Desire for a thicker rope - need advice

Hi All, as ive aged i am becoming a bit more cautious, and the mammut 9.5 seems small to me now, my rope going over any edge disturbs me these days, and also any sharp/worn fixed gear. I was in the rei and saw some thick ropes, eg petzl 10.1, mammut 10.2, pmi 10.2(very much liked the pmi but only sold in 60 meter length). Im attracted to the thick ropes and want one for a workhorse rope.

anyhow, my journey began and I’ve been researching the most robust and advanced models eg unicore, tefix, thick sheathed ropes out there. Can i get some advice for the thickest rope i would want to buy without having something that doesn’t work in belay devices and/or feels terrible? I cant just go and feel every model so im trying to triangulate online, just want to make sure i dont make a mistake and buy something ridiculous. 

Btw not worried about carry weight, though i did wonder about weight over a long pitch…

thanks in advance. Contending are:

Tendon 9.7 master pro

Tendon 10.2 ambition tefix

Mammut crag workhorse 9.9

Beal/edelweiss unicore models 9.8 and above

If you're worried about cutting, why not get an edelrid swift protect? The aramid weaved in feels like it would be more effective than raw diameter. 

I have the mammut crag workhourse. It's still brand new-ish (30 aid pitches + ~20 single pitch routes) and it feeds like butter through a grigri.

You could also consider using double ropes. But if intent on a single, the Edelrid swift protect is what I'd look into

Thanks everyone, i think the desire for thickness is largely aesthetics and peace of mind. I didn’t know about the swift protect line-I’ll check it out for sure. And thanks for chiming in on the workhorse-thats a good option i dont have to order from europe. As for the sharp biners, those are on fixed sport routes.

Anybody have some 10mm ropes they can vouch for? Or is that just too fat?

I've got a brand new, but not in bag, Bluewater double dry 70m 10.3 rope.  Only two years left (born 9/2/15).

$80 shipped. . .

Steve Williamswrote:

I've got a brand new, but not in bag, Bluewater double dry 70m 10.3 rope.  Only two years left (born 9/2/15).

$80 shipped. . .

I would just donate that to some yosemite crusher to destroy this season. 

ropes do not expire.  This has been discussed ad nauseum. With proper storage (not in the sun or battery acid) it’s perfectly fine.  I don’t need a thick 70 but if I did I’d buy that!

Steve Williamswrote:

I've got a brand new, but not in bag, Bluewater double dry 70m 10.3 rope.  Only two years left (born 9/2/15).

$80 shipped. . .

How was it stored? Photos? 

Petzl Mambo 10.1 is a great rope for durability. I've been thrashing mine in the gym for 6 months and it isn't showing any signs of wear. I take lots of falls and climb on that rope 3x a week. I was wearing out my (9.4-9.8) gym ropes much too quickly, so I went with the Mambo and I've been really happy with it. I use the Arial (9.5) outside and really like that cord too. Very durable for the weight and diameter. I wouldn't go any bigger than 10.1 or you'll start to have issues with belay devices.

Hey rockman thanks! I was looking at that one as it is available and a great price, and in a nice green color. The only thing was it wasn’t in an 80 meter, but thats ok, id just have to retire it sooner (that is, assuming i actually rock climb enough to wear it out). I had an arial 9.5 too, it’s currently a rug, honestly that has been my favorite of all time. I have the mammut 9.5, just haven’t connected to it in the same way as the ariel, might just be the partners and routes, not the rope… thanks again i think im finally gonna stop looking and just buy the mambo. A final detail is that i contacted the retailer and confirmed the production date for the mambo as the fall of 23, so brand new, and most of these other models are 2-4 years old already ( i dont care if it is stored properly or doesnt matter, i still want fresh nylon). 

Maxim Glider 9.9 awfully durable for the hand. Feeds ok through Pilot. Has a dense, confidence-inspiring feel, and builds quad strength during the approach. With Gri-Gri on lead, it's probably a shortrope machine, but so is everything else.

I bought an Edelrid Python 10.3mm since it was pretty cheap back when I was looking for a thicker rope. Not super happy with it: the sheath feels very soft/loose and after ~10 pitches had comparable fuzzy spots to a Mammut rope (9.5mm) I've been thrashing for ~300 pitches. The Mammut rope did have a dry coating (long ago), which probably helped. I'm starting to think a dry treated rope with a snug weave will be more abrasion resistant than a regular 10.Xmm rope. 

I've been very happy with Mammut ropes so far, but I wanted to get something more cut resistant for alpine rockfall terrain and after that rope pinch/cut accident earlier this year. I've been eyeing the Edelrid Eagle Lite Protect Pro Dry 9.5mm for a while, but the price for 70m has been putting me off. There also aren't really any reviews that I've been able to find online. Beal Unicore sounded like a pretty good idea (glueing the sheath to the core), but I saw from a HowNot2 video that the glue is just a tiny strip and didn't really have any effect with their testing. Hopefully the aramid in the protect pro is more than marketing.

Another vote for Mammut. Out of alle the ropes I’ve encountered, Mammut ropes are by far the most durable. Even their 9.5 just won’t die.
a few thoughts:

- Diameter isn’t everything. There are fat ropes that are significantly less durable than thinner ones. Imho it’s a mix of sheath percentage, tightness of weave and quality of the yarn. The softer a rope feels/handles the faster it will usually wear. 

- ropes don’t cut. This is a freak accident of such a freakish nature (yes, it has happened…) that it’s safe to ignore. All ropes are safe.

- if you want a fat rope for the ease of mind go for the Mammut workhorse 9.9. Everything fatter will eventually become a pita to use. 

Michael M, thanks for vid link. That guy said if u r worried about rope cutting, don’t worry about unicore and buy a thicker rope. Its not exactly a rational process, but more aesthetic and tactile, can’t really explain it, just want to feel connected emotionally to the rope in a way that feels right/feels balanced given my size and proportions. Right now its between the 9.9 workhorse and the 10.1 mambo, leaning towards the Mambo as I LOVED my petzl 9.5 ariel and hoping for a similar handling and experience. 

Michael Mwrote:

I bought an Edelrid Python 10.0mm since it was pretty cheap back when I was looking for a thicker rope. Not super happy with it: the sheath feels very soft/loose and after ~10 pitches had comparable fuzzy spots to a Mammut rope (9.5mm) I've been thrashing for ~300 pitches. The Mammut rope did have a dry coating (long ago), which probably helped. I'm starting to think a dry treated rope with a snug weave will be more abrasion resistant than a regular 10.Xmm rope. 

I've been very happy with Mammut ropes so far, but I wanted to get something more cut resistant for alpine rockfall terrain and after that rope pinch/cut accident earlier this year. I've been eyeing the Edelrid Eagle Lite Protect Pro Dry 9.5mm for a while, but the price for 70m has been putting me off. There also aren't really any reviews that I've been able to find online. Beal Unicore sounded like a pretty good idea (glueing the sheath to the core), but I saw from a HowNot2 video that the glue is just a tiny strip and didn't really have any effect with their testing. Hopefully the aramid in the protect pro is more than marketing.

If you're curious, there's a bunch of reviews of the 8.9 comparing/contrasting feel to the normal one. While the 8.9 did handle a little stiff, it wasn't enough to really bother either me or my belayer in clipping/belaying/stacking etc.

I had success with my beal tiger 10mm. It lasted two seasons of big walls in Zion before developing a core shot. In comparison, I core shot two 9.5mm mammut ropes within 3 months of living and climbing here.

I currently have an edelrid 8.9mm that I like. Stiff, but surprisingly getting fuzzy quick and the aramid woven into the sheath was the selling point.

I'll likely get another unicore rope as a wall rope. I have a 9.8 sterling as a stop gap right now.

How did the beal tiger handle? I went ahead and ordered the mambo 10.1. I’ll double back and report initial thoughts and follow up as I use it. Right now I only rope climb outside 1 time per week, at most. So it’ll take a moment…

Levi Goldmanwrote:

How did the beal tiger handle? I went ahead and ordered the mambo 10.1. I’ll double back and report initial thoughts and follow up as I use it. Right now I only rope climb outside 1 time per week, at most. So it’ll take a moment…

Once it started getting twisted it was a pain in the ass to get it untwisted and to stay untwisted. Other than that, I liked how it handled.

Not sure if the Beal Tiger 10.0mm has been mentioned. Unicore construction. You might take a look at that one. Feels more like a 9.8 but the label says 10.0. I have been pretty happy with the handling and durability of mine. A bit stiff at first, but then it broke in nicely.

EDIT: After rereading the posts, I see this rope was indeed mentioned by Kyle. Just count mine as a second vote then. 

Hi All, I received the 10.1 green Mambo 70m today, produced 08/2023, made in Germany. Great feel and handling appearance while still factory coiled, haven’t climbed yet. Feeling very good about it. Funny, it goes full circle, as a beginner i buy a fat rope, then after 25 years with ropes trending thinner and thinner, again i buy a thick rope, only this time its a thing pf beauty, not a stiff cord.  Hoping to have some beauty whips on this cord…