Gibbs Products

So I inherited this Gibbs ascender/shunt device as a hand me down and would love to learn more about it.

On Gibbs' website, it appears to match quite closely with their Ascender Model #2 with the exception of mine saying "UP" instead of "load" and the omission of the engraving "not for self belay." I also find it a little confusing that the website says "not intended for...self belay of more than one person," but the device just says "not for self belay." Thoughts?

Haven't been able to find any information on adherence or testing to any EN or ANSI standards. 

I reached out to Gibbs asking all the same questions and will share here when they reply. Curious what you all have to say in the interim!

http://www.verticalmuseum.com/VerticalDevicesPage/Ascender/T1LeverCamPages/T1LeverCam0065.php#anchorVersionI

This is a pretty extensive library of rope clamps, should be able to find more info on it here. Hard to tell from the photos, but you appear to have Version I, L, N or O, you could probably figure out which with the device in front of you. 

I have owned a Gibbs ascender since the 1970’s just like the one in the photo of this thread. Still being used as a back up to my Mini Traction for top rope soloing. It slides smoothly up the rope and does the job it was intended for.

David Katzwrote:

I have owned a Gibbs ascender since the 1970’s just like the one in the photo of this thread. Still being used as a back up to my Mini Traction for top rope soloing. It slides smoothly up the rope and does the job it was intended for.

What is the job it was intended for? That's what unclear to me. 

Is there a reason you use it as the backup to your trax and not the other way around? Just playing with it I find the Gibbs more confidence inspiring than my trax. 

David Katzwrote:

I have owned a Gibbs ascender since the 1970’s just like the one in the photo of this thread. Still being used as a back up to my Mini Traction for top rope soloing. It slides smoothly up the rope and does the job it was intended for.

If you run the Gibbs on the same rope as the MT and it's BELOW the MT, you might be in for a shock. Anything that slides down the rope and presses downward on the body of the Gibbs can conceivably disable it. The Gibbs is designed to be "cam loaded" rather than "body loaded" like most other ascenders and progress capture pulleys like the MT.  If, however the Gibbs' activating cam is strongly sprung (some models were not), then it might grab the rope as it's driven downward.  

I’ve used a springless Gibbs for TRS and it works well.  As noted above, probably best as the primary with a Minitraxion below it as secondary.