Cheapest Amsteel (equivalent) I've found (so far) for whoopie slings etc.

[spandit]

People rave about Amsteel Blue like it's woven from pure magic. From the research I've done, it becomes apparent that Amsteel Blue is just a trade name for a Dyneema 12-strand braid made by Samson Ropes. In the USA, this is probably the most ubiquitous brand about and easy to obtain.

However, you can buy Dyneema D12 hollow braid in the UK under different brand names. The 7/64" stuff that whoopie slings are made from is 2.5mm thick. I'm paranoid so I've been looking for 3mm thick stuff. If you don't mind the colour, sailingmad.com (no affiliation) sell it for £1.12 a metre - that's cheaper than the genuine Amsteel sold by UK Hammocks. I'd question the 1,000kgs breaking strain quoted, but I'm confident that it will be more than strong enough to make some whoopie slings from.

If anyone can find it cheaper than this, please let me know!

 

[Dangerous Dan]

Jimmy Green does mini-reels of 2.5mm Marlow D12 for less than a pound a metre. As for the paranoia, 2.5mm is more than enough for most purposes

http://www.jimmygreen.co.uk/item/498/marlow-excel-d12-mini-reels?ref=5209

no links, just satisfied customer

 

[spandit]

As for the paranoia, 2.5mm is more than enough for most purposes

Probably is but 3mm was easier to find.

Thanks for the link to the Jimmy Green stuff - works out at 99p a metre delivered (but you have to buy 30m of it)

One thing that worries me about all of this though that for such a small diameter rope, that's a hell of a lot of pressure on whatever you're fixing it to. I guess if you're using metal fixings it's OK but I wouldn't want to just loops this through my end sleeve for fear of "cheesewiring" it. What's this stuff like to knot compared to paracord?

 

[Dangerous Dan]

It's a fair concern. Mine is connected onto a standard carabiner so no big issue. As for knots, Dyneema's a pig to work with. It's just too slippy to hold a knot for long which is why we tend to splice