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V-threaders


YocumRidge

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There are a few out there, DIY and pre-fab ones.

 

I used to have a couple made of coat hangers but inevitably they rust and break, and inevitably that happens on top of a pitch.

 

Just recently I tried a Grivel candela and it sucked...If you want to spend eternity threading a rope, get that thing :rolleyes:

 

So, I am leaning towards a DIY rig. Any recommendations on the design, type of wire, etc?

 

Thanks

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I've been using this thing for two years, and other than the rubber protective cap coming loose and the exposed snagging stuff, it's been well worth the $10.

 

GP Abalakov Hooker

I had one of those for a long time, too, and had the same problem. After a short while, the cap gets loose and the hook starts poking holes in every damn thing in the pack. I replaced it with a solid shank hooker with a better hook cover. The solid shank makes snagging the webbing/cord really easy. It's this thing here:

 

Abalakov_hooker_2.jpg

It doesn't have a brand name stamped in it, but I bought it at Monod's in Banff several years ago after I got freak'n tired of the wire rope hooky thingy that RafalA linked to tearing up my shit.

 

 

Here you can see how it compares to some standard length screws. It won't fetch your thread on a 22 cm, but it'll grab everything else. The cover is a flexible rubberized plastic (same stuff that ice screw caps are made of) and slides all the way back to the groove in the top of the handle when you're using it. Then just pull it over the hook when you're done. My gear has really appreciated me getting this thing...

 

Abalakov_hooker_1.jpg

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Thanks guys!

 

 

Abalakov_hooker_2.jpg

That is Petzl Multihook.

 

The nice thing it does have a solid shank that is hard to destroy or bend, but its short and as I recall, a couple of partners I climbed with were unhappy about the cap being a hassle to slide.

 

The Camp hook is 24 cm and seems to be pretty rigid.

 

Or I might make a new one from a coat hanger and stop jamming and bending it (if this is what caused it to break) inside the screw when not in use.

 

 

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Try Tvash's technique and you may have better luck with the Candela. I've been really happy with mine. I also use the "stick" part to push ice out of screws if it's too cold to blow them out and too wet for the ice bits to fall out with a tap on the top. That one never catches on my other gear like the coat hanger types. Never tried the rigid ones though.

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That is Petzl Multihook.
Thanks, Nastia. Funny how Putzl didn't stamp that on it. But now I know. :)

 

The nice thing it does have a solid shank that is hard to destroy or bend, but its short and as I recall, a couple of partners I climbed with were unhappy about the cap being a hassle to slide.
It will thread a hole using up to a 17 cm screw, which is plenty deep in good ice. I also found the cap a wee difficult to slide, but I fixt that with a liberal application of Metolius cam loob... :)

 

Oh, and it will clean out a 17cm screw (or shorter) that has a frozen plug in it. The bendy wire rope thingy can't do that...

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17 cm is fine usually, but why not spend the extra few seconds to make 22 cm V threads, which greatly increases the strength, and have the appropriate tool to do the same?
Uhhh, cuz I'm a cheap-ass bastard that already has a tool that works with 17cm screws...? ;)

 

And, for God's sake, stop rapping off of single 5 mm cords, people! Spring for some 5.5 dyneema (3x breaking strength) and live to tell about it.
Well, I ain't that cheap (to risk my life to 5mm cord). I spring for old skewl 9/16" toob webbing... :)
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I've almost always used a coat hanger without any problem. I replace (i.e I lose them in my gear pile and have to make new ones) fairly often so rusting isn't really a problem. I usually fold them in half and keep it on the back of my harness.

While rapping off a big alpine route last April, my partner pulls out this simond v-threader: http://www.simond.com/shop/produit/prd-82-Abalahook/

The hook bent into a useless bit of metal on the first prod (I guess the ice was too hard for it). We spent 10 minutes trying to get the hook back into useable shape before I pulled out my trusty coat hanger and away we went. That simond thing is a piece of Shit

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While rapping off a big alpine route last April, my partner pulls out this simond v-threader: http://www.simond.com/shop/produit/prd-82-Abalahook/

The hook bent into a useless bit of metal on the first prod (I guess the ice was too hard for it). We spent 10 minutes trying to get the hook back into useable shape before I pulled out my trusty coat hanger and away we went. That simond thing is a piece of Shit

 

Good to know! Thanks for your input.

I personally never had a problem with pulling efficiency of the coat hangers (and actually really liked them in this respect), but it is just they tend to break from the repeated folding.

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No one uses the BD V-threader? It folds up, but is still kind of clunky hanging on the harness, but it also has a serrated knife blade so I no longer carry a knife on my harness. I've only used it once so have no idea how it will hold up over the long run. Oh yes, it has hole guides for 16 thru 22 cm screws for the spatially challenged.

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Knife? -- I sharpened two inches of the edge of a Petzl multihook with a file, then slid a section of old pneumatic hose from my little air compressor over the tool to cover the sharpened bit. Cut up twenty feet of 7-mil cordelette for four anchors rapping off a secret project weekend before last. I second the recommendation for the Petzl - have had no difficulties with the end cap two seasons now. and on mixed terrain, works great as a nut-tool - try that with a coat-hanger...

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