The following review, from SGM’s Arboriculture Business Manager, Andy Hancock, appraises the Edelrid Roka-e Cambium Saver, an innovatively designed piece of arboriculture equipment.
Although this is not a new product it’s definitely worth a look even if it is on your lottery winner’s wish list – it’s a bit expensive (SRP from £75.00 + VAT) but it’s a very nicely made bit of kit with some nice touches.
It isn’t a re-invention of the wheel but it does offer us the choice of something a bit special and it stands out a mile next to your average friction saver. It’s available in 90cm, 120cmand 150cmsizes but I’d go with the 90cm sling (shown) for everyday use; the 120 seemed a bit too clumsy to me for everyday use in the average tree so I reckon the 150 would be more of the same.
The quality of the hardware is really impressive and all of the individual components are available separately as spare parts so it should be possible to make it last a fair while which does go some way to justifying the initial outlay.
Edelrid say that they have “combined the design and the efficiency of mountain sports products” with the requirements of the arboricultural sector and they have a point – the difference between this design and the standard design is nearly as distinct as the difference in the traditional device and the old ‘over the branch’ system. The reduction in effort is noticeable but it was a bit strange at first –a bit like the first time you try a Lock Jack- with so little friction you check yourself to see what’s gone wrong but, after a couple of limb walks, short ascents and descents, it starts to feel quite natural.
I was a bit sceptical about how it would be recovered, given the lack of ‘grip’ but it’s no more difficult than usual so long as you use a retrieval ball - I’m not saying everybody should have one but if you spend a lot of time in veteran trees then it would definitely be worth considering for the reduced effort alone.
It’s good to see companies like Edelrid making an effort to improve equipment design for our profession because, eventually, technology like this filters down into everyday kit so, in a few years, we could see this design replacing the standard rings – welcome to a bit of the future.
