It looks great on a person, particularly after it’s shined up, and is just a really sweet, responsive rope that does pretty much whatever I ask of it
You can take some great pictures with it; the rope in these pictures is that same cotton braid. Cons:. However, there are some advantages and improvements with this one which I will go over. Pros:. Pro: Nylon and MFP takes dye very well, resulting in brilliant color. Con: Poly pro or mixed material does not take color well or consistently. Different ropes have different advantages, different pros and cons. What you like will very likely not be what someone else likes. Cons:. Unfortunately, the anonymously sourced stuff I got has an annoying tendency to shed fibres.
It actually has a recommended load and a breaking strain on the label at Bunnings, which is where I got it. Which is fantastic! It’s always great to have some idea of exactly how much your rope can take. Unfortunately, the anonymously sourced stuff I got has an annoying tendency to shed fibres. Nothing I’ve done to it has fixed this. Next we have a polypropylene webbing. Polypropylene with core intactPolypropylene Webbing (core removed).
Choosing Rope. What type of rope should I use? Jute makes for extremely good photos in it’s un-dyed state. It generally has very clean lines, and has a sort of compelling aesthetic to it which honestly can make a person fall in love with it. HOWEVER. The stuff I got from Twisted Monk is a very different story. It feels basically like nylon rope, but is nowhere near as pricey. When I last used it in a lesson, the model exclaimed over how nice it felt.
Knots are not at all difficult to unpick; because of the compactness of that tight lay, it doesn’t tend to squish and become difficult. Cons:. Those who care less about appearance or who are less attracted to shibari may go down the nylon route. Many may be satisfied with cotton. What type of rope should I use? When you are just starting off, just go with cheap solid-core braided cotton.
The knots made by this rope compact down quite small; however, it tends to remain relatively easy to unpick. Again, this is related to the lack of friction. Your ties may not stay in exactly the same place as you put them, riding up or down, etc. It’s not particularly aesthetic. Again, when washed, boiled etc it tends to degrade. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it; it won’t catastrophically weaken your rope, but with successive washes I would start keeping a much closer eye on how much load I put on it. Nylon is nicely smooth and comfortable as well, but it has very low tooth, so you need to use surgeon’s knots instead of square knots and any half-hitch style knot should be done three times instead of two. (If you don’t, your partner may be able to manipulate the tie and wriggle out, and rope bottoms kind of hate that. As synthetic ropes go, it’s a bit pricey. Nowhere near as pricey as the better natural fibre ropes, but it’s further up there than the previously mentioned ropes.
