Should you buy the Rock Exotica Akimbo?

I bought an Akimbo 3 years after the hype has faded. Should you?
The Rock Exotica Akimbo is primarily an SRT/SRS device for Tree Climbing and also functions on a moving rope/double rope system. I have always coveted the Akimbo as both the cool new device, but also assumed that it would not work for me. Here are my thoughts after giving it a week of practice on the Akimbo.
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linktr.ee/caseysnyder
Personal Instagram: casey.willoak
Business Instagram: willoak.tree
Highlights:
0:00 Intro at the Park
1:55 Akimbo Videos
3:56 About to get in a Tree
4:32 Tips on Setting the Friction
6:12 Testing My Settings
8:08 Akimbo & Mechanical Advantage
8:39 Ascending the Tree
11:26 Midline Attachable Device
13:37 Smooth Descent
#TreeClimbing
#RockExotica
#Akimbo
Gear Featured in this Video:
-Rock Exotica Akimbo: www.rockexotica.com/akimbo
-Petzl Sequoia SRT 2019 Harness: www.petzl.com/US/en/Professio...
-Samson HYPERClimb Rope: samsonrope.com/arborist/hyper...
-ISC Ultrasafe Hand Ascender: www.iscwales.com/Products/asc...
-Notch Pro Access Bag: • Notch Pro Access Bag R... (My Review)
-Petzl Vertex Vent: www.petzl.com/US/en/Professio...
-4SRT Chester Harness: www.treestuff.com/4srt-cheste...
-Teufelberger hipSTAR Flex: www.teufelberger.com/en/hipst...
-ArborTec Ascent Pro Climbing Boot: arbortec.com/products/ascent-...
Video Recorded On:
-GoPro Hero9 Black
Copyright Free Music used in this Video:
-'Flow' by MK2: • Flow - MK2
-'Hey Girl' by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena: • Hey Girl - Topher Mohr...
-'Get Back' by Silent Partner: • Get Back - Silent Partner
-'Captain' by Topher Mohr & Alex Elena: • Captain - Topher Mohr ...
Grow your hair out and buy gear you don't need!

[@CaseySnyder]

So what do you all think? Did the Akimbo meet the hype?

[@Hrichs]

I have been running it in an MRS system quite a lot recently. I have found I can Prussic some accessory cord onto the dead side of my system and them clip that into the tending point on the akimbo. Really helps stop the sag in the system when tending. 👌🏽 great video, look forward to hearing more of your 💭🙌🏽👍🏽

[@jpadventures7880]

Just bought and used one today with foot ascender and chest lanyard. Absolutely love it and found adjustments easy to make on two different ropes.

[@ryanrevoir137]

Yeah I was wildly wowed when this device came out, its rope installation is still so crazy and cool. However it is definitely more of a sports car style device. Like you demonstrated it takes a lot of love and tuning even between very similar ropes. Blue moon and hyper climb are damn near the same rope, just a slight difference in wear for you and that was enough. I have rope runner and it is also very fussy with new ropes. Totally agree with everything you said about this device, my colleague got one and wasn’t quite ready for the amount of work required to make it effective. In my experience these type of devices really like parallel core ropes like 16 strand or standard kernmantle ropes especially if they’re a little fuzzy. Braided core ropes just flatten out so damn easy and one second your tune works and after one descent you’re slipping. Great video Casey, loved the emphasis on the low and slow. Cheers!

[@teddy_bearc_bolten3885]

I bought into the negativity when I wanted start learning mechanical. Too many reviews saying it favored ropes, lost its settings quick, failed in bad weather, failed in dirty scenarios. I can’t get over the design of it though, so simple and I like the small amount of space it takes up. Can’t wait to see what the V2 version will be.

[@CaseySnyder]

You and I were on the same track. I just did not like the idea of it not just working perfect right out of the box, but I've come to enjoy the find tuning of it. Of course the design is so amazing.

[@FT4Freedom]

I live in dry dry conditions but we have Ponderosa to infinity. There's two things. It's wise to take the time to keep ur rope and device clean. That's an important given. Second thing is understanding that the device changes as it and ur rope get more mileage and u adjust. It's a device that can be great once ur intimate with it and willing to understand that it's for people willing to work with it. As far as inexperience goes I disagree that it's only for the experienced climber. Get it early and just use it in practice. Learn it early. I did. I'm really glad it was my first device because it is the most versatile once you become good at it. Plus it's respectably affordable. You can find it for $315. Love Akimbo. Love it's design history too. A very special device. Thank u Jamie, I get it.

[@LordJonszi]

Thank you for great vid

[@treemands]

I was on Treebuzz when the Bartlett guy invented it and $ marketed it on gofundme before Rock Exotica bought it out. I run a drt zzag since invented and dabbled in the Bulldog Bone. I am an old timer and even climbed on plant material (manilla) with taughtline for 3 or 4 years. I bought one and tried it for a few days and gave up and that was a couple of years ago. Think I will give it another try because of this video. Thanks

[@NealZ31]

Haha I’m the same. Just got mine in and all I’m doing is playing with it and reading the manual. I’m a little scared to climb with it. Definitely gonna take it slow & low but I think it might be great for access line ascent and spar work.

[@kkutube1972]

Awesome on the mechanical advantage with Akimbo.

[@carterkolarek2685]

One broken in its amazing

[@button-jeff]

Good video man. I'm seriously considering one for crane work. Fast on and off appeals to me. I'm 155# and run hyperclimb and drenaline. Would you buy another now that you have some time on one? This would be my first mechanical... I'm on rope wrench and prussik cord right now.

[@eithieus1652]

You need to put some time in when using the akimbo. I record my settings for each rope as it runs a little different on each rope but once it’s dialed in it’s an awesome device. It’s Nice a compact. I have the rope runner pro it’s great also but to me it’s long and bulky. Nice review

[@CaseySnyder]

I have since fallen in love with this device. I run it on drenaLINE and that has been perfect for me. Thanks for watching!

[@markyfreakinjay8724]

I have an akimbo running on the Samson voyager. Sometimes I love it. Sometimes it completely locks up on me way up a tree. It definitely does not like any sort of sap! I’m about 200lbs and it’s set to the lowest possible friction top and bottom… doesn’t run as smooth as it did in your video!

[@norbertriojas]

Should have done this Akimbo demo on a big Red Oak, REsetting cache 34 while passing a hanging doll on the way up😂

[@CaseySnyder]

I was gonna try and make up there today before I left town. I'm having it up either this coming Monday or Tuesday!

[@CaseySnyder]

The TreeOCache is up again!

[@norbertriojas]

@@CaseySnyder Thx! I appreciate your time to reset it. We’ll get back up there sometime this summer.

[@InDisTREETV]

excellent review Casey....my son just got the Akimbo and i rode on it a couple of times so far, I think the concept and construction of the device are great. I love how easy it is to get on and off the rope ....but i honestly have not made up my mind on the overall use of the device yet. Its definitely earned a couple more climbs so we will see

[@TaylorCutsTrees]

Thanks Casey, I meant to buy a unicender cheap on eBay, got an akimbo for a steal. Just a sexy device. I'm a working arborist so I'll keep my Zigzag in production mode while I put some overtime in on figuring this akimbo out. I happen to be climbing on all Samson 11.7 as well so hopefully that's a good sign. Are you a capable ropewalker? Why not try it with foot and knee ascenders? Thank you for ur video as I am nervous, I just made a mistake, the unicender was going to be a dunk.

[@CaseySnyder]

I have not had a chance to use the Unicender, so I can't comment on how well it runs. I have seen a lot of folks mod them and I can tell you that about 7-8 years ago I thought that was going to be the first mechanical device I would buy. That thing looked so kickass. Now, I see very few climbers in my cohort use them that I don't feel that the Unicender is that desireable. So, I am great at ropewalking, but find the Akimbo much harder to use on ascent compared to a RopeRunner, Rope Wrench, or Petzl ZigZag/Chicane. I typically run up ropes with a knee ascender, foot ascender, and a chest harness with a micro carabiner to tend my device. This setup didn't work as well as the biner kept popping out of the spring clip on the Akimbo, so I switched it up to a neck tether and found it much easier to tend up with either my ascenders or footlocking. The Akimbo is now my go to SRS device for pruning.

[@kylemark5808]

Hey bud where in Michigan do you live not a stalker haha I live in Jackson looking for local tree climbers cheers 🎉

[@CaseySnyder]

I live in Minnesota actually. Twin Cities

[@kylemark5808]

Cool I’m a new climber maybe you could do a video how people in other countries run double lines I’ve been running a double line with a rope man just as a back up safety until I get more comfortable

[@CaseySnyder]

@@kylemark5808 that's a good idea! Something I need to learn more about myself

[@jeffdupuis9853]

Nick Bonner is the truth.

[@warped2875]

That's one expensive fidget toy! j/k =O)

[@claudeanthony468]

Learn to load your line while the Akimbo is connected to your harness its how it was designed

[@CaseySnyder]

What does this mean? Are you talking about when attaching it to the line? What am I missing here?

[@Joesdifferent]

Imagine if you put all that energy into a real product that would pay you for demonstrating something which? Are you being paid? Jamie Merritt did a great job on that product absolutely tremendous job.. I watch videos of people that talk about the successors of our industry in the time that they have spent on their devices just like mine just like Kevin's and I always have that one question in the back of my mind.. Why do you spend so much time illustrating something that you're not being paid for or even getting a thank you from the person on the video? Does it help you do what? And I'm saying this as a respectful question because I'm just curious because any education that you can give me would help me keep my mouth shut on why I try so hard to prove why my product is so everything that I say it is? I'd really love to take a conversation with you sometime but then again society and people on these social platforms are just what it is I've never really met any real men in this industry

[@CaseySnyder]

I don't think it would be an honest review if I was being paid or compensated by the manufacturer or creater of the device. I've never been paid for these videos. I spend my own money on products that I'm interested in. I'm just one guy who loves climbing. A friend recommended I try the Akimbo so I put my own money on the table to try it out. If I thought it sucked I would have said so or I wouldn't have felt compelled to make the video in the first place.

[@chrismoon1584]

hate that thing