Discussion: Is there a noticeable difference between a 9.5mm and a 9.8mm rope?

Is there a noticeable difference between a 9.5mm and a 9.8mm rope?

To be more specific, I would like to know your thoughts on the advantages of having a 9.5mm over a 9.8mm or vice-versa. I want to buy a rope for outdoor redpointing expecting to give it a bunch of falls each session. I thought it would be nice to have a not so heavy rope but also durable at least 1 year with this kind of "intense" use (avoiding top-rope completely). What do you recommend between a Mammut crag 9.5mm and a 9.8mm of the same brand? Thanks!

I had the Mammut 9.5 infinity and it has been my longest lasting rope. It was still made in Switzerland but maybe they maintained the same quality. I don't know. Would be interesting to hear from someonme else maybe!

About the diameter: Pay attention to the weigh per meter too! I don't know exactly how the diameter is officially measured but comparing different brands of the same diameter the ropes can feel so different in my experience.

Also in my experience there are ropes that feel quite "hard". Most Edelrid ropes in the past years for example (eexcluding at least the 2020 Hummingbird). The complete opposite is Sterling's Evolution line. The ropes feel extremely soft and handle very well from the beginning. But they also seem to wear quite a bit faster.

My 2016 Mammut Infinity 9.5 was the perfect middle ground. But I don't know anything about Mammut's 2020 ropes.

A little more about weight per meter and diameter: Edelrid's 9.8 and other ropes of that diameter feed less good through most belaying devices. Even more when they get fizzy. Most 9.5's will feed more nicely and maintain that "easy to give slack" feeling that is nice to have for a projecting rope.

So to answer the question: Yes, there's a noticable difference. And if the "9.5 Mammut crag" is any similar to the 9.5 infinity it will last quite a long time.

"Soft" vs "hard" is usually (but not always), a trade-off in life of a rope. The softer the rope, the more susceptible it is to wear and tear. I don't have lab test results to back that up, just my personal experience.

As a rule of thumb; the thinner the rope, the shorter the life, although at that level (tenths of millimeters) i would imagine that there would be a few other determining factors - like weave, sheath, knotability, dry-coating et al.

But comparing, say, a 10.5mm rope to a 9.5mm rope would see a marked difference in life.

You really need to weigh up all the factors and go with what you think is suitable for your usage. Weight, knotability, dry coating - even weave can influence a rope. Percentage of sheath ("mantle" in a "kernmantle" rope) to rope is another factor to consider.

Hopefully you live near a shop where you can actually run various ropes through your hands?

Good luck with it.

Hi there, my new Mammut 9.5 Crag Classic Rope (autumn 2019) feels similar (belaying, clipping) as my old Mammut 9.8 mm rope (bought in 2014).

Both without rope treatment, only for climbing at the crag on sunny days . The new one has not the used look.

Personally, I am more interested about the weigt of a rope and the handling.

I agree with Tobias, older Edelrid ropes were relative hard. Newer ropes of Edelrid are a bit softer from the beginning (ropes from 9.5mm-9.8mm).

For me, the technical data are not so important, I recommend to check the handling of different ropes from soft, medium to hard.

Greetings - Thomas

Thank you guys so much for your comments, that helped me a lot! have great climbing days

Thomas Mertens - as a bit of an aside here, I'm curious about the Edelrid ropes you mention being hard. Can you put a time period on these? The 2nd rope I ever bought was an Edelrid (ca.2005), a 10.5mm and was very soft. Seems they've changed up their manufacturing techniques.

It was a 9.2 mm rope produced in 2014/2015. It was much harder then other Edelrid ropes of the same period. This rope knew much more knots and slings then we knew …