and in the "They really think we're stupid" zone...

A quick fact check, a noteworthy court ruling, and in the "What the future looks like" department...

Today I glanced at Sail magazine and noted a review of sorts touting a friction ring/soft shackle block arrangement. The big innovation I gather is the addition of a bit of carbon fiber to the mix.

Being a Mr Cheapseats kind of guy whenever I look at a variation of what you can do with friction rings, I tend to price it out as I work through the "Does this bit of gear make sense?" process.

So...

Friction ring costs $16 at Defender.

Dyneema braid to make soft shackle $5-$6.

That carbon bit in the mix is hard to price out but since it is not bearing any load and is only there to retain the line which could be done any number of ways all of which would be in the less than $10 we'll just say $10.

Which leaves us with a grand total of $32 but I'm pretty sure anyone could do it for less.

The company who makes the thing quotes a list price of €155.

I'm sure you can do the math...

Listening to Mark Renner

So it goes...