Sterling Hollow Block alternative?

Anyone familiar with a Sterling Hollow Block alternative? Can't seem to find a distributer in the EU.

5mm cordalette with a double fisherman's knot. Just go slower and be aware of the melting point.

Alex Ghiggeri wrote:

5mm cordalette with a double fisherman's knot. Just go slower and be aware of the melting point.I much prefer this to the hollow block. I’ve gone to an overhand retrace instead of the fisherman as it significantly reduces the bulk of the knot. 

I also much prefer this to the hollow block. I’ve gone to an overhand retrace instead of the fisherman as it significantly reduces the bulk of the knot. 

Beal Jammy.   Edelrid Aramid Cord Sling.  Grivel Magic Ring.

Trango has the Third Hand, similar to the Hollow Block, but is longer and holds better.  A thumbs down on the Edelrid Aramid, too stiff, and the Magic Ring, also too stiff, and limits what hitch can be used, the toggle is more of a gimmick than useful.

In the EU the Grivel Magic Ring is the only true sewn friction hitch loop I have found. It is a bit short though. The Edelrid, with aramid, would work if it weren't so stiff (great for threads). The Gleistein Inco-O is a close match, but with 8mm too thick for most climbing ropes.
I bought 1.5m of 6mm Teufelberg Ocean Vectran and made my own using a triple fisherman's knots:

https://www.teufelberger.com/en/ocean-vectran.html

The Beal Jammy looks suitable too.

7mm VT Prusik in 4 over 1 asymmetric prusik config works well... but it is not as quick to set up as a hollowblock. If you don't like how the hollowblock has no core for strength/redundancy, its a good option. Other configs are probably faster and similar performance to the standard lazy hollowblock wrap, but I have not tested them.

another vote for the tied prussik loop.  I use 5mm with ends joined in double-fishermans, and prussik hitch tied "easy glide" configuration.  easy glide provides two advantages over "standard" prussik configuration:  1) isolates knot from load, yielding stronger system  2)  knot provides "handle" for easier manipulation of prussik hitch on mainline.

-Haireball

Another vote for Beal Jammy.

They are rated to 22 kn. Not that you should be whipping on your friction hitch, but what if…

Curt Haire wrote:

another vote for the tied prussik loop.  I use 5mm with ends joined in double-fishermans, and prussik hitch tied "easy glide" configuration.  easy glide provides two advantages over "standard" prussik configuration:  1) isolates knot from load, yielding stronger system  2)  knot provides "handle" for easier manipulation of prussik hitch on mainline.

-Haireball

Could you provide a picture of what you’re describing?  The Jammy cord is also sold by the foot, the Kevlar fear must have past, as the the core is Kevlar.

Brocky wrote:

Could you provide a picture of what you’re describing?  The Jammy cord is also sold by the foot, the Kevlar fear must have past, as the the core is Kevlar.

Beal jammy is aramid core not kevlar. I used to be able to get aramid 6mm cord from a friend in the military and wish I didn't give the rest of it away before ge couldn't get it anymore. I only bought a beal jammy because I saw it on sale somewhere but it is the right length, nice and supple and works on my skinnier ropes great. 

Beal jammy is the way to go 

Patrick L wrote:

Beal jammy is aramid core not kevlar.

Kevlar is just duponts branded aramid.

There are better aramids out there these days than kevlar especially for repetitive flex applications like climbing. Aramid have for a long time been a poor choice for any application that involved constant bending due to its self abrading properties but it would seem that there are now aramids that do much better these days.

In 'Down', Kirkpatrick describes an old technique for increasing the effective surface area of a prussik loop by removing one or more core strands. I would bet that Hollowblock was inspired by this method.  

This would increase the bite of the loop, but do nothing to address melting point.

I have used both the Hollow Block and the Beal Jammy.  I prefer the Beal Jammy.  I have the 50 cm version.  If I were to be buying now, would opt for the 60 cm version of the Beal Jammy.  

I found that the Beal Jammy is capable of achieving more friction than the Hollow Block (50 cm Jammy vs 13.5 inch Hollow Block), when used as a rappel backup in an autoblock hitch.  This was important to me because I once had the Hollow Block unexpectedly slip, when I was on rappel.  I also like having the ability to throw it over my shoulder and use it like a sling.  

60 cm length gives you enough length that you can make all the auto block wraps that you could possibly want and still be able to easily disengage the hitch, while rappelling.  50 cm length ends up being pretty tight against the belay loop, and you have to be more mindful of where you place the shrink wrapped sleeve.

I have the Beal Jammy. I however think that a regular 5 mm accessory cord is the best prusik. The beal jammy works fine as a rappelling backup, but when used for ascending the rope by autoblock it tends to come undressed when it is not loaded. If the Beal Jammy is used to take the weight during some kind of rescue operation it is harder to release under load compared to regular cord. I don't see any benefit to the 22 kN rating either. The shorter versions don't make practical slings and the cord is lighter.

Logan Peterson wrote:

In 'Down', Kirkpatrick describes an old technique for increasing the effective surface area of a prussik loop by removing one or more core strands. I would bet that Hollowblock was inspired by this method.  

This would increase the bite of the loop, but do nothing to address melting point.

I remove a little core from the end of the cord and sew the ends to keep the slack in the middle, some just need a quarter of an inch, others a couple inches.

Well, for starters, your fisherman’s knot is tied incorrectly…

mbk wrote:

Beal Jammy.   Edelrid Aramid Cord Sling.  Grivel Magic Ring.

Why wasn’t this the end of this thread?

Capture the other side of the loop in the Double Fishermens, making it a Sliding Grapevine knot.

A single slipped overhand on the end will act like a soft shackle by opening up and then closing.

I think one nice thing about the toggle on the magic ring is that you can fit it through a small fixed eye.   It might be tricky to really get a similarly secure connection with a hex while also fine tuning the wrap count and the slack in the system.