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Arrestor, Version A
Arrestor, Version B
Grip-Tech Jr.
Progressor v. A
Progressor v. B
Progressor v. C
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| Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. |
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| Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C |
[ Top | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Side | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Arrestor, Version A from On Rope 1 in January 2003. I acquired another in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection.
My PMI Arrestor, Version A is 61 mm. long, 98 mm. wide, 49 mm. high, and weighs 209 g.
The PMI Arrestor, Version A looks and functions like a Type 1 Lever Cam Ascenders, but it is marketed as a rope grab. The frame is milled from aluminum (much like the Rock Exotica ascenders), and is identical to the frame for the PMI Progressor, Version A. The flat-based rope channel is 14.4 mm. wide. The right side has a raised mound that houses a spring-loaded pin that holds the axle in place. A small button threaded onto a side piece into the pin lets one retract the pin.
The cam has 12 rounded teeth, and is held by a piece of 1.5 mm. accessory cord pinned to the frame. The teeth are very shallow - only about 0.25 mm. deep. The cam rides on a 10 mm. diameter stainless steel axle that is held in place by a 1.5 mm. plastic-covered cable keeper pinned to the frame. The end of the pin is tapered so that the restraining pin does not need to be manually retracted when assembling the Arrestor, Version A.
The left side of the frame has a printed design with a cam logo (matching the cam on the PMI Progressor, not the cam on the Arrestor, Version A), "Arrestor, Version A," and arrowhead with "UP" nearby, a "feather" logo, "PMI WALES," "CE0086," "ANSI z359.1 1992 (R1999) 10.5-12.7mmØ," and "EN 353-2 10.5-11mmØ."
The spine of the frame is stamped "M7963." It is also printed with the "reading is dangerous" icon, "Read instructions before use," and "Use ONLY with ropes approved to EN 892 or CI 1801."
The Arrestor is similar to the PMI Progressor, but the latter has a better-looking cam. PMI must have a reason for marketing both devices, but since they sold these without instructions, I don't know what that reason is. My speculation is that the Arrestor was intended as a rope grab and the Progressor as an ascender, but both sell as rope grabs. The teeth on the Arrestor are so shallow that the cam functions almost as if there were no teeth at all - what I would expect for a rope grab designed to slip during a hard fall.
I do not like the accessory cord keeper for the cam. PMI should use a cable keeper like they do for the axle on the Arrestor or for both cam and axle on the Progressor. PMI should also consider rounding the top and bottom edges of the rope channel. Mine has a sharp edge here, and I would not use it without rounding this with a file first.
The button for retracting the axle retaining pin is small and rounded, so it is difficult to operate with gloves or muddy hands.
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[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Side | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Arrestor, Version B in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection.
My PMI Arrestor, Version B is 70 mm. long, 98 mm. wide, 49 mm. high, and weighs 208 g.
The left side of the frame is stamped with the PMI "feather" logo, a cam logo (matching the cam on the PMI Progressor, not the cam on the Arrestor, Version A), an arrowhead with "UP" nearby, "ANSI zZ59.1 1992 (R1999) 10.5-12.7mmØ," "CE0086," and "EN 353-2 10.5-11mmØ."
The spine of the frame is stamped "M8224" and half of of the "reading is dangerous" icon.
The only difference between Version B and Version A is that Version B has stamped markings.
[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front | Top |
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| Side | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Grip-Tech Jr from On Rope in November 2000. I acquired another in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection.
My PMI Grip-Tech Jr is 62 mm. long, 85 mm. wide, 59 mm. high, and weighs 179 g.
The PMI Grip-Tech Jr. looks and functions like a Type 1 Lever Cam Ascender, but it is marketed as a rope grab. The frame is milled from aluminum (much like the Rock Exotica ascenders). The U-shaped rope channel is 14.2 mm. wide. The inside of the shell has a milled depression that the cam forces the rope into. This spreads the load on the rope, and may increase the holding power of the device. It is claimed to help reduce rope damage under shock loading, but I can't confirm this. Rock Exotica pioneered this feature, Petzl acquired it from them, and PMI has close ties to Petzl, so it isn't surprising that they incorporated this feature.
The cam has 8 rounded teeth, and is held by a plastic-covered cable keeper that doubles as a weak spring that adds a tiny closing force to the cam. The cam rides on a standard quick-release pin that is held by cable keeper. The top of the rope channel is rounded off so that the rope does not bend over any sharp corners. In addition to the axle hole, the frame has three small holes. One is for the two keepers, and a second, drilled from the top of the frame, accepts a pin to hold the two keepers in place. The third hole, through the back of the frame, does not serve any obvious purpose.
The rear of the frame is stamped with "UP," an arrow pointing up, and a cam icon of the cam showing how the cam should be rigged. Two stickers were attached to mine. One said "PMI" and "Read All Instructions Before Use." The other sticker said "USE ONLY APPROVED Ø11mm - Ø13mm SYNTHETIC ROPE," "0120CE," "CHECK UNIT BEFORE EACH USE. REMOVE FROM SERVICE AFTER SUBJECTED TO A FALL" and the serial number "001336."
The Grip-Tech Jr. is easily compared to the Rock Exotica Microcender, and although it is marketed as a rope grab, I see no reason why the Grip-Tech Jr. could not be used as a compact ascender. PMI’s literature indicates that with new PMI EZ- Bend 11 mm. rope, the Grip-Tech Jr. slips at about 1200 lbf. Most cavers should weigh less than this, although some of the PMI folk have run across non-PMI people approaching this limit.
The Grip-Tech Jr. is also easily compared to the Petzl Micrograb B53. I think that the PMI Grip-Tech Jr. is superior for several reasons. First, the PMI’s rope channel is rounded rather than square. Second, the outside is rounded off, giving it a more finished appearance. Finally, the quick-release pin is far easier to use than the Allen-head cap screw that Petzl uses as an axle.
Originally PMI planned to issue a full-sized Grip-Tech, similar in size to the Petzl Macrograb B52. Apparently they were happy with the Grip-Tech Jr. and never issued the larger version; instead, they dropped "Jr." from the name of this version.
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[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Side | Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Progressor from On Rope 1 in January 2003.
My PMI Progressor, Version A is 72 mm. long, 98 mm. wide, 49 mm. high, and weighs 208 g.
The PMI Progressor looks and functions like a Type 1 Lever Cam Ascenders, but it is marketed as a rope grab. The frame is milled from aluminum (much like the Rock Exotica ascenders), and is identical to the frame for the PMI Arrestor, Version A. The flat-based rope channel is 14.4 mm. wide. The right side has a raised mound that houses a spring-loaded pin that holds the axle in place. A small button threaded onto a side piece into the pin lets one retract the pin.
The cam has 8 rounded teeth, and is held by a piece of 1.5 mm. plastic-covered cable pinned to the frame. The keeper doubles as a spring that applies a significant closing force to the cam. The cam teeth are about 1.1 mm. deep. The cam rides on a 10 mm. diameter stainless steel axle that is held in place by a 1.5 mm. plastic-covered cable keeper pinned to the frame. The end of the pin is tapered so that the restraining pin does not need to be manually retracted when assembling the Progressor.
The left side of the frame has a printed design with a cam logo, "Progressor," and arrowhead with "UP" nearby, a "feather" logo, "PMI WALES," "CE0086," "8Ø13mm," and "EN 567," "NFPA 1983 (2001)." and the letter "G" in a circle.
The spine of the frame is stamped "M7662." It is also printed with the "reading is dangerous" icon, "Read instructions before use," and "Use ONLY with ropes approved to EN 892 or CI 1801."
The Progressor is similar to the PMI Arrestor, Version A, and has a better-looking cam. PMI must have a reason for marketing both devices, but since they sold these without instructions, I don't know what that reason is. My speculation is that the Arrestor was intended as a rope grab and the Progressor as an ascender, but both sell as rope grabs. The teeth on the Arrestor are so shallow that the cam functions almost as if there were no teeth at all - what I would expect for a rope grab designed to slip during a hard fall.
The button for retracting the axle retaining pin is small and rounded, so it is difficult to operate with gloves or muddy hands.
[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. C | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
I acquired my Progressor from On Rope 1 in January 2003.
My PMI Progressor, Version B is 72 mm. long, 98 mm. wide, 46 mm. high, and weighs 209 g.
The only functional difference between Version B and Version A is that the axle for Version B is threaded on both ends, and held in place by stainless steel nuts. The frame is not milled and drilled for a retaining pin, since none is needed.
The screening on the side of the frame is does not have the word "Progressor." The spine stamping is "280302," and there is no spine screening.
The bolt holding this version together makes it difficult to put it on rope unless one either carries special tools or has the end of the rope available. Presumably this is to allow companies to hire people who are not smart enough to assemble Version A.
[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Return to Rope Grabs ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Side | Open for Rigging |
I acquired a pair of PMI Progressor, Version C in 2017 as part of Bob Thrun’s collection.
My PMI Progressor, Version C is 72 mm. long, 98 mm. wide, 49 mm. high, and weighs 205 g.
The only difference between Version C and Version A is that the axle for Version B is threaded on both ends, and held in place by stainless steel nuts. The frame is not milled and drilled for a retaining pin, since none is needed.
The screening on the side of the frame is does not have the word "Progressor." The spine stamping is "280302," and there is no spine screening.
The only difference between Version C and Version A is that Version C has stamped markings.
[ Top | Arrestor, Version A | Arrestor, Version B | Grip-Tech Jr. | Progressor v. A | Progressor v. B | Progressor v. C ]
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