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The Bluewater box was one of the earliest chest boxes on the market. It is a double-sided box designed for the Mitchell System and suitable for others as well. The box opens by unscrewing two wing nuts, which allows the channel to move away from the back plate, making room for the rope or sling to escape. I've always found this to be rather cumbersome. The bolt heads on the back of the box tend to dig into one's chest, but since the box is pulled away from the chest while on rope, the pain not as bad as one might expect.
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I acquired this box from Brian Trevelyan on eBay in 2005.
This British box is a double-sided box similar to the Bluewater Box. The cover plate is bent from plate instead of cut from channel as on the Bluewater and Speleoshoppe boxes. The bolt heads protrude the back of the box, as on the Bluewater box. The plastic rollers on my box are badly worn, indicating that they did not turn freely enough in use.
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The Speleoshoppe box is similar to the Bluewater box. The bolt heads are recessed into the back plate, so they do not dig into one's chest. The rollers have a slight taper to help keep the rope centered, but I don't find the taper is to be enough to be completely effective.
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I had this box made for me in the early 1970s. It is a copy of the Bluewater box, but somewhat smaller and significantly lighter. The bolt heads were turned down to a minimal button, so they do not dig into the chest. The rollers were turned so that the rope and sling do not rub against the frame. Nothing was done to address the awkward means of opening the box. I used this box for years, then switched to the Gossett Box once it came out. Eventually, I moved on, and I now prefer either the Alpine Box or one of the PMI boxes.
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©2008, Gary D. Storrick