Collection Home
ASAP, Version A
ASAP, Version B
ASAP, Lock
|
|
|
|
| ASAP, Version A | ASAP, Version B | ASAP Lock |
[ Top | ASAP, Version B | ASAP Lock | Return to Rope Grabs ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired my Petzl ASAP from Inner Mountain Outfitters at the 2007 NSS Convention. I acquired a second ASAP in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection, and a third from Felix Lambert in 2021.
My Petzl ASAP, Version A is 89 mm. long, 136 mm. wide, 38 mm. high, and weighs 339 g. The ASAP shell is stamped and bent from 3.7 mm. aluminum sheet and then anodized. The left side of the shell is bent into an 18 mm. rope channel, and the upper right side is bent to hold the axle for the wheel assembly. Two 18 mm. holes bear the top provide the main attachment point. A small hole near the base allows attaching a keeper sling. A black plastic piece extends down from the axle to the base of the ASAP, creating a cover for the wheel assembly.
The heart of the ASAP is a toothed wheel that rotates on an arm that pivots from the axle in the shell. The arm is spring-loaded. The wheel sits between two arm pieces. The rear one is stamped from 1.9 mm. stainless steel, and the front one appears to be forged from aluminum. The wheel itself has alternating rows of three down-pointing teeth each. The wheel rotates on an 8 mm. stainless steel axle. The wheel turns freely in both directions, but there is a hidden mechanism that causes it to catch in a fall.
The front of the shell is tamped with an up-pointing arrow labeled "UP," a rigging icon, and a book-with-an-"i" icon. The rear of the shell is stamped with the Petzl logo, "MADE IN FRANCE," "PATENTED," "CE0197," "EN 353-2," a rope icon with an arrow pointing to a book icon overlapping an "i" in a triangle, and "06318LAØ251." The front of the plastic cover has the Petzl logo and "ASAP" molded into it. The wheel holder has the Petzl logo in raised relief.
One attaches one’s safety lanyard to the ASAP using a supplied carabiner clipped into the holes at the top of the ASAP. It is essential that the carabiner captures the rope as well.
The instructions sate that the ASAP is suitable for specific Beal 11 mm. and Edelweiss 13 mm. polyamide ropes. The instructions state that the ASAP will catch in 1 m. The instructions note that the ASAP must be shielded from dirt (no muddy caves, I suppose). They also warn that using a keeper cord may cause the ASAP to fail to catch. There are three warning icons in the instructions: a head with helmet icon, the don't catch arrows or else your fingers will get warm icon, and the keep your girl fiend’s hair out of gears icon.
If the wheel locks, raising it on the rope will unlock it. Removing the ASAP from the rope is much like unlocking an eccentric cam ascender: after disconnecting the lanyard, just thumb the wheel downward while lifting the ASAP.
The toothed wheel is a fascinating idea. I may try converting one of these to an ascender. I would have to modify it by cutting away the plastic cover and drilling a hole in the shell (yes, voiding the warranty). It isn't that I expect great results, I'm just curious about how well the wheel would work as an ascender cam. I suppose I’d have to add a faster-acting clutch as well, or maybe a ratchet. Don't mind me, I'm just thinking…
[ Top | ASAP, Version A | ASAP Lock | Return to Rope Grabs ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired my Petzl ASAP, Version B from Inner Mountain Outfitters at the 2014 NSS Convention.
My Petzl ASAP, Version B is 89 mm. long, 110 mm. wide, 37 mm. high, and weighs 297 g. The ASAP shell is stamped and bent from 4.0 mm. aluminum sheet and then anodized. The left side of the shell is bent into an 16.3 mm. rope channel, and the upper right side is bent to hold the axle for the wheel assembly. Two subtriangular holes bear the top provide the main attachment point.
The heart of the ASAP is a toothed wheel that rotates on an arm that pivots from the axle in the shell. The arm is spring-loaded. The wheel sits between two arm pieces. The rear one is stamped from 2.0 mm. stainless steel, and the front one appears to be forged from aluminum. The wheel itself has alternating rows of three down-pointing teeth each. The wheel rotates on an 8 mm. stainless steel axle. The wheel turns freely in both directions, but there is a hidden mechanism that causes it to catch in a fall.
The front of the shell is tamped with an up-pointing arrow labeled "UP," and a rigging icon. The inside of the shell has a stamped book-with-an-"i" icon. The rear of the shell is stamped with the Petzl logo, "MADE IN FRANCE," and "PATENTED." The rear is printed with "CE 0082," "EN 353-2:2002," a rope icon with an arrow pointing to a book-with-an-"i" icon, "EN12841 :2006 A," "• Ø 10-13mm Max 100kg," a scanner code, and "14126LL4866."
Version B is similar to Version A, but considerably smaller and lighter. Petzl seems to be making an effort to reduce the size and weight of their gear, and in this case, they appear to have succeeded without detrimental side effects.
The Petzl ASAP is protected by U.S. Patent 6793046.
[ Top | ASAP, Version A | ASAP, Version B | Return to Rope Grabs ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
 |
| Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Petzl ASAP Lock from Expé-Spelemat in 2014.
My Petzl ASAP Lock is 96 mm. long, 126 mm. wide, 47 mm. high, and weighs 404 g. The shell is stamped and bent from 4.0 mm. aluminum sheet and then anodized. The left side of the shell is bent into an 16 mm. rope channel, and the upper right side is bent to hold the axle for the wheel assembly. A black plastic piece extends along the top of the cam channel, creating a cover for the wheel assembly. Arms on the front and rear extend from the center of the device to a crosspiece connecting their ends. These arms pivot at the body. The user’s lanyard should be sewn to the crosspiece.
The heart of the ASAP is a toothed wheel that rotates on an arm that pivots from the axle in the shell. The arm is spring-loaded. The wheel sits between two arm pieces made of 1.9 mm. stainless steel, but there are several other metal and plastic parts to the housing, including two plastic safeties that also function as redundant hold-opens, much like the catch on an eccentric cam ascender. The wheel itself has alternating rows of three down-pointing teeth each. The wheel rotates on an 8 mm. stainless steel axle. There is a locking mechanism with a plastic button controlling engagement. In the unlocked position, the wheel turns freely in both directions, but there is a hidden mechanism that causes it to catch in a fall. In the locked position, a ratchet prevents the wheel from turning backward.
The front of the shell is tamped with an up-pointing arrow labeled "UP," "ASAP LOCK," and the a a book-with-an-"i" icon. The rear of the shell is stamped with the Petzl logo, "MADE IN FRANCE," and "PATENT PENDING." The rear is printed with "CE 0082," "EN 353-2:2002," a rope icon with an arrow pointing to a book-with-an-"i" icon, "EN12841 :2006 A," "• Ø 10-13mm Max 100kg," a scanner code, and "14140LM7055." The wheel holder has an arrow labeled "LOCK" stamped under the lock button.
So much for reducing size and weight, the ASAP lock is considerably heavier than either ASAP version. On the other hand, having a positive lock is advantageous. Being able to disengage the ratchet is important, since the wheel needs to rotate in reverse if one is to open the ASAP LOCK to remove it from the rope.
[ Top | ASAP, Version A | ASAP, Version B | ASAP Lock ]
For far more content, use a larger monitor and a full-width window.
Hundreds of cell phone users complained and asked me to for a simpler, mobile friendly site. In particular, they wanted me to limit each page to a small number of pictures and minimize my use of text. This new site provides what they asked for.