# Why climb using eye splices?



## Sunrise Guy (May 23, 2013)

OK, I got a wild hair, and I decided to teach myself how to do eye splices in 16 strand. The learning curve was steep, but I got real good at it after a week, or so. I blistered my hands up pretty good, but I was rewarded with good-looking eye splices. I reinforced them with 50 pound test line stitches and whipping, and they look good and I trust them. Now, however, comes the realization that while I may have great eye splices, just what good are they, really? I mean, they take away the need for tying knots and preserve 90-95% of my rope's original strength (knots decrease it by up to 50%), but so what? I can't put my snaps on them without using an extra carabiner (unless I constructed them with the snaps already placed), if I nick a rope segment near the eye then it must be cut off putting me back to either taking the time to construct another eye splice or going back to my tried and true knots. If I'm in a tight crotch, the eye can get stuck as it has a thimble in it, which can be popped out, with difficulty, but then the eye, itself, can snag a branch. So, again, what good are eye splices? I've lived without them for 25 years of climbing, now I wonder if I even want to use them. Who, here, uses them a great deal? How do you set your rope system using them?


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## Projector (May 23, 2013)

I climb with the vt prussik and have found that when I have a fishermans knot attached to my caribeener instead of a spliced eye the knot will ocasionally set ontop of my prussik not allowing it to bite the line. I just bought the hitch climber pulley though and I think this should remedy it. Spliced eyes can be a pain with some cambium savers, I would never order a rope with both ends spliced, my $.02


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## 2treeornot2tree (May 23, 2013)

Sunrise Guy said:


> OK, I got a wild hair, and I decided to teach myself how to do eye splices in 16 strand. The learning curve was steep, but I got real good at it after a week, or so. I blistered my hands up pretty good, but I was rewarded with good-looking eye splices. I reinforced them with 50 pound test line stitches and whipping, and they look good and I trust them. Now, however, comes the realization that while I may have great eye splices, just what good are they, really? I mean, they take away the need for tying knots and preserve 90-95% of my rope's original strength (knots decrease it by up to 50%), but so what? I can't put my snaps on them without using an extra carabiner (unless I constructed them with the snaps already placed), if I nick a rope segment near the eye then it must be cut off putting me back to either taking the time to construct another eye splice or going back to my tried and true knots. If I'm in a tight crotch, the eye can get stuck as it has a thimble in it, which can be popped out, with difficulty, but then the eye, itself, can snag a branch. So, again, what good are eye splices? I've lived without them for 25 years of climbing, now I wonder if I even want to use them. Who, here, uses them a great deal? How do you set your rope system using them?



I have never seen anyone use a thimble in a spliced eye unless they are splicing a snap to it. You dont need the thimble in a spliced eye on your climb rope.


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## ozzy42 (May 23, 2013)

Spliced eyes help tidy things up around the saddle a bit but, at the current time I've went back to a double fishermen's knot to attach my blakes and terminate my climbline to a rope snap with a bowline w/yosemite tie off.I found the VT exciting at first , but got tired of it's unprdedicability.
Bought a climbline with a sewn eye last summer for the first time. Got it snagged in a canopy less than a week later .Well,,, that rope became 18 inches shorter and I gained a sewn eye split tail. Never again with a splice on a climb or rigging rope.


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## ATH (May 23, 2013)

I really like having one end spliced.
*It is stronger (not that knots are too weak...but stronger is always a good thing).
*The bigger safety issue is that it will never come untied. Knots generally don't...but they could. (I have lost my Yosemite tie off a few times, but never threatened the bowline)
*A couple of seconds faster - which is a ridiculous argument when that doesn't impact the total length of the job.
*The biggest thing that I like is the lack of bulk.


I do always pull the unspliced end through the friction saver. Assuming I always do that, I am not sure what the problem with catching the eye on something is? It is always hooked to me, not swinging around the tree. As to not having the snap on it, I have never used rope snaps for tie-in - even when I used knots, have always stuck with tri-action carabiners. I just have the snap on the lanyard - and it is spliced into one end.

Guess it is personal preference. I'm not going to try to sell anybody too hard that spiced ends are better...but I do prefer them myself.


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## smit3270 (May 24, 2013)

I have always figured I could spend a lot of money on shiny gadgets, or tie a few knots. Having more time than money, I tie knots.


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## imagineero (May 24, 2013)

It's a personal thing, but it also comes down to what system you're climbing on. Things get messy real quick if you're trying to tie knots with most mechanical prussiks, or the hitch climber system.

I climb generally on a fairly traditional system - just a klemheist with no slack tender. I splice all my ropes with a tight eye at one end. I love the eye, it's simple and fast. When I do tie a knot I often use the anchor hitch which is a cinching know. Taking it off to reposition your climb line is a real pain. The spliced eye with a carabiner is kind of like a second flip line. I like the tidiness and less cluttered look too.

Shaun


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## Sunrise Guy (May 24, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback, to all. I got out and worked using the eye-spliced line and I think my new rope is about to get twelve feet shorter. Yeah, I used the thimbles because I do use rope snaps. I actually feel safer with my anchor hitches. Old habits die hard, I guess. I am keeping the eye splice, thimble and snap on my lanyard, so the hours and hours I put in learning how to make the eye splice will not be totally wasted. Again, thanks for the feedback.


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## murphy4trees (May 29, 2013)

my buddy jutst knocked out his front teeth dental work with a caribeener, pulling it around the trunk, rather than untying the knot. with a spliced eye, he's have been hit with a rope instead of the biner.. I would not consider climbing without a spliced eye, if I ever decided to do much climbing again..


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## TimberMcPherson (May 29, 2013)

splices save me a lot of time and mess around and it keeps things much more tidy. you cant run a prussic off the end of one (my lines are spliced both ends) but they don't get caught in forks.

Occationally I or one of my guys pick up a line that's not spliced and the frustration can build pretty quick. 

Been climbing on my own splices for over 10 years and wont go back.


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## PassionForTrees (Jun 2, 2013)

Man I just wrote so much and it all got erased? So I will try again here, I was so surprised to hear anyone say all that about the eye splices, man they are the way to go! So many things make it easier, set up tying in, working relocating gear untying it's like unclipping now not untying, regardless working a spar with a ACS ( adjustable crotch saver ) can save you so much time it's ridiculous to not do it. someone said it was hard or difficult using ACS?? Im telling you it's not at all, smooth as a babies ass, use the yellow ball attached to your eye splice and leave it there, when you need to go down and get set for your next cut, taking your ACS down is as simple as unclipping it from your carabiner and pull it up and through the ball goes through the large hole and well you get it! How you set it up around a crotch with many branches or cut the branches less trouble retrieving it later, and for the tight crotch, well round that thing up or use a better crotch, hell you dont even need a crotch with an adjustable saver. I was your old dog that you couldnt teach new tricks too,and I became more, I dont use a lot of the STUFF gadgets they offer today but I have tried them a few times and asked questions to learn to tweak it better and see if it works for me and mostly still old ways except for the proven myself newer gear or type of rope ect.. Listen not trying to be disrepectful to anyone here but this is how I feel about the comment on well if you cut your rope near your eye then your cutting it off, so why bother. ?? are ya kidding me if that's the way ya think it's the same as well if the plane crashes your dead so why fly? come one your not suppose to cut your rope EVER!!!The problem with the industry is that theres an accident right!! well after that accident gets noted and published then the industry makes something to stop that from happening or they make a rule like being tied in two times while cutting and so on. soon we wont be allowed to use a chain saw because someone cuts themselves with it and dies. We are not we meaning the industry as a whole, we are not training people enough or they are not getting trained at all before they take on something they are not ready for never mind over look a crew below them. Sorry for the rambling on here, but man wouldnt you want your climb to be smoother, stronger safer and easier, Im 44 now and I will keep trying to make my life/work easier. I am actually working on a redirect retrievable or retrievable redirect using a second ACS but havent figured completely out yet. Climb safe and be your own McGyver! God Speed. :msp_sneaky:


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## Shawn Chamness (Apr 17, 2016)

I have 9/16 stable braid as my rigging rope. Why would you put spliced eye in one end of the rope? I am asking caise i cant think of nothing. And i also have a trex triple sling with 1# 3 and 2# 2's. ABR rings. Thank you.


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## RajElectric (Apr 17, 2016)

I have splices in all my ropes, just because, I can splice.


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## crotchclimber (Apr 17, 2016)

Shawn Chamness said:


> I have 9/16 stable braid as my rigging rope. Why would you put spliced eye in one end of the rope? I am asking caise i cant think of nothing. And i also have a trex triple sling with 1# 3 and 2# 2's. ABR rings. Thank you.


All the climbers in my company prefer spliced eyes in rigging ropes because we do a lot of knotless rigging with a steel carabiner. Usually a half hitch above the carabiner to take the load off it. Dropping big wood on the 5/8" line we just use a running bowline below the half hitch.


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## JeffGu (Apr 17, 2016)

I use spliced eyes on all my climbing and rigging lines. I find it faster/easier to just girth a nylon loop runner around the piece, clip the rigging line onto it and go...


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## Del_ (Apr 17, 2016)

No spliced eyes in my bull lines. I prefer knots.


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