Petzl Traxion pulley comparison
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Comparison of Petzl Traxion pulleys
Petzl makes a nice family of pulleys with the surname “Traxion”. They all share a few common design elements: a spring-loaded toothed cam that lets the rope (or device) move in one direction but not the other, and a high efficiency, sealed bearing steel pulley wheel (aka sheave).
Technically they are a “progress capture” pulley, which means when hauling a load, when you let go of the rope, the load doesn’t slide back down. That might sound like a one trick pony, but these little devices are helpful for lots more than just that!
You can use them as:
an ascender
a progress capture in any sort of hauling rigging
the rope grab in a mechanical advantage system
the “far end haul” for big walls
part of the set up for a Tyrolean traverse
top rope solo rope grab
belaying your partner from above (I don't recommend this! But I know people do it so I'll mention it.)
and more!
Here's a related article I wrote, comparing the Nano and the Mini.
A few Traxion tips . . .
It's best to use Traxions on an oval or HMS locker, and not a D shaped locker. Often with a D locker, the Traxion doesn’t hang straight down. With an oval or pear-shaped HMS locker, you usually get a nice vertical hang up the pulley.
When hauling, you can pre-thread the pulley onto the rope. Doing this lets you set it up faster and lowers the chance of you dropping it.
Traxions in a variety of sizes, prices, weights and best uses, so let's take a closer look!
Purchasing links below go to HowNOT.com, an online gear store run by my friend Ryan Jenks. These are not affiliate marketing links. I provide them as a courtesy to you so you can easily buy one if you'd like to support Ryan and his work.