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LuckyPink
climber
the last bivy
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Oct 27, 2008 - 02:16pm PT
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sterling is the better rope
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Georgia Boy
Trad climber
Georgia
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Oct 27, 2008 - 04:56pm PT
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BlueWater is far and away the better rope. The specs speak for themselves. I've abused my Lightning Pro and it's still going strong.
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vegastradguy
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV
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Oct 27, 2008 - 06:36pm PT
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i've owned all three- i'm down to using just the velocity at this point as my primary 9.8mm.
thoughts:
lightning pro: surprisingly durable, damn thing turned into a steel cable after about ten pitches, but after a further ten or so, it softened back up and went strong for 3 years of solid use before i retired it due to fuzzing.
infinity: great rope with great hand. definitely fat for the diameter- feels like a 9.8 (its visibly thicker than Sterling's 9.5 Ion). this was my go to 70m rope for workhorse duty for two years before i gave it to a friend when i got an Ion for my birthday. it'll get another year or two at least- it has a couple of fuzzy spots, but nothing major.
velocity: i ABUSED this rope for two years, including a summer road trip where it saw probably 120 pitches + in 6 weeks or so, and i had figured to retire it the following winter, but it went strong for another solid year before an unfortunate rockfall accident shredded it. i promptly replaced it with a new one, as out of the three ropes, it was still soft and had no fuzz on it at all when it went out, unlike the other two.
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Brian Boyd
Trad climber
Scottsdale, AZ
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Oct 27, 2008 - 07:08pm PT
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My Bluewater 9.7 rope did this the first day out:
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the kid
Trad climber
fayetteville, wv
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Oct 28, 2008 - 09:35am PT
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sterling is by far the best cords made today! so good in fact that Chris Sharma choose the Sterling 9.2 Nano for THE send of Jumbo Love! Yes that's right, Chris Sharma is now a Sterling Athlete!
KS
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Jim E
climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 10:10am PT
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Sterling is the best but the engineer is an ass.
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Chris2
Trad climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 10:12am PT
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I would go with, which ever one cost less.
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Jim E
climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 10:42am PT
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I'll bet the Velocity is cheaper per pitch than anything in the 9.5mm to 10mm range.
I'm biased, no doubt, but I'm pretty damned confident the Velocity will out last anything in its class.
disclaimer: this is the first and only time I have ever openly promoted my own work.
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Chris2
Trad climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 10:47am PT
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"Outlast?" Are the rope companies still recommending four years?
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Jim E
climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 11:02am PT
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5 years, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about number of pitches.
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Prod
Big Wall climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Oct 28, 2008 - 11:18am PT
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I currently have a 9.8 velocity and love it. The only regret is that I did not get a bi color (do you offer those Jim).
My next rope will be a velocity as well.
Prod.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Oct 28, 2008 - 11:18am PT
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Make sure you enter color as a criteria. Tom needs color!
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Jim E
climber
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Oct 28, 2008 - 11:33am PT
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Yes, Prod, the Velocity does come in bi-color. Not sure what the color choices are, though.
'nuff said. now returning to non-partisan mode.
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Rudder
Trad climber
Costa Mesa, CA
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Jan 27, 2015 - 12:55pm PT
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You guys still thinking Sterling is the best rope? I've been climbing on Maxim Gliders for a few years and I really like them. But, I wanted to keep up on what else is out there. I'm thinking of getting a Sterling Marathon BiAthlon Pro 60M. Any input?
One of my climbing partners is getting a Bluewater 9.7mm Lightning Pro, so I'll be able to make that comparison, too... which is why I posted in this thread. haha He found a 70m version new on eBay for $140 w/ a rope bag. Seemed like a smokin' deal.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Jan 27, 2015 - 01:07pm PT
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Question not a comment. Bitd Edelrid ropes were known to be top of the line. How do they stack up today?
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caughtinside
Social climber
Oakland, CA
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Jan 27, 2015 - 02:56pm PT
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In the blue water 9.7 lightning vs sterling velocity 9.8 the velocity is the better rope. Much more durable and better handling. However, the lightning is often much cheaper, but I have experienced significant sheath slippage with it.
I've also had that marathon pro and it is a good rope but very heavy. I wouldn't buy another.
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DJS
Trad climber
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Jan 27, 2015 - 03:40pm PT
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My Mammut Infinity is now 5 years old but feels and looks like new
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Climberdude
Trad climber
Clovis, CA
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Jan 27, 2015 - 03:50pm PT
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Rudder,
I cannot comment on other rope manufacturers other than Mammut since Sterling makes all of my go-to ropes. I have owned both Marathon and Velocity ropes. Currently I have a Velocity 9.8 mm rope that I just love. I do a lot of rope solo climbing, which is very abusive to ropes since you are jugging back up the rope to clean the pitches. Although the Marathon is meant to be more durable, I have found that actually the Velocity is more durable. I and a friend who had 10.1 Marathons noticed that the sheath slipped considerably. The finish on the Marathon is fairly rough which allows more dirt to get inside.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Jan 27, 2015 - 04:22pm PT
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Been doing a Maxim Glider 9.9 / year for lead rope-soloing for quite awhile now and still pretty happy with them.
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