The falls that they put the ropes through are factor 2 falls and you will probably never take one of those unless you are leading and fall past your belayer. I just use the # of falls as a guideline for overall durability. Most people use really thin ropes for redpointing and not TR'ing or hangdogging.
Mj
...quitting drinking is kinda like washing your hands after you take a crap...why start now?
Actually the fall factor they are subjected to is 1.78, an 80kg weight is dropped 5m on 2.8m of rope repeatedly at five minute intervals= 1.78 fall factor
"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?" – Lord Byron
companies may do factor 2 testing for advertising purposes, but it is not part of UIAA testing. Certainly not allowing the rope to recover and continuing to subject the same part of the rope to intense impacts due to repeated falling is severe, but I don't think that would be the same as a factor 2 fall. Maybe a physics major could offer more information.
"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?" – Lord Byron
I used a Roca Roxy for a long time, and was very very happy with it. Roca is a Spanish manufacturer that has been making ropes for like a hundred years.
I am not happy with my Sterling though. It's way too stiff, and shows wear much quicker.
