Who makes Black Diamond Ropes

BD ropes are made in Spain. Anyone know who made the ropes. Probably Roca. 

Pretty sure (98%) it’s Roca. 

I recall a BD rep telling me they switched from Roca to Tendon. I believe the older models are still Roca and the newer models Tendon.

Z Winters wrote: I recall a be rep telling me they switched from Roca to Tendon. I believe the older models are still Roca and the newer models Tendon.

I guess an easy way to tell would be to see if current/future shipments of Black Diamond ropes are labelled as Made in the Czech Republic.

Marc-Olivier Chabot wrote: BD ropes are made in Spain. Anyone know who made the ropes. Probably Roca. 

For the 2018 season they changed to Lanex who own the Tendon brand.

The 9.9mm is still Roca. Everything else is manufactured by Tendon.  

jon jugenheimer wrote: The 9.9mm is still Roca. Everything else is manufactured by Tendon.  

I bought a BD rope last year, the 9.4mm 70m (yellow and black, I call it the hornet), that I can't find the country of origin. You think it is a Roca? 

I have to say it isn't wearing very well. But then again, I have used it a lot, and fallen a lot, and rapped a lot   

My friend have a brand new BD rope and it's made in Spain. 

jon jugenheimer wrote: The 9.9mm is still Roca. Everything else is manufactured by Tendon.  

Sorry, I meant to say that is for 2018 and 2019 ropes.  When they first hit the market in 2017, they were all made by Rocca. 

Can anyone can confirm with new BD rope where it's made? Czech or Spain? 

The notified bodies for the CE marking are both in the Czech Republic so guess for yourself.

Buck Rio wrote:

I bought a BD rope last year, the 9.4mm 70m (yellow and black, I call it the hornet), that I can't find the country of origin. You think it is a Roca? 

I have to say it isn't wearing very well. But then again, I have used it a lot, and fallen a lot, and rapped a lot   

Started using a rope tarp a couple years ago, I think it has made a difference.

Same experience. My BD rope lasted barely a full season before it was so soft it became scary to take falls on it. Pretty disappointed with the longevity. 

Easy Cheese wrote:

Same experience. My BD rope lasted barely a full season before it was so soft it became scary to take falls on it. Pretty disappointed with the longevity. 

Somehow I’m not surprised. My first rope was a Bolex, which became Lanex, which became Tendon. That was a horrible rope in every respect save for impact force.  It stretched so much, that I was worried about decking on practically every fall. It also became a floppy noodle within one year of moderate use. That was in 1991, but perhaps the quality has not improved greatly. 

Jim Titt wrote:

The notified bodies for the CE marking are both in the Czech Republic so guess for yourself.

Good point. Thanks

Another meh for BD ropes. My partner's 9.4 (Tendon made I believe) just core shot and we couldn't figure out how (no falls day, no stuck rope, or anything else that would cause it). I actually really liked the feel of it for a $70 rope, but got his money's worth in durability.

The only BD ropes I own are their 7.9 twins/halves. I use them pretty much exclusively for routes that have lots of raps or require two ropes, which are generally long multi pitch routes where I’m not doing a lot of falling. I’ve really liked how they’ve handled and felt, but obviously haven’t put any kind of real strain on them to see if they fall to mush like everyone is reporting on their singles. I have noticed some early wear spots and figured it was my second falling and then zipping over an edge, but maybe they’re just bad?

I bought BD's 9.4 when it first came out in 2017. Initially, I was disappointed by what I thought was excessive wear after the first season. I've now put more than five times the mileage on it, it's still going strong and handling smooth. I'll be buying another BD rope when I retire it. 

Tyler S wrote:

I bought BD's 9.4 when it first came out in 2017. Initially, I was disappointed by what I thought was excessive wear after the first season. I've now put more than five times the mileage on it, it's still going strong and handling smooth. I'll be buying another BD rope when I retire it. 

Those were Roca ropes out of Spain. The new ones are from Lanex/Tendon from the Czech Republic, and from personal experience, I’d be skeptical of ropes from that factory. Some great gear is made by Czechs, but I haven’t had very good luck with their ropes.