Gear: Climbing Technoloy RollNLock

I've been testing a new procuct from Climbing Technology for Hoogtelijn Magazine; the Climbing Technology RollNLock. As space in the magazine is limited here's a more extensive online impression and review.

Climbing Technology RollNLock

A quick Q&A to start with:
Q: What is a RollNLock?
A: It's a pulley and a rope-clamp in one.
Q: It looks like the Wild Country Ropeman 3 and Kong Duck, is it the same thing?
A: Well, what they have in common is the rope-clamp. But the RollNLock has a pulley, which the Ropeman and Duck do not.
Q: Sounds more like the Petzl Micro Traxion then?
A: Well, yes, the RollNLock and Micro Traxion are very similar. There are slight differences though.
Q: So what does it do?
A: You can use it as a pulley, as a rope-clamp, progress-capture device in a hauling-system and as ascender.

Because I think people that are considering getting a RollNLock will very probably compare it to a Petzl Micro Traxion, I'll compare the two side by side.

This is how the devices look when using them as progress-capture devices:

To show how this works on the inside of the device:

 Depending on how the device is placed on the rope the fucntion is either rope-clamping, progress-capturing or ascending the rope.

You can 'disengage' and lock the springloaded cam, and use the device only as a pulley, which looks like this:

The differences between the RollNLock & Micro Traxion are:
- (not a differnce, but...) they both weigh 81 grams exactly
- the RollNLock is more compact & symetrical, which makes a difference carrying it on your harness
- because of where the springloaded cam is positioned on the device, when you use it in progress-capture mode, the device doesn't grip the rope te second you let go, there's a ever so slight delay because the cam needs to move a 1 or 2 centimers to close
- the RollNLock needs to be used with an oval carabiner. With the Micro Traxion you can get away with a pear shaped (and slightly lighter), but this is not ideal.
- in the Netherlands the RollNLock (~60 Euro) can be found cheaper then the Micro Traxion (~70 Euro)

Side by side the devices look like this:

RollNLock and Micro Traxion

In conclusion: the Micro Traxion might be a proven design (it follows the Pro Traxion and Mini Traxion, which are the same but burlier), but the RollNLock has the same design features (the pulley and the springloaded cam) which results in a same spectrum of use.

Add to that the more compact package and the lower price, the Climbing Technology is a true competitor of the Micro Traxion and certainly one to consider when you're in the marked for this kind of device!

This link takes you to the Climbing Technology website for the RollNLock.

Disclaimer: the Climbing Technology RollNLock is on loan from the Dutch distributor for the purpose of this review, the Petzl Micro Traxion is my own.