Petzl Fuse Review

Likes
Of all the ropes out there, Petzl ropes come in the best coil. I was skeptical about their professed “Climb Ready Coil,” but I opened this rope up, and used it as a trail rope for a long route without even flaking it first, and there were no knots, kinks, or tangles. The Sterling Marathon Pro, the Bluewater Lightning Pro, and especially the Beal Edlinger II, took some time to carefully unwind, and were still pretty kinky for the first day of use, however the Petzl Fuse and the Petzl Nomad were surprisingly smooth to handle right away.

My partner and I took to calling this rope the “sending rope” because it is so light we could bring it on anything. It is soft, supple and easy to handle and the dry coating keeps it fresher for longer. Even though this is the skinny sending rope, I didn't feel like I was trading any strength or durability and the rope held up really well to a lot of use.

Dislikes
The downside to having a rope this thin is that it does not work very well in a gri-gri, which is nice to use when cragging. The thin diameter makes it a little less versatile because the Fuse would not be ideal for aiding or extended top-roping sessions.

I have had other climbers complain to me that Petzl ropes don't last very long, however I have not noticed this rope falling apart or coming undone, and I have noticed that on a few other ropes in this review.

Best Application
This rope is best used for hard redpoints or long routes where weight matters. I loved it on multi-pitch climbs because the thin diameter still locked off well in a reverso, and I hardly noticed the weight of the rope.

Value
Both Petzl ropes in this review are the same price, regardless of diameter. $225 is a lot of money, but also a pretty average price for a nice rope, so if the Fuse is exactly what you are looking for, it would be worth forking over the money.