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Form Follows Function: This Simple Rope Connector

Save time while building your obstacle course

By Rain Noe - April 2

in Object Culture

You could be forgiven for thinking these cast aluminum pieces are trivets…

…but in fact they're rope connectors.

The friction of the ropes hold them in place. These doodads are a knot-free way to make a climbing net, like you'd see at a playground (or perhaps at the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course your deluded neighbor built in his backyard to practice on because winning the show seems to offer more of a spiritual payday than continuing to work as a claims collector).

There are alternative designs, in machined steel and molded plastic. These designs allow the ropes to bypass each other.

Subjective: I think the Celtic-looking design up top is better looking. Objective: The alternative designs don't lock the rope in place during assembly. Depending on how you're putting your net together, that could be a plus or a minus. Discuss with your neighbor.

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Dee An

7 months ago

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Who the hell would make it out of machined steel? Nobody, it's machined aluminium. And yes, it locks the rope in place; that's what the female screw threads are for.
If you're going to adopt a snarky tone in articles then it helps if you look like you know what you're talking about. Product Design 101: Material Selection. Aluminium is easier and thus cheaper to turn than steel. Aluminium won't corrode in this context, steel rusts. Stainless steel is really expensive.
Product link for the machined aluminium version:
https://playequipment.com.au/cross-connector-armed-rope-alumimium

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Philipp Baumgartner

7 months ago

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Actually, one slot would do the trick as well.

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