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Single Rope Technique Equipment/Rollgliss/DBI Sala
(#1959, 2098, 2956)

 

Front View: Closed Rear View: Closed
Front View: Closed Rear View: Closed
 
Front View: Open for Rigging Rear View: Open for Rigging
Front View: Open for Rigging Rear View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Single Rope Technique Equipment/Rollgliss/DBI Sala Rescue Explorer from ropeandrescue.com in 2013. I acquired two more in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection, and a fourth from Lance Swartwout in 2019.

Cam faceThis ascender is is 102 mm. tall, 65 mm. wide, 24 mm. thick, and weighs 178 g. The shell is milled from a custom aluminum extrusion and then anodized gold. The shell body is 6.5 mm. thick. The rope groove is 14.4 mm. in diameter and U shaped. The cam mounting groove is rectangular. The upper attachment slot is 45.1 mm. wide and 6.1 mm. high. The inside of the shell above the slot is relieved 1.15 mm. to provide clearance for a webbing attachment (45 mm. webbing fits nicely). The lower attachment point is milled "around the corner" to leave a 15.4 mm. wide, 15 mm. high hole.

The cam is a plated skeletonized, reinforced stainless steel casting. The cam radius increases from 35 to 49 mm. over an angle of 48°, giving a 22° cam angle. The tooth pattern is (4.5)^3,(4.3)^2(4). The cam, cam spring, and a cam housing are mounted on a 6.4 mm. semi-tubular rivet. The cam pivot is centered 47 mm. from the inside of the rope groove. The cam housing is a piece of thin sheet metal bent to cover the top of the cam channel and serve as a spacer along the sides of the cam. The top of the housing is indented; this limits cam closing so that the teeth do not hit the inside of the rope channel. There is a small safety attached to the bottom of the cam. The normal action of the spring holds the safety against the cam. When the cam is opened, the shell interferes with the safety bar, thus preventing opening the cam. If the safety bar is moved away from the cam (opposing the spring), it will clear the shell and the cam will open. At full open the safety can be released and the spring will hold the safety against the back of the shell. This provides a means of locking the cam open. A pin on the safety bar (shaped like the frustum of a cone) assists in operating the safety mechanism.

The front of the rope channel is printed with "CAPITAL SAFETY," the DBI-SALA logo, "www.capitalsafety.com," an arrow pointing up, and "UP." The rear is printed with "CAPITAL SAFETY," the DBI-SALA logo, "www.capitalsafety.com," "Rollgliss®," "8700522," "A7 Micro," the SRTE logo, "MAX AT CAM 800kg," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "Rope ¥ 10.5≤ Ø ≤ 13mm, "CE 2056," "EN 12278," "AS/NZS 4488," a danger icon, "Made under a quality scheme certified by SAI GLOBAL," "Lic SMKH25365," "MEETS NFPA 1983 (2012 ED)T," "WARNING," "PROPER TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL," the SAI GLobal certified product icon, " D.O.M. Jul 2013," and "SERIAL # 231839408."

Comments

This is a left-hand ascender intended to be used as a chest ascender. The upper webbing attachment is specialized, and might be the best option in some circumstances, while inappropriate in others.

When used with a loose harness, the back of the ascender has enough reading material to hold one’s interest during the longest of climbs.

History

Boris Rogelja founded Single Rope Technique Equipment (SRTE) in 1980. Capital Safety Group acquired SRTE in 2011 and their devices started showing DBI-SALA, Capital Safety, and/or Rollgliss™ markings. 3M acquired the Capital Safety Group in 2015 and the Single Rope Technique Equipment markings disappeared.

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