops (>300 feet) or for TAG-style pits (i.e. single drop entrance pits where I don't need to drag it through crawls).
@@DerekBristol Are you using the bobbin due to the long drop ? I'm trying to understand the advantage of it over other descent devices as well as what practical scenarios it excels. Our normal operations are currently done with petzl IDs.
and what about vertaco?
MrHassancehef I’ve not used the vertaco method. I don’t like the idea of opening and closing the main attachment biner when crossing rebelays, or the idea of causing wear to the main attachment point.