Caught-In-The-Act's Psycho Laboratory

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Online catalogue of restraints - Designers and manufacturers since 1985

Strength: the strength remains a product of the forces applied to it static, dynamic, tortional. In restraint and escapes strength is not an issue with flat braid as it  never exceeds the break strength of  regular rope in half the diameter. However friction and wear may be issues if improperly applied for suspensions or where shear and dynamic loads may reach the break strength, Example a 300 lb. person dropped  1 foot would likely have a load approaching 4 times that of the static load or 1200lb. The break strength of the single rope wrap could approach the threshold. Double or triple the support to the load and the stress is divided equally over all the resisting rope points. But I am not an expert here so I leave to you to check out the experts. Needless to say I have never had a person break any rope during escape challenges in suspension or on the floor.

Escape Ability: several factors come into play in escaping from rope. Obvious is skill: including dexterity, lnowledge, strength and stretch. Then there is the rope properties in terms of abrasion resistance, stretch, stiffness and friction.

Some technical BS about rope stretch and why flat braid is great.

Abrasion Resistance: nylon fibres are smooth and soft this makes them harder to grasp when trying open a knot or loosen a rope during an escape but in two hand releases then the rope knots are quickly and easily opened when there is no tension of the rope. The abrasion resistance of polyester and cotton can allow for easy release by rubbing or grasping to release tension on knots to effect an escape.

Stretch: stretch beomes the significant factor in the escapability of rope knots and rope under tension. Flat braid nylon has a lot of stretch across the width, and limited but modest stretch in the length.  Round rope rarely has a lot of stretch in the diameter unless under severe longitudional tension. When   roping a limb with flat braid the stretch in the width is quickly removed as it is wrapped around as a loop but the stretch will remain in the length in the loop and beyond the knot with the loose rope ends. What I find is , for example, tieing off a wrist  with a single flat braid rope wrap needs care to snug it up gently with just a baby finger under the wrap. The rope will stretch a bit  but normally never enough to pull off or out of the loop. With round rope the finger space plus  say using polyester rope, there can be enough stretch applied by the escape artist so they can can roll the loop off the wrist. In flat braid, any longitudinal release in tension on the rope ends will interpret into easing of tension first to the width of the rope, before the tension is release in the length of the tied loop or knot. This has great advantages over a round rope, not only for safety but for prevention of escape.  It takes a larger release of tension in rope ends and the knot to get the extra stretch or space to slip out of a knot. Flat braid cannot be rolled over the hand thus requiring an even greater opening of the loop to get out. So the escape artist must first undo the knot to gain the extra length needed. A major complication if it is speed bondage or an escape act.

Stiffness: Sometimes a factor in escape, the stiffer the rope the easier it is to get a grip and pull, slide or twist off the ends of wrists or if the rope ends are loose makes it very easy to open the knot with the limited dexteriry of a tied hand or hands.

Nylon flat braid is very soft and smooth, once a knot is set the escape artist may have  more trouble relyng on friction or finger dexterity to open, grasp or work off the knot.

Friction: In this I mean the friction between the rope and the objects it is tethered to, or around. The most obvious is the wrist. A single wrap of 3/4" braid will equal, I am guessing that of 4 wraps of 3/8" rope. So using a Lark's head returned and knoted at the wrist there is the equivalent  of a 3" rope cuff holding the wrist. There is a hugh surface contact between skin and rope. 3" by 7.5" wrist compared to just 1/2" by 7.5" with 4 wraps of 3/8" rope. The more surface area in contact the more resistance there is to slip or movement.  This ends up with a whole new set of procedures for an escape artist to perfect and at a much higher degree of skill.

However comfort and safety need a special place here. The more surface area in contact with skin means greater risks in compression. This is where the stretch, tension and friction of the flat braid comes together. A looser restraint of a wrist, but with the greater skin contact and smoother material  and limited stretch makes for a very secure but comfortable restraint hold. Escape that if you can.

Knots used for flat rope are the same as conventional rope. The knots must be formed with care to remove twist from the flat braid knot to make it firm. The extra surface area on one hand makes opening a knot under very slight tension more difficult for the escape artist but with two hands and no tension, the knot is easily opened and backed off and is less likely to jamb than a round rope knotted.

I think the merits are more likely to be very intuitive and will stop extoling the virtues of flat braid. Some will like it some will not. As an escape artist the flat braid is a formidable terror to effect an escape compared to round rope.

Safety things to remember: Flat braid with greater surface area may compress body parts more easily than round rope. Leave it looser than regular rope restraint on the body parts. Never around the neck for that matter any rope hould not be cinched around the neck in escape challenges.

Yes Max!! We used it on our recent trip to Kink in the Caribbean in Jamaica and it was HOT!! Wayyyyy more comfy than anything I have ever used for my bottoms and two wraps of it do what 6 wraps of 6mm hemp do. So it went three times farther, was more comfy anyway and I love the teal color i chose. There were alot of happy bondage campers at Hedonism III, including a couple that I suspended in a lovers double suspension. They (fully clothed) were grinding on each other for 45 minutes before they asked to come down!Thank you, thanks you, thank you Max!

Lew

ps. You may be getting alot of orders soon. Please resend the URL to me....or maybe post it here...whatever you like. I want more!