Large A |
Modified
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Modified
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Large B |
Large C |
Modified
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Large A |
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Large B |
Modified
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Large C |
[ Top | Large B | Large C | Mod Large A | Mod Large B | Return to H.E.C. Ascenders ]
I acquired this pair of ascenders from J. E. Weinel, Inc. in June, 1989.
This ascender uses the same frame extrusion design as the C.M.I. 5004. Several colors are available, mine is red and uses a non-epoxy paint. The remainder of the ascender has been extensively modified. The cam is a skeletonized steel forging(?). The conical teeth are oriented perpendicular to the cam face and are set in a (4.3)^3(4) pattern. The safety has been removed from the cam and is now located in the traditional Jumar position. The molded plastic cam safety has seven teeth which can engage the lower cam teeth, providing a number of positions for holding the cam partially open. Two checkered ears on the safety give one's thumb or finger something to reach to open the safety. A cutout between the two ears provides clearance for the cam to function. A roll pin holds the safety and safety spring in position. Below the safety is a hand grip assembly consisting of two black plastic pieces pinned to the frame with a single roll pin. The larger piece has three molded finger grooves, and a broad shelf at the bottom to keep the little finger off the frame. The other piece is a spacer whose sole purpose appears to be so that the same hand grip molding could be used on both right and left hand ascenders.
This ascender has some major improvements over the C.M.I. 5000 series, but it has some disappointing features as well. The new safety location is a big improvement, since the old design was, to put it bluntly, abysmal. The new safety is vastly superior, but the execution of the new safety still leaves something to be desired. The ascender can be operated with both hands, but once the ears break off (and I have no doubt they will) there will be very little exposed safety left to reach. Even in its original condition, the ears are located too high and too close to the handle to be reached easily. The cutout between the ears is completely unnecessary, since there would be adequate room for the cam to operate even if this area were completely filled in. This would also strengthen the ears.
I do not like cam safeties which can hold a cam partially open. I can understand holding the cam full open while waiting for your turn on rope, for example, but partial hold-opens are next to useless. In fact, they present a potential hazard if the cam does not close completely when rigging in, particularly if the ascender is being used as a safety at the pit lip. My philosophy is simple: if an ascender is on rope, it should be capable of holding weight. Most situations where a hold-open are useful (e.g.., rescue hauling systems) constitute some form of ascender abuse.
The finger grooves on the hand grip are simply too small, and should be eliminated entirely. I have large hands and find them uncomfortable. In order to get some other opinions, I went out in search of petite women with small hands to see if the ascender fit their hands. To date I have found one man and one woman with small enough hands to fit the finger grooves. Furthermore, the shelf at the base of the hand grip serves no essential function, and simply reduces the usable size of the handle. Even without the shelf, the hand grip would keep the rope from jamming in the cam groove as noted above. Fortunately, both the finger grooves and the shelf can easily be filed off.
The paint is far less durable than on the C.M.I. 5004, and chips off very quickly.
The cam is much more strongly reinforced than the 5000 series cams, and the overall workmanship is excellent. I prefer cam teeth oriented either parallel to the top of the cam, or pointed downwards, because they tend to be self-cleaning, but there is really nothing wrong with teeth set perpendicular to the cam face.
Don't misunderstand these comments; most of them are related
to minor considerations. I like the UltrAscender far more than
the previous C.M.I. Versions. The UltrAscender has an extremely
strong frame, and although I haven't tested one, looking at the
design I suspect the cam strength is also very high. In general,
this is a very usable ascender as manufactured and can easily
be modified into an excellent ascender.
[ Top | Large A | Large C | Mod Large A | Mod Large B | Return to H.E.C. Ascenders ]
I acquired my Large Version B from Inner Mountain Outfitters in 1995.
The only difference between Version A and Version B is that Version A has a bright stainless(?) steel cam, and Version B has a dark steel cam. Functionally, they are identical.
[ Top | Large A | Large B | Mod Large A | Mod Large B | Return to H.E.C. Ascenders ]
I acquired my Large Version B from Tetyana Zurigat in 2007.
The only difference between Version B and Version C is that Version C has a roll revet for the cam axle instead of a solid pin held by an external retaining ring. This is a significant step backward, since it makes replacing a worn cam much more difficult. I've heard that this feature was a misguided attempt to reduce CMI's liability or to interfere with natural selection. I don't know for sure, but no one seems to sell replacement cams any more.
[ Top | Large A | Large B | Large C | Mod Large B | Return to H.E.C. Ascenders ]
I believe that the large UltrAscender has two deficiencies that are easily corrected, so I corrected them on one of each version of my ascenders. I milled an aluminum safety based on the early Jumar safety design, which I always considered to be the easiest and most useful design, but I shaped the safety so it could also hold the cam in the full-open position. This way I can have my cam locked open as I'm waiting for my turn to climb, then walk up, place the ascenders on the rope, touch the safety to close the cam, and I'm ready to climb in seconds. The second change was to eliminate the micro-finger-grips, and replace them with a piece of PVC filed to a rounded shape. The result is the ascender that I normally choose to use wall climbing.
[ Top | Large A | Large B | Large C | Mod Large A | Return to H.E.C. Ascenders ]
I modified this ascender in the same way that I modified the Version A ascender for the other hand.
The only difference between Version A and Version B is that Version A has a bright stainless(?) steel cam, and Version B has a dark steel cam. Functionally, they are identical.
[ Top | Large A | Large B | Large C | Mod Large A | Mod Large B |]
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick