Matt Glen (winner of the South Island Regional TCC in Christchurch) climbs on the ART Spiderjack. From day one he found the Spiderjack to be an excellent piece of kit so when Treetools offered the trial of an ART Positioner 2 Matt was keen to oblige.
Matt's comments are below:
"Recently I had the chance to trial the ART Positioner and the Trango Cinch from Treetools. After equal amounts of climbing time on both devices I favor the Cinch""Self feeding was an issue with the Positioner - the cam is so smooth, the lanyard often crept forward as I climbed around the tree. When I needed a specific length to get around a branch the lanyard ended up being too short so I had to feed it back though the Positioner using one hand on the release mechanism. I was using a 10 mm lanyard and I think the Positioner works best with 11-13 mm. Perhaps a lanyard with a larger diameter would not creep as much but a 10 mm lanyard is pretty standard".
"Another problem I found was the 'locking of the cam' under load. If you have your full weight on the lanyard the release mechanism is very sensitive. Push it too far and you suddenly drop. I tried for ages to get the technique right but couldn't find the sweet spot!
"When I did get things right the Positioner was very smooth. With just the right amount of weight on the lanyard its very simple and efficient to use. The cam also locks every time which is reassuring.
"But the Trango Cinch is just so much easier to use. Your lanyard stays in position and locks every time. The handle mechanism means you can can release it under a full load and still lower yourself easily (and smoothly). It's more versatile too; you can use it on a single line if your lanyard isn't long enough and it would also work in a floating anchor point system.
"I have tried all sorts of lanyard systems; hitches, Ropeman, different pulleys, the ART Positioner and the Trango Cinch. The Cinch is by far the best I have used."
Note: Jawand Ngau Chun, the wildcard entry in the National TCC is currently using the ART Positioner and claims it's fantastic. Both Matt and Jawand are happy to discuss the benefits of each device, so if you want more information just give them a call.
