petzl pro traxion

Ok despite the incident that occured at zion several years ago clearly resulting from improper use of the pulley how would everyone rate this piece. It recently went on sale for the same price as the micro traxion and I am considering picking one up.

Just an FYI and not sure if this matters to you but the reason it went on sale is because the new version just came out:

At Backcountry

and

Petzl's site

kong block roll is much better for hauling large loads, for small loads (or if using a 2:1) the microtrax is hard to beat.

I would not get one if they were giving them away for free, the other 2 devices are so much better.

ya i realize its being discontinued but that doesnt bother me, I have looked into the kong roll which seems awesome but i am turned off by the heavy cumbersome nature of the unit

Haven't had an issue with my pro-trax, multiple walls over 7 years or so. Know its limitations, great piece imo.

I've never hauled anything other than 1-to-1, and I + my partners try hard to keep pig weight down on walls.

A good pulley and the ascender you already have is far lighter, cheaper and could be more efficient.

The pulley is a CMI with a 2 5/8" sheave.

aliebling wrote:The old style protraxion is significantly inferior to the microtraxion. If you don't want the new protraxion (which I've never used, but presume uses the same superior bearing style as the microtraxion), then buy a microtrax (or a kong block if you're doing big loads). The micro is both lighter and more efficient than the old pro. If you're planning on hauling, you do not want an old pro (they are much less efficient).

The old protrax is 95% efficient backcountry.com/petzl-pro-t…

The microtrax is 91% efficient petzl.com/en/outdoor/self-j…

Not that you could feel the difference either way I imagine. I've used both and they both work pretty well in my opinion. If you're hauling huge loads it probably doesn't matter much either as you're likely not going 1:1. I can't comment though as I've never hauled more than one pig.

Protrax is certainly heavier like you say. About 180g more for what it's worth...plus the extra biner you need for the bottom.

SteveZ is correct. I was (incorrectly) referring to the micro and the MINI and *not* the pro. The pro is an excellent piece...it is the mini which should be avoided. Apologies for the FUD. need to work on my reading comprehension.

The Mini should be avoided? Why is that?

"avoided" is probably too strong a word. The micro is a significantly better pulley than mini with the caveat of its lower breaking strength. If you need to haul more weight than the micro allows, I'd go with the pro (or a kong block for really big loads). So it isn't that I'd refuse to climb with someone using a mini, just that I cannot really see a place where a new buyer would want it compared to the micro (which is only $10 more) or pro.

Caveat: I'm only talking about hauling usage (not top rope soloing or other uses).

That said, Mark is a much (much, much!) more experienced big wall climber than I. If he has a place where the mini is exactly the right tool for the job, then I'd love to hear about it!

I'm all over the Micro. I sold my Mini's. They aren't bad tools, the Micro's are just better.