Para 550/1100 Strength Test - Walmart Paracord?

UST Para 550 (Amazon): lrnsr.co/H6IT

[@Lanzerath1244]

Understand paracord was originally designed for parachutes. The stretch you get was designed into it to be able to take the shock when the parachute opens and the mass of the body and equipment pull against it.

[@Jaieteperce]

bantoldude is correct. You actually tested 2 chords working together so what you have to do to get the real test strength is divide your result by 2. Also, what you are testing is the strength of the chord at the knot which is a good approximation since this is where the chord will always fail. Once you use a knot in your setup you will never reach the strength of the chord itself. Finally, thank you very much for your video.

[@SpiritofWildWings]

The stretch of paracord was the reason I switched to using mule tape several years ago. I use it as a part of my hammock setup and the stretch with paracord left my back hurting by morning. I loved this video. Great job!

[@lrnselfreliance]

Yup, I used paracord for lashing a (really crappy) tripod. Lesson learned when it stretched!

[@SpiritofWildWings]

I did share this video on the Sigma III Facebook page, BTW. I hope you don't mind.

[@lrnselfreliance]

No problem! I encourage any additional social media exposure :) I really appreciate it!

[@destrygriffith3972]

Elegantly clever test rig!

[@mboyer68]

That is a brilliant fixture! You Sir are a genius. I remember in 2nd year of engineering school we had a Chatillon tensile tester and we were testing various bolts..1/4" and 3/8" Chinese butter bolts we called them, then American grade 5 (3 slash) and grade 8 (5 slash). We were unable to setup the fixture strong enough to break the grade 8 bolts, the grade 5 bolts maxed out the gauge and sounded like a gunshot when they broke the Chinese butter bolts broke as we were setting them up, they were scared. I'm kidding..but they ripped apart so easily and barely made a sound, it's as if they were made of plastic. The amazing thing I learned was...with decent American hardware...if you have a bolt screwed into a nut to the depth of the diameter of the bolt, the bolt will break before the threads rip out! What I mean is that for a 3/8" diameter bolt, if it's threaded into a nut 3/8" or more, the threads are stronger than the bolt, the bolt will snap before the threads rip out. Watching it happen is crazy..you'd bet a million dollars that the threads will rip out..but they don't! We learned you never ever ever use Chinese hardware. Even if it's marked grade 5 or 8..they're all garbage.

[@bryanbrown292]

how do you even purchase Chinese bolts? I want to test this too.

[@jacobeq4850]

the 1100 was a great surprise, thanks for doing both

[@bantoldude]

you ran a loop around the jack doubling the strength of the paracord. kinda like how they do on cranes or pulleys using " mechanical linking"( I think what it's called, not sure ). Using fairly strong chord or cable and running loops around a heavy objects or through pulleys making it able to lift heavier loads. you should try doing a strength test with one strand with each end tide to the anchor and the jack. I want to see the results of that test 👍👍

[@bantoldude]

it's mechanical advantage pulleys haha just looked it up

[@lrnselfreliance]

You might be right... I chose this method because if I use one length of rope (rather then looping like I did) I would have to introduce two knots into the system which would weaken the rope further. Do you know of a knot that would retain the strength of the rope, yet only leave one strand? A simple knot like two-half-hiches is a very weak knot and wouldn't really show what the rope is capable of. Then again, it would be more practical and show how the rope would really be used.

[@bantoldude]

Learning Self-Reliance try the uni knot or the Palomar knot. for the uni knot you might want to tie a half hitch on the tag end near the knot just to make sure it doesn't slip. the Palomar is pretty solid on braid when I use it for my fishing knot from line to hook, not sure how it'll act when used with a paracord. hangman's noose should be OK I think if you tie a half hitch at the tag ends of each knot. hope this helps your final results on the test 👍

[@personalitybot]

bantoldude That bar on the scale seems designed to act like a bollard, not a pulley (i.e. completely different intent - no wheels, high friction to PREVENT traversal). Simple pulleys only change the line of force and add some friction, for a reduction in actual mechanical advantage. A few tight twists around a bollard will block all kinds of stresses from jumping sides (subject to magnitude, of course).

[@personalitybot]

Learning Self-Reliance In a rope under tension, a curved section is going to be weaker than a straight section. This includes tight curves (like you find in a knot), or even a portion of a taut rope which is forced to detour off of the line of tension (so the pull is shearing across the line of strength). By combining those stresses you can easily turn most any rope into garbage. Here's how I would try to do this: Wrap the cord repeatedly around the anchors at scale and on the ground*. Maybe attach something to increase the circumference of each. The "no knot" friction knot is extremely strong and simple. Wrap tightly. Leave the far end loose, or use a pin to just get it out of the way. Ensure it is not bearing force. The cord should be angled straight down. I'd increase pressure slowly, w/o bounces. *I would try a clamp to avoid twisting the cord at all, but dismiss the results if breaks happen more frequently near the clamp site. Measuring the capacity of two cords and halving the result seems a bit naive as an experiment design. The fact that the segments are physically connected and may not be isolated from forces on the other is a problem. The stretchiness of the cords and other components of the system means there are several variables in play that could be avoided. The amount of stretch doesn't necessarily have a linear relationship with the amount of force applied. Two cords may keep the scale physically closer, increasing cord lifespan. Localized variances in stretchiness, particularly at the connection to scale, may lead to disproportionate force being applied to one side. Finally, it's important to be clear if your testing load tolerance or shock tolerance. With that jack, it seems like quite a bit of force is getting applied very quickly, which can cause damage (immediately, or insidiously, with a critical failure after a week for looking at it). Moisture, grit, all that matters too. This topic can get stupid complicated, basically. You might want a disclaimer (people do not realize that 500 lbs capacity doesn't mean you should go get 480 lbs of people to swing off a bridge - or even walk across something with that capacity).

[@saturninc3786]

amazing job Roland!!!That realy gives an insight that is practical and helpful for many! Never expected this kind of strength from it!

[@lrnselfreliance]

Me either, I was really surprised!

[@secularpilgrim1372]

Interesting experiment. Athough, as others have pointed out, testing rope strength is a very complicated business. As a bit of a "knot nerd" I was more interested in the reduced rope strength of different types of knot. If you made a set of "vs" videos I'm sure you would get lots of reviews. For example Zeppelin bend vs double fisherman's. Bends or hitches. Just a suggestion. Peace.

[@no_handle_required]

I was looking at this on the phone and thought it was 80-+ pounds until you did the average, then I dropped my jaw. Not bad for wally world.

[@lrnselfreliance]

The strength of this non "mil-spec' paracord blew my mind as well. I went into this expecting it would not be real paracord, but it seems to be!

[@no_handle_required]

Agreed. I passed it up because it was at wal-mart, but I may have to rethink it for general goofing around. Then again, bladehq has such good prices that we have so many options. Anyway, digging the vids.

[@OregonDARRYL]

804 pounds when DOUBLED... you have TWO lengths you are stretching there, bro... So your 550 cord is really 402 cord... 804/2....

[@MarC-wt9wv]

It was great of you to conduct this experiment. We all appreciate it. Would you be willing to conduct the same test with dollar tree paracord? It would be awesome if you did.

[@robotica6089]

Cool, real, down-home test for laymen like me. Plus, the knot info.! Thnx.

[@carvedwood1953]

I know the line is doubled but I am still impressed at the walmart cord. Most times I am using paracord for uses that need much less than 550 tensile strength lol. I mean if I need to randomly climb down a mountain one day id rather have the mil spec. but then again at that point id also rather have climbing rope.

[@1947froggy]

Nice video, but like others said you tested 2 strands of cord added together. :)

[@jordanj5599]

If you need an extra strength single line I’ve been taking 3 strands of paracord and literally just braiding it together like a friendship bracelet 😂 and it actually holds up pretty well

[@cybrunel1016]

My Walmart 550 paracord says 110lbs load working load limit !?! I always thought it meant 550lbs capacity, but this was a surprise. Thx for the review, mind blown.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Oh boy, me too. That could be a deadly error.

[@alexandernikttib]

Thank you man for testing them and show ti´his !!!!

[@cdub166]

I guess 550 cord will do fine for some grab handles in the XJ. And as lift points for emergency helicopter extractions 😂😂😂

[@mattlawson8022]

Nice review. I have some of this and I’m glad to know it was totally worth it...🤙🏻

[@paulgush]

0:24 Is that a bowline or sheet bend? Same geometry, just depends how the strands are loaded. The sheet bend, used to join two lines together tensions 2 strands, whereas the bowline, being a loop, tensions 3 strands.

[@lrnselfreliance]

Should be a bowline. Might be hard to see?

[@paulgush]

@@lrnselfreliance If so, that's an unconventional way to load a bowline (angle of 180 deg between the two ends of the loop). Usually the loop strands form a narrow angle, nearly parallel two the standing end. In your test, where you're effectively bending two lines together, and there isn't really a single standing end, a sheet bend may have done better

[@lytken]

you really need this one for your next testing good video btw

[@shredders3881]

Loved the test, but technically, the paracord was doubled over. So isn't that like using two lines?

[@robroberts1473]

sweet thanks for the test now I will buy some :-)

[@ARC928]

Re do the test without double loop.

[@armorvestrus4119]

Great test that is what we like to see, thanks and Thumbs are up.

[@Whitehawkvisionfilms]

You are my Nerd-Hero!

[@shinkter]

thank you for the great video !

[@silverandblackentertainment]

Looks like you actually doubled the paracord.

[@PIPERJIM2024]

Well done Sir, Great video. Top$

[@RonakDhakan]

So, it can take 364kg and still can not be used for climbing? Is it because of the stretching?

[@lrnselfreliance]

Yes, it will stretch and you may hit the ground before it stops. I had a really hard time getting paracord to break within the range of my jack because it stretches so much

[@mdheinze57]

That and you need a lot more than 364kg. If you weigh 100kg and you slip and fall 10 feet, when the line catches, the force you will exert on the rope will be several times your weight. That's why climbing gear is rated in KNs instead of static load capacity

[@RonakDhakan]

I bought 30 meters of it and have used 4 meters of it to hang my pull up bar from the ceiling. There are 2 independent loops, 1 for the left hand side and 1 for the right hand side. So that if the cord breaks at any 1 point the bar, and consequently I, will not fall as atleast 1 hand will be able to take full weight. I have been using it for a month and it is working fine.

[@7kyro]

Hi, I climb on ropes for a living. Sorry to write you a book, but you asked. The 364kg in the video is from 2 strands of the rope, not 1. Also, 1) Cord is too small a diameter to safely climb on because: A: at this size, the bend ratio is terrible when tied to itself, a different line, or any object with an abrupt edge B: at this size, even quality, properly dressed knots cans slip (ie, the high standard bowline) C: at this size, even a little nick or abrasion is serious business. Routing your rope properly to avoid this would be difficult because even a little friction at this level could cause it to fail when there is substantial load making it physically tighter and narrower at the same time. D: at this size, for descending safely, you would definitely need a metal device with a really good bend ratio to slide you down. In other words: traditional friction hitches wouldn't work if all you had was the paracord and nothing else. Honestly, it would be safer to hold on to it with your hands than trust a knot made specifically for descending to lower you, which is a deceptively tiring technique and EXTREMELY problematic with such a small surface area for a grip. This would cause you to rush things and inevitably shock load the paracord. 2) Most paracord is made of nylon which can heat rapidly with friction if you dont know what youre doing. Especially cord on cord friction. 3) Most paracord is woven in kermantle style. Kermantle can be dangerous because the inner core is what provides the load strength. The sheath is not. This means if you cut the cord under tension, the core can quickly travel up inside the sheath and cause the load to fail. This goes back to the problematic size diameter of the cord because even a great knot like an Alpine Butterfly (which has something like four-six 180 degree turns) tied mid line could possibly not catch the core if it were to fail. Not that you would want to tie a knot in the middle of your line anyways considering... 4) Most knots cut the Maximum breaking strength of the rope by ~50%. So, now you're down to 550/2 = 225. 5) Safety factor of 10:1 for climbing (10:2 for rigging) is important because of potential shock loading that could occur. For Example, if you weigh 200lbs, you would need a rope that breaks at 2,000lbs because you need the weigh to be 10:1 ratio (10%). 6) Can you double up your cord for better strength? Absolutely. In fact, you will need to take both ends with you as you descend so that once you reach the ground you can pull one side through and retrieve your rope. But this effectively cuts your length in half. (EG: 100foot paracord would only let you descend 50feet. So, if your cliff is 100feet, you would need to find a resting spot around halfway to retrieve your rope, retie in to a new anchor in the ground, and descend the rest of the cliff. 7) Despite the nylon material being resistant to water, a wet cord or rope sustains more damage than a dry one. In a normal climbing line rated for 4500lbs this is not really a factor if its new. In a paracord this most likely more serious because the diameter is so small to begin with. Also, one study I read claimed water can change the elasticity up to 70% causing it to behave differently in the even of a sudden load drop. With all this said, would I do myself on typical 550? Maybe, in an all out Emergency. But you would need A LOT of paracord to do it safely. Like, we're talking 500'+ so that you can triple or quadruple the strength in case you slip. And if you have that much you might as well weave a rope out of the stuff. Those bracelets give you like two 4 footers and even a 36in belt is only like 90'.

[@johnborrow8182]

What if you say a 1OOLB

[@TheLeesto]

the cheap walmart para around here says rated for 100 lbs right on the label. i wish i could find the UST there that's pretty good even at 400 lbs for a hammock or guy lines

[@marknicolich5789]

in the camping/hunting section of the store or online

[@JMGeranimo]

550 is breaking point 100 ish is work load.

[@Vuongiam]

This is awesome!! Thank you!

[@nerfRitesh]

Double fisherman knot should also be tested

[@colbywood8113]

Those who keep saying it’s doubled have failed physics. The cord is still acting as if it were one strand, the knot simulating a tie-in and the pipes simulating something like a cliff head wall that it would run over. 100% only one part of the line was gonna fail.

[@subtlename2873]

The physicist is willing to sign off on this. Break point is around the bar where the cord has a catastrophic failure. At that point there is only a single strand under load.

[@David-gi3sl]

Thank you for this text it was surprising and helpful

[@lupoed]

awesome test thx for sharing

[@AdamHowardTravelerdawg]

while this is a good test and worthwhile, I would have liked to see the knots a lot tighter before the initial pull

[@breckwiener6135]

What model push-pull force gauge is that?

[@iscariotproject]

this is why i just use rated regular ropes for boats instead it doesnt slip around

[@James-ke5sx]

Walmart sells 3000 lb paracord planet paramax. Yes you read it right. Unfortunately Walmart Amazon and almost every website on the internet has listed 5/16 inch paramax paracord by paracord planet as 1200 lb strength when it is actually 3,000 lb strength. I emailed Amazon Walmart and a whole bunch of other people on the internet to try to correct this apparently nobody knows that there is something called 3000 pound paracord. It seems that one person made a mistake and everybody else copied it over the years it's a little more expensive though

[@dcedigitalstudio9267]

I just worked on a test video for our software and used some 550 paracord. We noticed that with the elongation of the sample was long enough that I'm curious if you are getting a good test result of your sample.

[@lrnselfreliance]

I had many, many re-tests to get the knot tight enough so that it wouldn't stretch.

[@flamemonkey3561]

"it really shows how unreliable Paracord can be" continued to hold 1622 pounds without breaking lol

[@dailydriven]

Yes. You are getting 400lbs out of them. There are two cords on your test.

[@grendle81]

good vid.

[@zzyzxroad9948]

Thank you

[@booshwaa2]

Just picked up hd 1100 at walmat for 7.00

[@lrnselfreliance]

+booshwaa2 nice. Thanks for the price info

[@Nevernotalone]

Did the jack bend?

[@lrnselfreliance]

Not that I’ve seen. The pin just under the support circle (whatever it’s called) may have bent a little

[@istingingjellysquid]

Now I know , thanks

[@Be_Nice1200]

Great!

[@angryagain68]

You doubled it. :(

[@Im0nfarm3rs0nly]

This is a poor test. Reason being, no one uses a single strand of cord for a weight bearing application. Test 5 to ten strands and you’ll have me convinced

[@JoBianco]

Wow

[@kosys5338]

This test was flawed on so many levels and does not demonstrate the actual tinsel strength of the cord.

[@yochillll2672]

How was it flawed in many levels? Just divide by 2

[@johneato]

Where's your paracord video Punk

[@yongwoo1020]

👍🏻

[@bearwhocares9539]

I know where I'm going

[@user-jt5vm3mi1w]

paracord

[@THATHATSALLFOLKS]

CAN'T BE GOOD FOR THE SCALE

[@aaronmcguire5839]

It's literally what the scale is for