Jan 08 2024 // Latest News
Your questions answered
Recently, we have had more and more questions as to why our break loads appear to be lower the other suppliers equivalent products. So, we decided to carry out some impartial testing to try and explain the large differences in published break load figures.
We have recorded the findings of 10mm Braid on Braid Polyester ropes. Please note we have also tested many other diameters and types of ropes, and the results are all very similar.
We created some rules to try and make the testing fair and relevant, the rules were:
– All products including Kingfisher products have been purchased from UK retailers, meaning all tested products are actual products available to purchase.
– Testing was carried out at a site not associated with any manufacturer of the tested ropes.
– Samples were numbered and the test house were not aware where any of the tested ropes were from.
– No other manufacturer would be named in the report. This report is designed to show how we test ropes and not to criticize any other product.
– All ropes are tested showing MINIMUM SPLICED BREAK LOADS.
Below you can find a chart and a graph showing the testing results. Sample A is our Kingfisher 10mm Braid on Braid Polyester rope.
| Quoted | Result | |
| Sample A | 2400 | 2383 |
| Sample B | 3150 | 2411 |
| Sample C | 2700 | 1841 |
| Sample D | 3690 | 2460 |
All figures are in Kilos
Blue lines are quoted figures, yellow lines are actual tested figures.
While carrying out the test we also performed a test on the stretch of the products. We found Sample A, B and D to be almost identical in terms of stretch, with 500kgs of load applied. Sample C did stretch more at this load, but this will be due to the lower overall break load of this line.
Conclusions
As you can see from the results in general, the products are all very equal in terms of stretch and break load, the biggest difference being in the published figures. We believe that these substantial differences are due to different testing methods, with many manufacturers testing with un-spliced ropes, and providing an average figure instead of a minimum spliced break load.
Kingfisher Yacht Ropes will continue to provide spliced minimum break loads on our products, ensuring our results are not only relevant to the user, but achievable.
