personally i dont give a damn what the little numbers on the side say. It doesnt matter to me which one is stronger as long as it is strong. Your never going to reach the max load for a 1/2'' or 3/8'' link with the static load from lowering.
Well, Lurky, then why don't we go back to using cheap bolts, concrete nails, and bed frame hangers? "All you-ens need is a couple them strapple hooks!!"
the lurkist wrote:Do you believe a hardware store 1/2 in Quick link is stronger than a 3/8 in stainless Fixe ring? I do.
When you average batches of thousands of them, you're probably right. But I trust that Fixe, Petzl and other climbing gear manufacturers have far more consistent Quality Control in place. That means that you can trust that almost every link on the shelf will actually be as strong as it's rated. With minimal quality control, a good portion of the hardware links will fail at surprisingly low loads.
do you have factual data in order to back that up, Tom? I ask because I am under the impression that hardware store quicklinks are used in construction applications, and I haven't read about any lawsuits due to failures. Of course I am not alert to news of construction accidents.
the only thing debated as much as grades is the type of anchor used. I've used them all. the one common denominator I want in an anchor is overkill/over engineering to the max.
As i said before, (and a fact I was surprised to hear and didn't previously know) is that stainless is a softer metal and wears faster in sandy environs (sand on ropes) than non stainless. I got this fact from Kevin Daniels- distributor of Fixe in North America and also from American Safe Climbiing Coalition (er somethin) - the folks replacing anchors in Western areas.
"It really is all good ! My thinking only occasionally calls it differently..."
Normie
Have any hardware quicklinks used as anchors failed? I haven't heard of any. They last longer than anything I have seen used as top anchors. Other than Metolius rap anchors.
Yeah, I fixed the anchors. I replaced them with Nalgene water bottles nestled in a crack like a chockstone with an old sling around it. I've been using this system for years and never had a failure. Cheaper too.
