I use the cheapo cord method. It taught me how to tie a double fisherman’s which is a bonus. Brand new cord is a bit crap but after while they get a bit fuzzier and grab nicely.

There is a lot to consider here. First, do you need a prusik to handle ~10 kN? If not, then a rated prusik may not be that important. In a pinch, one could use a boot lace and feel just as secure with an extended abseil or improvised jumar because neither case normally requires strength against shock loading. One of the advantages of a sewn prusik or third hand is that they are more compact on the harness; a real concern. They are also easier to manage when in use because the knot can be rather intrusive as you are tying the prusik knot. Finally, the sewn versions look cleaner, which inspires confidence, especially for guides; the value of appearance cannot be denied. For me, I am a bit of a DIY nut, so a tied 6mm prusik is what I have on my rack. These are great videos! Thank you for putting them together.

An advantage of an aramid prusik cord is that it has a much higher melting point (over 500C). Nylon cord will melt quickly (melting point 220C) if your prusik cord slips down the rope when weighted.

the main thing i like about the about the hollowblock is that it works well if i'm abseiling a dedicated RAD line or something super skinny. They're also much more heat resistant if you're doing a lot of abseils in a day. I wish the simmonds option was more available in the states, TBH, because having extra anchor options seems better.

Another unbiased review. Excellent. Well done JB👍

I think the best of both would be to buy aramid cord by the meter (apart from Edelrid, there are a bunch of companies who sell 5.5-6mm technical cord, like Beal, Edelweiss, etc.), and use that to tie your own. You get 15-ish kN for little money (I'm not sure excactly how much weaker aramid gets by tieing a knot in it, NBS is ~18-20kN, so I'd hope it does 15 after the knot).

In the states the Hollow Block is ubiquitous. Always used to use cord tied with double fisherman's. Then I switched to Hollow Block, not sure why but I like it. I think it has a supple feel that can't be beat. Maybe that's it.

I have the Beal Jammy but stopped using it while doing a rock rescue course since it was way less scure than 5 mm cord in autoblock when prusic climbing due to the stiffness. Since I´m a nerd I still want to try the hollow block, but I feel that acessory cord is fine.

I’ve been using Beal jammies, but have found they get core shot really quickly from being racked on a carabiner. I’ve heard that can be avoided by cutting back the plastic around the sewn section, but if I’m going to start modifying a rated piece of kit to get more use out of it, it does beg the question ‘what’s the point in having a rated piece of kit in the first place.’ Going to just go back to standard prussiks.

Edelrid aramid sling works as prusik.

Edelrid Powerloc 6mm a £1 a metre at Cotswold Outdoors 👍

Thinking of getting a Beal Jammy but I'm not sure on whether to go for the 50cm or 60cm one. Any recomendations? I have used home made prusicks before, but I am not sure if the sewed part will make a difference when handling it.

I've got the one from Simond. 3 wraps of autoblock on two strands of 10mm rope, feel a bit too loose (but still grabs) and 4 wraps are a bit too grabby. Will see what's better in real life applications

Hey great video do you have any extra gear ropes cords or anything please let me know if you need your old stuff to get nee life

How do you wrap your prusik onto your screwgate looks tidy?

I got absolutely slated on Facebook when I expressed an interest in having rated prusics, I hope you fair better 😕 Currently using the beal Jammy and frustrated by the plastic tube over the stitching.

anyone got any experience with the short Beal jammy? bought the shortest one. currently wrapping it UP the rope its either too grabby or not grabby enough with one wrap difference. Haven't played around with it loads just tried to use it a few times and got frustrated.

Keep it simple standard Prussia