Which Slingmax® Sling is Right for You? | Twin-Path®, Single-Path®, Helix™, and Sparkeater® Compared

Intro: Which Slingmax® Sling is Right for You?

– Twin-Path®, Single-Path®, Helix™, Sparkeater®, are all synthetic slings made by Slingmax® with unique features, functions, benefits and applications. But which sling is right for you? Today, we are walking through the pros and cons of each so you can determine which Slingmax® Sling is right for your application. Hey Dan, nice to meet you.

– Nice to meet you, Ben.

– Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your experience in the rigging industry?

– So my name is Dan Ross. I’m the Senior Marketing Manager for Slingmax® Rigging Solutions, and I’ve been in the lifting and rigging industry for just over 10 years.

Twin-Path® Sling: High Capacity & Versatility Explained

– We’ve got a bunch of slings here on the table. We’ve got a Twin-Path®, a Sparkeater®, a Single-Path®, a Helix™. So let’s kind of dive into each of these one by one. When should you use a Twin-Path®?

– Twin-Path® Sling is a very versatile sling. It comes in capacities ranging from 10,000 pounds to 800,000 pounds, catalog capacity.

This sling is manufactured by our dealer network. Mazzella is a manufacturing dealer. And it can be used in any industry that requires a heavy lift and a sling that you can rely on. So a good fit application is anything extremely heavy. So you can use this sling to lift turbines and precast concrete, that sort of thing.

A negative though is the width. Sometimes the width can be a little wide, especially as the capacity goes up. That’s when you would use something like the Helix™ Sling that has a very narrow diameter.

The Twin-Path® Sling is very light and it’s repairable. It’s 90% lighter than steel of equal capacity.

Single-Path® Sling: A Cost-Effective Alternative?

– So let’s talk about the Single-Path® Sling.

– Single-Path® Sling when compared to Twin-Path®, relatively similar, right? I mean, you have the same core fiber, you get the Check-Fast® Inspection System, same jacket material. It’s a little bit less expensive than a Twin-Path® Sling.

– Why is that?

– Less manufacturing effort to put it together.

A customer would want to choose this sling if they’re lifting an object up to 200,000 pounds, they value a high-quality sling that’s going to perform for them for years, and they’re looking for a sling that’s a little bit less in diameter than a Twin-Path® Sling. The Single-Path® Sling is about an inch smaller in diameter than equal capacity Twin-Path® Slings.

Helix™ Sling: Best for Narrow Pick Points & Heavy Lifting

– So let’s talk a little bit about the Helix™, the newest sling.

– The Helix™ Sling, it really excels in heavy lift with narrow diameter requirements.

A negative though, is that it does not come with the Check-Fast® Inspection System that a Twin-Path® Sling or a Single-Path® Sling would have. Additionally, is not repairable. You can’t repair this jacket with a patch.

Helix™ Slings have a max capacity of 200,000 pounds currently.

– So what are some of those applications that that might be useful for?

– Smaller hardware, shackles, it fits a lot more snug. A 50,000 pound Helix™ Sling is one and a half inches in diameter. It’s significantly smaller than both the Twin-Path® and the Single-Path®.

– Got one more sling here.

– Yeah, this is our Sparkeater® Sling. So this sling is a twin-path design as well. This would be the sling that you would use in a high temperature application, up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. So that could be sparks from welding, certain manufacturing facilities that are high temperature.

The Sparkeater® does have a low capacity. It’s only available up to 100,000 pounds. So though you do get that high temperature benefit, it is relatively low capacity in terms of heavy lift.

– So maybe in some shops where they would normally use like, chain sling or something like that, –

– Exactly. Yeah.

– they could use a Sparkeater® instead.

Sling Protection Options: CornerMax® & Abrasion Pads Explained

– So we’ve got some other things sitting on the table here. We’ve got some sling protection.

– Does all this sling protection work equally with each of these slings?

– That’s correct. Yeah. You just can’t use on the Sparkeater® ’cause it’s not going to be the same temperature as the Sparkeater® material.

You can make some pads out of this Spark material, the Sparkeater® material. You can add some abrasion pads. But for the Cornermax® Sleeve, that would be for Twin-Path®, Single-Path® and the Helix™.

The Cornermax® Pad is our cut protection option for 90-degree lifts. So, this is a 90-degree angle, the sling goes around the pad. The load rests on here so the corner of the load does not come in contact with the sling at all.

When to Use Wire Rope or Chain Slings Instead of Slingmax® Synthetic Slings

– Are there any situations where maybe none of these are the right option, and you probably want to use something more traditional like a wire rope sling or a chain sling or something like that?

– If you’re lifting application exceeds 300 degrees Fahrenheit, you would not be able to use these slings. A Sparkeater® is only rated for up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

These slings are made of synthetic material, so if your application is exceptionally abrasion-heavy, it might not be the best solution.

Sling Cost Breakdown: Pricing Differences Explained

– Let’s talk about the cost a little bit. How do these different slings differ in price?

– The Twin-Path® Sling is our flagship product. It comes with many different features, but with that it does come with added cost.

The Sparkeater® Sling, another twin-path design product, so that does increase the cost.

For something that’s a little bit more inexpensive, the Single-Path® Sling. You get the same jacket as Twin-Path®, but it is missing some of those added features.

And the Helix™ Sling falls right in the middle of the other products I just mentioned.

Choosing the Right Sling: Key Takeaways & Expert Advice

– So what advice would you give to somebody who’s trying to decide which of these slings is best for them? How do they know which one’s best for their, maybe just their application?

And then also, which one is best for maybe just general use to have around in their shop?

– When you’re looking for a new sling, it’s important to make sure you do your research. There’s a lot of available material online about all of our products. Reaching out to your local Mazzella product advisor is a great resource to make sure you can get the correct sling for the application.

Every sling here, every Slingmax® Sling, is made with high-quality materials. Whatever sling you choose from Slingmax®, you can rely on and you can trust that it’s going to perform.

– Mazzella is a Slingmax®-certified manufacturer who can help you determine the right sling for your application. Contact us below.

Whatever your lifting needs, we’re here to help. From slings, rigging hardware, wire rope, overhead cranes, lifting devices, inspections, service and training, we are your one-stop lifting shop.

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