Help! Sterling Marathon Pro 10.1 or Bluewater Eliminator 10.2

I'm looking to buy my first rope soon and I've found both of these for around 140. I will be doing mostly lead climbing, but decided I wouldn't mind a little bit of weight for my firsts rope as long as it is made up for in durability.

Which of these ropes would you choose? The Sterling Marathon Pro is 2 g/m lighter (63 g/m vs 65 g/m), but the Bluewater Eliminator is rated for 8 UIAA falls whereas the Sterling is only rated for 6.

Just looking for some advice. Thanks a lot!

I own the Marathon and have used the Eliminator perhaps dozens of times. In my opinion, the Sterling is the better rope. Both will last a fairly long time, but I've found the Sterling to handle way better.

Both are great ropes, and while some might disagree with me, I think the sterling is the way to go.

Austin03 wrote:I'm looking to buy my first rope soon and I've found both of these for around 140. I will be doing mostly lead climbing, but decided I wouldn't mind a little bit of weight for my firsts rope as long as it is made up for in durability. Which of these ropes would you choose? The Sterling Marathon Pro is 2 g/m lighter (63 g/m vs 65 g/m), but the Bluewater Eliminator is rated for 8 UIAA falls whereas the Sterling is only rated for 6. Just looking for some advice. Thanks a lot!

Number of UIAA falls means absolutely nothing in the real world. Personally, I'd go for the sterling, it's lighter, it's a marathon which means it'll last longer, and I've had better luck with sterling than blue water.

Sterling marathon has been the best rope I've owned as well.

kennoyce wrote: Number of UIAA falls means absolutely nothing in the real world. Personally, I'd go for the sterling, it's lighter, it's a marathon which means it'll last longer, and I've had better luck with sterling than blue water.

I will no longer purchase a Sterling rope... just not durable AT ALL IMO. Just had a new 60m Velocity get cut halfway through after a hand size hold broke and landed on the rope from 15ft up. This was the second rope of theirs that got cuts very easily... They're just not that durable anymore has been my conclusion. I am looking at Mammut right now as an alternative the I'd love to compare the velocity and marathon in person though.

People who are comparing two ropes of similar diameters can usually see this in the test results—Mammut publishes the % of each ropes weight that is sheath so that people can judge for themselves what rope they will be happiest with. If you fall a lot, choose a rope with a high fall rating; if you don’t fall that much then choose a ropes with a thicker sheath (and if the manufacturer doesn’t publish that info call them and ask for it!). If you climb both abrasive rock and you fall alot, then think about how you wore out your last rope—if it went flat 10 or 15 feet from the ends, then get the rope with the high fall rating for the size and if the rope just fuzzed up to the point it felt sketchy or fat or lost its dry treatment, then concentrate on a rope with a thick sheath and a compact weave.

highinfatuation.com/blog/st…

;)

I have nothing bad to say about the Eliminator. I've owned a couple and they have been great.

"Eliminator" is up there with the worst possible names for a climbing rope.

Maybe the "Decapitator" would be worse.

edit: I see Blue Water actually has a rope called the "Accelerator." Good jeebus do they need some fresh blood in marketing over there!

Sterling. Hands down, no question. It is BY FAR the more durable rope.

CaptainMo wrote: I will no longer purchase a Sterling rope... just not durable AT ALL IMO. Just had a new 60m Velocity get cut halfway through after a hand size hold broke and landed on the rope from 15ft up. This was the second rope of theirs that got cuts very easily... They're just not that durable anymore has been my conclusion. I am looking at Mammut right now as an alternative the I'd love to compare the velocity and marathon in person though.

That's crazy. I haven't had either a blue water or a sterling in a few years, but I have owned both an eliminator and a marathon in the past, and I know that the eliminator got fuzzy much more quickly than the marathon. I have however heard several recent accounts of velocities that have worn out quickly, so I don't know if it is a velocity thing, or a newer sterling thing.

I had a sterling marathon for a few weeks, hated it and sold it. I have had great luck with bluewater and I own three of their ropes, all of them have held up great after years of use. To each their own I guess...

In my experience, the sterling's (i only have experience w/ the evolution series, not the marathons) have more durable sheaths, but the trade off is they get stiff and wiry sooner - they're great if you're dragging it over a lot of abrasive rock.

The blue water ropes (I've owned the 10.5 and a 10.3) have much higher fall ratings and stay soft and supple w/ a good catch, but the sheaths fuzz up faster - not to imply they wear out quickly, but just not as well as the sterling.

Personally i'd rate the sterling as a little more durable. The sterling's also are a little stiffer for clipping, which is nice.

kennoyce wrote: That's crazy. I haven't had either a blue water or a sterling in a few years, but I have owned both an eliminator and a marathon in the past, and I know that the eliminator got fuzzy much more quickly than the marathon. I have however heard several recent accounts of velocities that have worn out quickly, so I don't know if it is a velocity thing, or a newer sterling thing.

It's probably more of the velocity thing I suspect but either way... I'm out. Too many other brands with great quality ropes.

Sterling makes a good, durable rope.

Captain Mo- obviously I don't know the details of your situation, but it seems to me that dropping a rock onto a rope from 15 feet up is a good way to damage any rope, regardless of brand.

I owned an Eliminator and it was my least favorite rope ever. Rather stiff and twist prone and I suspect it wore through my biners more than other ropes. I have no experience with Sterling.

CaptainMo wrote: I will no longer purchase a Sterling rope... just not durable AT ALL IMO. Just had a new 60m Velocity get cut halfway through after a hand size hold broke and landed on the rope from 15ft up. This was the second rope of theirs that got cuts very easily... They're just not that durable anymore has been my conclusion. I am looking at Mammut right now as an alternative the I'd love to compare the velocity and marathon in person though.

I'm sorry, but that's just dumb. You dropped something with potentially sharp edges that probably weighed around 3-5 pounds from 15' up onto a something soft and made of nylon that was laying on something else hard and unyielding and you expect it to not damage it?

That's about like saying "I won't buy Nature's Own Bread anymore because I dropped a rock on it from 15' up and my sandwich got smushed."

FWIW, I've had 2 Velocities in the past 5 years and my girlfriend has another. They're great ropes and hold up well from my experience. At minimum we're out 2 weekends a month on them and climb everything. New River Gorge sandstone, NC granite/choss, Colorado choss, Devils Tower, Vedauwoo, Red River Gorge sandcrap etc etc

Eric G. wrote:"Eliminator" is up there with the worst possible names for a climbing rope. Maybe the "Decapitator" would be worse. edit: I see Blue Water actually has a rope called the "Accelerator." Good jeebus do they need some fresh blood in marketing over there!

Petzl must use the same marketing guy. If I were selling rope, I would not name one the "Fuse".

:^)

I tried 2 Sterling Evolution Velocity 9.8mm Ropes and I hated both of them. My Mammut's that cost about $40 LESS handled better, wore better, tied and untied knots more easily - and I found the Sterling to constantly want to kink and twist every time I used it - no matter WHAT I tried. I even called Sterling to discuss this issue with them and tried everything they told me to try - to no avail.

So now I buy only Mammut ropes. My Mammut's cost less and wear like iron, take a beating and still look great - and I use mine 2-3x per week!

I don't have any experience with the Eliminator, but I absolutely love my Marathon. I have used it regularly for both lead climbing and TR at Enchanted Rock in south Texas. The granite here is really sharp, and the Marathon has help up really well. Just my 2 cents.

Big fan of Sterling ropes. Started with a Marathon Sport. Now have a Marathon Pro and love it. Will be buying another one soon when the current one is shot.

I also have a Bluewater Eliminator 10.2 as my first rope and it has served us well.