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Wildken fall protection rope grab
Wildken fall protection rope grab:
This is a budget brand of rope ascender mainly used in a fall-protection / rope follower role, although it can
work fine as a regular rope-climbing ascender. When climbing with dual lifeline ropes, it's customary to have
one of these on each life line so as to maintain positive tethering at all times.
Unlike traditional ascenders that feature "teeth" for digging into a rope, rope followers typically use a smooth-
ridged pawl that slides up the rope more easily and produces less wear on the rope while sliding. This comes
with the tradeoff of slightly increased activation time and some small risk of slipping, especially under light
loading.
This model features a swinging cover plate with easy-to-operate unlocking pin for attaching/detaching ropes.
There's also an easy access lever for disabling the locking action when it needs to be moved down the rope.
It's definitely got a cheap feel though. I prefer the Petzl Rescuecender, but its's almost six times the price
so it's hard to justify having spares.

Wildken fall protection rope grab ($24 at Amazon)

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deployed |
front blue |
front |
grabbing action |
locking pin and lever |

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last updated 03/18/2026 at 08:58:01 by make_www_index.command version 2026.03.14.A