Petzl
Pantin B02
I acquired my Pantin from On Rope 1 in 1999.
The Petzl Pantin is a small ascender designed to be mounted on the side of the foot. The harness to do so is supplied with the device. The ascender consists of a stamped aluminum shell and an eccentric cam. The cam appears to be the same as that on the Petzl Basic Version F or Croll Versions E and F, but there is no safety. A hole in the cam allows one to clip a carabiner in to keep the cam closed. The harness consists of one strap that runs around the instep and another that runs under the foot. These straps are made fro 18 mm. webbing. A two-piece slip buckle is sewn to the ankle strap, as is the underfoot strap.
The
Petzl Pantin was relatively new when I acquired mine, and I haven't
figured out how to get it to work well. Petzl didn't describe
it in their catalog, and the directions that come with it don't
work. I found that the webbing running under the foot pulled out
on the very first step I took - which is rather obvious,
if you look at the recommended rigging shown in the figure to
the left. This may be safe, because when standing on the ground,
there isn't far to fall, but it is also useless. I found that
I could rig the webbing a different way and get it to hold, which
brought me to the next problem. Each step caused the ascender
to come off the rope. Petzl's directions (see figure at right)
showed this clearly. There is no safety to prevent this, but if
one clips a carabiner into the hole in the frame, the device will
stay on rope and the carabiner will dig holes in one's ankle.
If you want to use a Petzl eccentric cam ascender on the foot,
use a Petzl Basic or Croll
and build your own harness, but I'm going to forget this lemon.
I doubt that there is any device on my site that I've received so many notes expressing total disagreement with my assessment than this one. I am standing behind my assessment - after all, mine fell apart before I could climb three feet, and when I fixed the webbing, I couldn't keep the Pantin on the rope. To be fair, though, I'm allowing the other side to express their views. Here is one sample exchange:
This tool is well liked in the arborist community. Petzl reps say we are the ones that keep it in production.
Most of us have fiddled with the straps some.
The problem with keeping the rope in it is a weight issue, you need to hand feed it for a few feet till the rope is heavy enough to self tail.
Many guys use it daily in the tree, just leave it on till they come down. Takes away a lot of the foot lock and body thrust that is traditional in the trade.
John Paul Sanborn, January 22, 2003
My reply:
John,
A lot of people tell me that they like their Pantin, and there seems to be a crusade building to disagree with my conclusions. That's fine, I'm all in favor of diverse opinions.
If I remember correctly, mine fell apart the moment I put weight on it. I can't endorse the one that I got in the condition that it came out of the box. As I said, my comments only apply to the ones that I've tested - I can't speak for the ones that I never got to try. Until I try one that doesn't disintegrate, I'll let others speak in favor of the Pantin.
Dr. Gary D. Storrick, P. E.
John's Response:
Thanks for the reply Gary, I was looking at my comment more of an explanation as to why it has not disappeared yet and a reason for the problem you mentioned on the tailing issue.
I think your description of it being a lemon is what brings people to it's defense, it is more of a niche tool, for people who need to climb short distances then go off rope. There are better tools for long term rope ascent.
The tailing issue is the first thing I hear with people who first try it. I do think Petzl should have that in bold print in the instructions.
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