UKH

Does anyone know when/how the replacement Ultralight Rocks will appear?

I’ve contacted Wild Country but has no answer. 

They were promised for September weren't they? I've also been holding out, so very interested in the answer.

Me too - I have two sets...

Hey,

They're in the warehouse and available.

I'll get some answers in what the plan is for distribution to customers etc. I know retailers have already ordered them and been shipped from the warehouse.

Just for peoples information the new ones have a light grey covering and the ferul is now in Brass.

Hi Euan, I tried to contact you a while ago. There was a mix up with mine and I was sent replacement rocks in the relevant sizes rather than the offsets. They are still sat unused on my shelf with tags on so I am happy to send them back.

So not superlight anymore? Brass will weigh probably double what the aluminium ones did which negates an element of their point... kinda why I was holding back wondering what they would do to remedy it. Do you have the new weights to hand?

They might weigh a bit less, but for me their value was always mostly their utility in awkward placements (epecially size 3 and 4, these being the smallest that are 6kn or above).

Great to hear -- thanks Euan.

Personally I don't like the small sizes enough to choose those over a stronger and better shaped microwire like the Metolius Astronuts in sizes 5-10 if the weight of them isn't where it was. The astronut shape is just as good if not better, and the weight difference will be absolutely marginal, but strengths will be far greater. Hence why I'm interested to know. I'm at a point in my climbing where either I need the sets I bought originally for personal climbing, and buy new normal nuts for teaching with, or I need the normal nuts on offer and an alternative smaller nut for personal climbing.

Fair enough!

So has anyone received their replacement ultralights yet? Iv found trying to contact oberalp (the company handling the product recall in the uk) absolutely dismal, they   just don't seem to reply to emails 

I'm working on it!!

Hi, by saying they have a 'light grey covering' does that mean they are not colour coded to size anymore? 

Thanks

Standard anodising colours on the heads but the plastic protecting the ferul is now light grey not black.

Ah ok, many thanks! 

You got any feedback for me on weights Euan? Need to decide whether to go for two full sets of standard wires or two replacement superlight sets... cheers...

The new version are up on the web now, grey plastic cover and all:

https://www.wildcountry.com/en-gb/superlight-rock-set-1-6-40-rslset_000-

and there is a weights table, but whether that is new or not I can't tell you.

Says 96g on wild country website and 97g on rock and run for a set. So seems likely to me that the wc website is using the same graphic as before.

many news, please, Euan?

Yes, many news... or any news at all, please, Euan, please? My halfnuts looking at me like abandoned puppies... Each day I have to contemplate sending them back brings me fresh, bright pangs of secret guilt. Can you put us out of our collective misery? Or at least let us know rough timescales between sending them back and getting new ones?

Hi Folks,

so they are in the warehouse. I am just waiting for information on when they will be sent out etc. Hopefully ASAP! Definitely before the end of the year.

Apologies for the wait.

For what it's worth, I got an email update on my ticket with Oberalp that gave an update to say "second week of October"

Brass Ferrel's not heads, you realise that right? Can't believe that would double the overall weight? Be interesting to know.

Waiting for my new ones as well

Yes I realise. There is a substantial volume of metal in a ferrule and the weight difference between aluminium was used is also substantial. The weight of the ferrule  goes from 2.1g to 6.6g in brass. 4.5g increase means there is only 1.5g between a "superlight" size 1 rock and a standard full strength rock, i.e. no point unless you're in it purely for the shape of the flared side placement. 

As an estimate only, here is what I'm thinking the change to a brass ferrule will do, unless they have shortened the ferrule, made it smaller diameter etc. than the alu one:

#1 SLR 14.5g, 4kN

#1 R 16g, 7kN

#2 SLR, 17.5g 4kN

#2 R, 25g 9kN

#3 SLR, 18.5g 6kN

#3R, 28g 10 kN

#4 SLR, 21.5g 6kN

#4R, 30g 10 kN

#5 SLR, 24.5g 6kN

#5R, 32 10kN

#6 SLR, 26.5g 6kN

#6R, 36g 10kN

so over the range the difference between having full strength nuts and nearly half strength is only 18 grams. Now compare that to the smallest sizes of DMM imps, the equivalent to a #1 is 13g but 7kN and 16h and 7kN. The equivalent Metolius Astronuts sizes 6-10 weight 89.8 and are rated 6-8kN vs new SLR which weight 96.5g and are weaker. I know this is all really pedantic and a bit navel gaze-ey, but by doing this, but I honestly think they've shot themselves in the foot. You're just better off buying an actual microwire than these... PS I know exactly how they could save the weight to make them as light as they were but I'm not really into giving Oberalp anything for free these days...

I have no updates, iv tried emailing oberalp several times and had exactly zero responses. 

Hi, I've been informed that the new units are currently on a boat! Sorry I thought they where already in Italy. 

ETA to Bolzano 2 weeks max, then the customer care team will start shipping.

Apologies you've received no responses to your emails. I'll forward your comments on.

thanks for explanation, guess we need to with until some one has one in hand to weigh

Totally. My figures are speculative and I hope they have thought around the issue creatively, cos it's really not hard to solve.

Just been told to expect mid-November now. Bit of a shitshow to take 6 months.

To be honest, I've always liked them for their shape, rather than their weight.

Sure, and that's a totally valid reason. I also like their shape, but as I said later on, I would rather have an equally good shape but with greater strength which you get with microwires.

Getting a new updated product finalised and then produced in volume takes time, which is presumably why they initially  offered an immediate replacement with a current product for those unable to wait for the updated one.

But if (as Euan implies) they are shipping to distributors for sale, before they meeting their warranty obligations to existing customers then yes I'd agree that's terrible customer service.

Really? I feel that you have an unrealistic expectations of how long it takes to redesign, sort out certification testings and then finally produce enough products for everyone effected by this recall. And that's before factoring the transportation faff.

Or that we were told one date and it has been pushed back? The problem was discovered nearly a year ago. 

It's not a redesign, they've changed the ferrule material. Maybe talking to a material specialist might take some time, but it's pretty well know that stainless cable goes with either stainless or copper ferrules. They would be able to get that from a ferrule supplier easily, just look up ferrules suitable for stainless cable. I suspect the delay is about building up stock and shipping...

Hi Paul,

Apologies for the delay, I'm at the mercy of the Oberalp warehouse and as we approach the cross over from SS to AW it gets so mega busy in there. I've been told goods are in the warehouse and shipping of replacement units will commence asap.

I can only apologise for the poor communications. I have raised it with senior bods at Oberalp and if it's been a fault on my part sorry for that as well!

Stop being so bloody reasonable, you're making me feel bad.

Aim achieved

😜

Official communication from Oberalp FYI