UKH

Hi,

Just wondering if many people have used DMM ropes before and what they think?

Looking for a new sport rope and have been looking ah their New Breed 9.4mm single and the Prodigy 9.8mm.

All opinions and thoughts welcome!

Cheers,

Ben

In reply to Ben Watts:

Got the 50m Statement (single). I'm impressed - it feels high quality for the price, really nice handling - I've had people ask me if it's a Galaxy (!). Also it seems to be one of the lighter singles out there, which is important to me.

In reply to Ben Watts:

I have a few.

A couple of 10 point something's which have been super hard wearing. They handle quite well too.

I've just this week got a 9.8 for work (the others were getting hard to pull through in guide mode). Only used it a couple of times but impressed so far.

My halves need replacing soon and I'll get DMM for those too...

In reply to jezb1:

I was disappointed in the long run with my halves from DMM (prophets). After a year or two they've gone really stiff (I don't fall off that often ... honest!) and compared to friends Beal and Mammut ropes they handle really poorly and actually feel thicker despite being labelled as 8.5mm. My friends Beal's are 8.6mm and feel much thinner, more supple and they are 3/4 years old.

Can't comment on the single ropes, but after having the prophets I think i'll be sticking to Mammuts and Beals from now on

In reply to Ben Watts:

They are on the heavy side per m throughout their range in comparison to other brands. Are they made by Mammut (as I thought DMM used to import Mammut ropes)?

I've used a mates halfs, they didn't seem that impressive, and aren't that cheap considering they're meant to be British.

In reply to Merlin:


From UKC's OutDoor 2010 report: http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=2882

"DMM, working with Beal ropes, have developed a range of DMM ropes for the UK market."

In reply to Ben Watts:

I use a Prophet and have just bought a Statement. Great ropes with superb handling from the word go. The prophet had proven to be pretty durable too, having had it for three years its not showing much wear and I do hammer it a bit. When I need new ropes I'll buy DMM again.

In reply to Nicola Ciancaglini:

If you have a look at the title you quoted it did say 2010. The relationship between Beal and DMM lasted for a very short time, in fact the ropes never went into production.
I believe DMM now get their ropes made by Edelrid.

In reply to Ben Watts:

i have a 60m prodigy and i also the the prophets .

find the single really good had it a year now and is still in good condition. the half's are newer and still haven't had a fall but have seen some use and still feel as new. all in all, I'm impressed.

In reply to Ben Watts:

I have new breed 70m , prodigy 60m ant double spectrum 8.8 60m, and I can recommend all of them, great handling and durability.

In reply to Pete Potter:



If there's a made in Germany label on them, that's very likely indeed edelrid does manufacture for other brands too.

In reply to Nicola Ciancaglini:

Edelrid ropes are lovely to handle. But why not just buy and Edelrid rope and cut out the middleman while knowing which of their ropes you are buying? Presumably each DMM rope is a rebadged original?

In reply to BnB:


Do you have any evidence for that? The carabiners DMM make for Wild Country (or used to) certainly aren't rebadged originals. Same with ropes, DMM is probably having them made with properties that are most suited for their home market. To the extent that ropes differ at all, that'd give you a difference. (What else do you think rope makers differentiate themselves among themselves? Certainly not just colour.)

In reply to markus691:


Likewise. Do you have any evidence for this statement? Are DMM extoling extra water-shedding properties? What other special features would be appropriate to the UK?

In reply to BnB:


You´ll find the DMM ropes are cheaper than Edelrid. There is still a middleman, they are called importers or distributors.

In reply to BnB:

Whether or not they are rebadged originals or not, they are cheaper. Probably because they're not carrying the Edelrid logo.

In reply to climbwhenready:

Possibly so. And low price is always attractive, until, like the crew of Apollo 13, you realise 150,000 miles from planet earth, that every part of your ship has been built by the lowest bidder

Only kidding, I'm a fan of DMM gear in general.

In reply to Nicola Ciancaglini:

Ah, thanks.

In reply to jimtitt:

I'm not so sure...

In reply to BnB:


http://dmmclimbing.com/products/ropes-&-cord/
"Our ‘Core’ ropes balance technical specifications and construction techniques with value for money." "Our ‘Pro’ ropes have been designed to handle more abuse again, be it from the climbers themselves or from environmental factors. The additional dry treatment makes it not only repel water and dust more readily, but it also makes the dynamics of the rope work better giving better stats throughout."
In other words, DMM balanced a set of properties according to their priorities. It doesn't say anything about the UK, but for the Spectrum rope they say "These ropes were designed to cover the whole spectrum of British climbing – from Gritstone edges to mountain classics." For the Migrant rope "Spring in North Wales, summer in the Alps, autumn in the Picos or winter in Scotland"

In reply to markus691:

Or you could also interpret the description thus:

These are bog-standard ropes with a bit of DMM marketing on the packaging

In reply to BnB:

In which case your request for evidence was disingenious.
We all know there are no independent labs doing tests and then reporting on what situations particular ropes are suitable for. Hard proof was never an option.
Yet initially "DMM extolling" properties was what you asked for, and when I provide that, you say it doesn't mean anything.

In reply to markus691:

What a prickly reply. I don't see anything in DMM's descriptions that distanguishes thier rope from the crowd: they've been designed to shed water and stand up to spikes and rough edges. Nothing UK-specific about the ropes, or the descriptions. In other words, they are bog-standard.

I get it: you like DMM. So do I. In fact I think they're a brilliant company and I favour their gear over WC and BD. I just don't buy into the marketing of their ropes as much as you seem to.

In reply to Ben Watts:

I've had two migrants (8.2mm). The first one is half it's original length after only 6 months, the second one needed cutting down after it's very first use and is already burred and fluffy after one week of use in the alps, so I can't say I'm particularly impressed.

If they are made to the same standard as the edelrid, then I Yat have a bad batch as my edelrid is in much better condition after four years of use.

In reply to markus691:

Since answering your post I've had an email from DMM clarifying the provenance of their rope. It doesn't answer how good they are but it underlines what a decent company DMM is: firstly to care about what is said in the forums, and secondly to be bothered to write privately and unfussily to me about it.