For context, I’m a relatively large/strong person at 218 lbs / 99 kg. I’ve owned these pulleys for about 10 months, using them to rig 30–45 m park lines regularly, as well as a few 100 m longlines that held my weight without grounding. I’ve also used them for rigging and maintenance on 80 m, 100 m, and 200 m highlines.
The BLNC 9:1 has made solo rigging very achievable. Adding the PRO Multiplier and Rope Grabber, I can easily reach ~10 kN when pre-tensioning soft shackles between trees. The system works well for park lines, longlines, and highlines alike.
For the price, there are a few aspects of the pulleys and system design that I struggle with:
BLNC 9:1
- The brake assembly doesn’t have a built-in way to hold it in the unlocked position. I work around this by looping paracord from the brake-side anchor hole over the handle, but I’d much prefer an integrated locking mechanism. This is really frusterating when trying to expand the system solo for use as you can't hold the brake and pull the system apart at the same time.
- The anchor points are my biggest concern. They’re thin, blunt angles that don’t fully close, leaving a gap. This makes them unsafe for soft goods, which can be cut under pressure. For example, another owner (friend) reported a 6 mm soft shackle with sleeve being cut through while rigging a 110 m line. Using the included stainless steel bow shackle works, but the pulley hole sits awkwardly on the shackle pin, which eventually bends and notches. I’d happily trade a little extra weight for more robust, soft-goods–friendly anchor holes.
- Because of the pulley’s tall, thin profile, it’s best to keep the long side flat against the webbing. Otherwise, the corners dig into the line when releasing after softpointing, which makes me worry about webbing damage. I’ve been using a stainless twist shackle to rotate my LineGrip so the pulley lies flat. This setup still causes some notching, but far less since it can’t slide.
- The instruction manual (both online and included) hasn’t been updated since 2020 and still reflects what seems to be version 1 of this system. Another reviewer noted this back in 2021. Updated documentation with maintenance and reeving guidance would be very helpful.
- Recently, I noticed a few of the pulley wheels rubbing against the frame, creating extra friction. They can be manually pushed away, but they don’t appear to be held off the sides with spacers. This only happens on a few wheels, so I assume it’s not by design. I’ll need to retest after a cleaning.
PRO Multiplier – Overall, an excellent tool. My only issue is that the rotating sides swing open too easily. When this happens, the working end of the pulley rope can slip out. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it happens often enough to be frustrating.
Rope Grabber – Fantastic piece of gear. No complaints. :)
Overall this is a very useful tool that could use some design updates.
Hey Ders, thank you for your detailed review of our BLNC 9:1 pulleys. Here are some tips that I think might be helpful for you and maybe also for other customers. 1. The WLL of our BLNC 9:1 pulleys is 10 kN. This means: If you use them to settle your softies to 10+ kN damage can and may occur. WLL means working load limit, so this really is the upper limit to what it can be used to. Luckily our pulleys are designed with screws instead of rivets, so they're easily repairable. We got in touch with you via email to organize a repair service. 2. The current version of our pulleys is not designed to be used with soft shackles. Soft shackles can be damaged by the edges of the side plates. So please make sure to always use steel shackles with this version of our pulley system. Keep the balance, Stephan
Mega gutes system für meine 100m travel Line
Sehr leicht und stabil
With BLNC 9:1 pulley system, I could easily tension 100m longline on flat ground. like it very much.
I have the 9:1 Pro pulley system, it has some nice push pins that make rigging it a little easier than the BLNC 9:1 but as far as the mechanics of the pulleys the pro and Blanc seem to be the same. At the time of this review the Pro was no longer listed on the website.
This system has made my life a lot easier. I routinely rig a 76 meter (250 feet) longline with it. My anchors are 3 meters (10 feet) high and the ground is level. When using the included Power Pulley Multiplier, I am able to rig the line by myself, without the multiplier I need the help of another person. Before I had the system, I was using a 9:1 roller carabiner system and would require at least three other people to get the line to the correct tension.
I softpoint my line and attach a LineGrip to the pulley while pulling tension. It is important to make sure your line has as little slack as possible before using the break to release tension. The break does not release slowly like a belay brake so its important to minimize the amount of slack in the system before using the break. You can hold the break tension by looping the rope thru the bottom pushpin and this is an absolute necessity at higher tensions. This is not really explained in the PDF instructions that can be downloaded from the website but is clearly shown on the website video. I think the PDF instructions could use an update but as long as you pay attention to the video it’s pretty straightforward.
The system is expensive but honestly, I think it’s worth the money. The materials and construction are solid and it performs as advertised. It is nice to be able to rig longlines with relative ease and conserve my energy for slacklining. It is great to be able to rig the line by myself and not have to wait for friends to show up or having to ask random strangers in the park for help. If you are routinely rigging lines that need high tension this system is a worthwhile investment. Highly recommend.
*** Note by team raed: Hey Brian, thanks for the hint with the manual - we will update the manual asap! ***
I do really like this pulley as it's very lightweight and packs really small. With my 40m of rope I can rig 90m polyester of nearly 50m nylon (after pretension with 1 hangover of else 40m is too short) with 3-3,5m high anchors. Never used the 45:1 as I can easily tension 115m polyester with it although you do need 60m pulley rope for that.
I don't use a prusik for the multiplier but a chest ascender with a climbing sling on the other end. If yopu do this you can pull the multiplier back and forth at 3,5m high while staying on the ground which makes tensioning go really fast and easy.
Only downside I found is that the white finish does come off pretty fast so tghe painting quality could be better. All in all very happy with this pulley.
