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Don't buy Petzl Dragonfly half ropes.

Jeff Johnston · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 110
lperitz22 wrote:I recently bought Petzl Dragonfly 60m half ropes. They are bad. The very first time I used them the sheath tore exposing the core of the ropes. This was from normal wear and tear - no falls or sharp edges. I sent the damaged ropes back to Petzl for warranty and they could not offer me anything; not even covering the shipping cost for the return. I now learned that other people have had similar problems with Petzl ropes, so I recommend you avoid Petzl ropes altogether.
My experience with Petzl dragonflies was not good as well. I use mine only for ice climbing. after maybe 12 or so climbs, No falls or anything out of the ordinary; the sheath started to fuzz badly and the dry treatment wore off.
which caused balls of rope fuzz to freeze and gunk up the ATC on rappel.
now those twins are being used as line for a boat anchor and the other is now part of a jungle-gym in the back yard
Tom Nyce · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 45

Glad that I saw this thread. I have a lot of Petzl gear, but won't be buying their ropes until I see some good reviews (assuming they use a new manufacturer).
To the people that say that all the other brands have great customer service, I say nay. BlueWater totally screwed me up one time. I had a rope that was defective (had a "slub" if you know what that is). The Bluewater rep that comes around to the stores wanted to screw me over. My local store owner (Peace Surplus, in Flagstaff, AZ) applied pressure to Bluewater headquarters, and I got a new rope (after at least 4 months). Not the same though (smaller diameter, with lower specs). Kudos to my local store for helping me out, but I'll never buy Bluewater again.

Marty Theriault · · Quebec, QC · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 310

Had a set of dragon fly, used 4ish seasons of 50-60 ice days each, well taken care of they where very good to me, just retired them and got myself a set of petzl Paso 7.7, so far so good!

Jason N. · · Grand Junction · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 10

Glad to hear they were picked up by a different manufacturer. I just picked up a pair of twins/halves (Tangos petzl.com/us/outdoor/vertic…) from their new line of ropes for a trip to CA. I'll post up about my experiences when I get back, they look really nice right now at least :)

Rockbanned brett · · Plattsburgh, Ny · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 215

I'm a huge fan of Beal. Had a cheap yuji I used for a couple seasons, have a Diablo, 2 joker 9.1's I use for ice, and this past winter bought a Tiger 70m dry. Like the 5th time out on the tiger it was soaking water like a sponge. Not at all like my jokers. Called Liberty Mtn, sent them a pic so they could see it wasn't trashed, they sent me a new Tiger 70m, only this time Golden Dry instead of just the regular Dry. Ended up costing me $50 more total to get the best rope they make. I've had really good luck with Beal ropes. I've also got 2 New England ropes and a Marathon from Sterling. The NE and Sterling ropes have held up well for 2 yrs now also. But the unicore is what always sells me on the Beal stuff. It basically eliminates the fear of cutting the sheath.

Jason N. · · Grand Junction · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 10

^A couple other manufacturers have picked up on this feature, I know Petzl and Edelweiss from what I've seen and maybe others too.

LeeWouters · · Lakewood, CO · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 0

Has anyone heard of problems with the Salsa 8.2's? I've been climbing with a pair for a couple years now without problem. I've used them in a variety of settings and they do well. I honestly have not taken a big whipper on them yet though (took a few falls +/- 5 feet).

Paul Ross · · Keswick, Cumbria · Joined Apr 2001 · Points: 22,236

I have used Stirling ropes for years ...great ropes.Have in the past had problems with other rope but never with Sterling.

Nate Allen · · Denver, CO · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 15

We recently purchased a Petzl Arial (9.5mm, 70m) and have like 3 days on it so far. First impressions are positive and it seems like a nice rope. Maybe a little kinkier than average but I have a feeling it'll work out. I'll update later as we use it a bit longer.

Toad · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 0

Having seen this issue myself a few years ago, I'm shocked it's apparently still happening. In my case, they refused to replace it since we cut the roached end off.

Never will I buy one again, ever.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

i second that. mine tore first time out on sandstone. effing sandstone. i have yet to tear or burn a sheath in vedauwoo with at least a half dozen different brands and it only took one day in sedona to ruin those ropes.

Ti ck · · souf yeast · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 1,760

love my Sterling and Beal ropes, I have about 2 years of use on them and they are both going strong. Doing research on doubles and came across this thread.
Seems like Petzl did a pretty good job dragging their name through the mud, I will avoid the dangerous rope, poor customer support and money grab.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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