Mechanical Prusik ...

A page is turned... I'm definitely old school

I guess it joins the Lockjack and Spiderjack, been around for awhile as DRT mechanical hitches. Like the those devices it can't be placed on the rope midline so... you have to really love it to want to use it

My question about the Petzl device is how does it handle certain rough handling situations, for instance when the tail of your rope below you crosses a limb off of you vertical descent path. With a hitch it's no big deal if you side load it against the limb as you pass it, I wonder how that accordian link material would handle hard pressure from the side?
-AJ

YAC, I agree. I'm old school too. Of course I use a split tail, so I guess I'm not that old school. I have nothing againstvthe gizmos. But I prefer to keep the weight and clanking to a minimum. Moss brings up an excellent point about side loading the accordian link. I'm sure it was tested 5 ways to Sunday before it was put on the open market. But I can think of several things I would rather spend my money on.

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Product Recall from PETZL :

Product Recall: ZIGZAG Petzl mechanical Prusik for arborists (Sku. D22)

This information is complementary to and supersedes the Safety Alert issued April 19, 2013 [PDF-153 Kb] .

Summary of the facts

On Friday, April 12, Petzl was informed of an accidental fall in a training center in Germany. This fall was related to a failure of the rope end attachment hole of the Petzl ZIGZAG mechanical Prusik.

We have since been informed of another identical failure.


Photo du ZIGZAG en porte à fauxThese failures were the result of a particular configuration of a cantilevered and off-axis loaded upper carabiner (see photo).

Petzl believes that this incorrect positioning of the connector could inadvertently occur during normal use with the potential for serious injury or death.



Continued use of the ZIGZAG poses a risk of serious injury or death.



Petzl has decided to immediately recall all ZIGZAGs



As a measure of precaution, we ask that you:
- immediately stop using the ZIGZAG
- return the ZIGZAG, with proof of purchase, to the Petzl distributor in your country (at our costs).

You can then choose from the following options:
- credit for other Petzl products (total equal to the retail price of the ZIGZAG + 30%)
- a complete refund at the purchase price (including taxes and shipping)


For more information about this recall:
- consult the ZIGZAG recall FAQ
- contact the Petzl distributor in your country


A new version of the ZIGZAG is currently being developed and will be available in January 2014.



We are fully aware of the inconvenience caused by this issue. Please accept our full apologies. Thank you for your continued trust.

Yep, Petzl messed up. There's a built-in problem right there. You have to wonder if the Petzl designers and engineers are thrilled that management has set a deadline for the release of the redesign. In a perfect world the new design would go through extensive testing and THEN management makes the product delivery date announcement. That's not how business works though.
-AJ