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The Microcender's frame and cam are milled from aluminum. The frame's rope channel is square rather than U-shaped, and the cam face is not contoured either. Neither of these aspects hurts the ascenders performance to any significant degree. The inside of the shell has a milled depression that the cam forces the rope into. This spreads the load on the rope, and may increase the holding power of the ascender. It is claimed to help reduce rope damage under shock loading, but I can't confirm this. The top of the rope channel is rounded off so that the rope does not bend over any sharp corners.
The cam has 8 rounded teeth. It rides on a pin that is held by a novel string-loaded cross pin. The frame has a raised area with a groove that protects the cross pin, and a small hole for the cross pin to engage. The hole is large enough for mud to clear under most circumstances. The combination is relatively secure.
The frame has three holes in the back, drilled from side to side. The lower one is for the keeper cord for the axle & cross pin assembly. The middle one is unused. The upper one houses a roll pin that retains a wire cable that leaves via another hole drilled through the side of the shell. The other end of the cable enters a hole in the top of the cam, where another pin fitted in a cross hole retains the cable end.This cable acts as a cam keeper, but is also a surprisingly good cam spring. The Microcender is unlikely to slide down the rope when unweighted.
Because it is so short, the Microcender rotates about 45 degrees under load, resulting in more lost motion than most larger ascenders. I don't think that this is the best ascender for a ropewalker system. I suspect that some wall climbers may like it as a solid backup attachment while jugging fixed lines. I've used it for that purpose, but like most cavers who are used to ascending deep pits without backups (remember, we aren't cleaning gear at the same time), I soon got tired of it. In this case, don't do what I do.
Like all Rock Exotica ascenders in my collection, this one is very well made and probably indestructible in normal use. If you have a need for this type of ascender, it is an excellent choice. If you prefer a double rope version, consider the Rock Exotica (?) Double MicroCender.
[ Top | Microcender | Rescucender, Ver. B | Large Rescucender | Return to L.C. Ascenders ]
This ascender differs from Version B in three ways. First, instead of the milled channel for the cross pin, this ascender has a frame-mounted pin with a hole. This doesn't provide the protection that the later design does. Second, this ascender does not have the wear pin in the lower frame. Third, the cam coating is different, although it is still a hard coating.
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Aside from everything being larger, the first three paragraphs of the Microcender description apply to this ascender as well, except for two things. First, the cam has 9 teeth. Second, there is a hole near the bottom of the cam that houses a steel roll pin. This is nearly exposed at the inside bottom of the rope channel. Once the ascender receives a little wear, the rope will be running over the steel roll pin. This will prolong the life of the aluminum frame.
This ascender has a taller frame, so it does not rotate nearly as much under load as the Microcender. It is slightly heavier than the Gibbs, but rugged to extremes.
[ Top | Microcender | Rescucender, Ver. A | Rescucender, Ver. B | Return to L.C. Ascenders ]
This ascender is designed for the 5/8 to 3/4-in (16 to 19-mm) rope that some authorities believe is necessary for all rescue applications. Although this ascender is obviously derived from the Rescucender, it has some differences in design in addition to the size differences. The first unusual thing I noticed was that the upper portion of the shell was rounded with two grooves, as if the ascender was really designed for double 9-mm rope.
The frame does not have the wear pins that the normal Rescucender (Version B). The cam is larger, and has six grooves in the face giving five distinct teeth. There is an arrow stamped on the cam that doesn't point to anything that I figure out.
The cam rides on a pin that has a ball-bearing retainer to keep it from backing out. The pin is attached to the frame by a small stainless steel cable, and an external retaining ring fitted into a turned groove keeps the pin from being over-inserted. Apparently someone felt that the ball-bearings would not guarantee that the pin would remain in place (heaven knows why, I could use a hammer to get mine out), so a truly obnoxious clip is provided to fit into a hole drilled in the end of the axle pin. Why a hitch pin clip wasn't used instead is beyond my comprehension, because the one chosen is awkward at best.
This ascender is nicely made, but too big because it was designed for ropes with the same deficiency. It should appeal to the "bigger is better" crowd, but not to the general caver and climber.
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick