Has any one used these yet?

[Toffee]

Rope Lock, Thern Brickhouse, for 5/8" to 1" Purchase Line

I was looking into getting a few of these and was curious if any one had any reviews or issue or any more info on if you like these or not.

Thoughts?

 

[porkchop]

Not sure if that''s the exact product, but it looks very similar to something we saw in a few venues this summer. They didn't seem to lock quite as well as other brakes I've used, but in most of the houses I was working in proper adjustment, maintenance, and balanced weight where not expected. They would probably work great with those in place, as far as wear and tear on the purchase line, I don't know we where only there a week.

 

[tprewitt]

Far superior to traditional rope locks in every conceivable way. I was dubious at first, but after I installed my first Brickhouse system, I'm totally sold.

The rope locks bend the rope rather than pinch it. The cam action of the lever prevents it from being forced open and there is no metal on medal grinding that causes this geometry to be defeated with age. It is held closed with a easily operated push pin on top rather than a lock ring so it can't be forgotten. It doesn't go 'thump', 'rattle', or 'ping' when you open or close it. There are no dogs inside to rattle as you run the lineset. It is rated to be used as a deceleration brake (without damaging the rope). When you set it to 50lb of holding, it stays at 50 lbs & nearly never requires resetting. It requires tools to adjust so A) folks who don't know what they are doing don't mess with it & B) if you pad lock it closed someone can't simply loosen the thumb screw and defeat the pad lock. Since it doesn't pinch the rope it doesn't crush it, so 50lbs out of balance is 50 lbs out of balance no matter where you stop the rope. On a traditional rope lock, the jaws will crush & deform the rope on the spot you typically keep trim, so you have to tighten the thumb screw. Then when you stop it somewhere else, it's too tight.

Overtightened rope locks are so ubiquitous, people think the feel of 100lb to 200lbs of holding power is correct. Porkchop's observation, in my experience, is typical and was also my own the first time I encountered a properly set rope lock. If you keep your rope locks set to no more than 50lbs out of balance per ANSI E1.4, they will feel very loose. You can pull 50lbs without opening the lock. This is the safest setting however. If the rope lock will hold no more than 50 lbs you will never have anyone open the lock to find they can't control the load. If you're going to be more than 50lbs out, you shouldn't be using the rope lock to hold it; the system isn't designed for that. (Incidentally, the Brickhouse rope lock can be set much much tighter, it's just not correct.)

 

[Nobrakes15]

I just purchased 2 of these locks and we really like them, but I do have a question, are the spindles supposed to be locked down and not spin?

 

[tprewitt]

The silver milled aluminum pieces do not turn.

 

[gafftaper]

Wow did you see their front loading arbor design? Look at page two of this pdf.
It's really interesting. Somebody at this company has been thinking out of the box about fly systems.

 

[porkchop]

Looks pretty similar to a product that is very popular in Brazil. They seem pretty effective although most we used down there weren't adjusted properly.....

 

[MPowers]

I agree with everything Ty said. Great lock. The new version has a button lock in the handle, no more clanking locking ring. One hand operation to lock or unlock, automatically locks when pushed past vertical. Ty and I can both sell you some if you want, or better yet, a whole new Brickhouse system!!!