Has anyone used the Factor 55 Fast Fid?

[Fisher23]

Has anyone used the factor 55 Fast Fid?

Looks like it would be good for boat lines also.

Thoughts?

 

[gnob]

Yes. Works like it says. Definitely much easier than tape and a piece of pen. Lol.
Says 3/8"+.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

I used a boating line fid and expandable wiring loom held on with shrink wrap. It didn't work that well. Buy the right tool if you plan on doing multiple ropes. It is on my to eventually purchase list.

 

[Sandy Cruiser]

Looks like it would be good for boat lines also.

I'm sure it works fine. Wire Basket Fids are nothing new. I've used Basket Fids (By Yale I think) to splice line when I served on a ship and they worked. I also knew people that didn't care for them and preferred the classic fid with painters tape because sometimes the line would slip out of the basket.

But looking at their product page I wonder what part of these Factor 55 Fast Fids are patent pending. It defiantly dose give the impression they invented the concept. Maybe they got the way it unscrews patent pending.

 

[george_tlc]

I picked up a set of Selma Fids and they cover a whole range of rope sizes. After using them for several 7/16 eyes and soft shackles, I can recommend them - easy to use. For the dyneema winch stuff that doesn't have a central core the whole process is quite trivial.

I could see cases where the basket style fid could be a pain since backing up would be a serious battle.

For a similar price to the factor 55 thing, you get a whole set of nesting Selma fids that cover a very wide range of rope diameters.

cheers,
george.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Hey George, got a link to that Selma Fid. I’m kinda enjoying working with synthetic rope.

 

[george_tlc]

Amazon product

Ronstan is just a large marine supplier, their product IS the Selma product.

I got mine (new) from an Ebay seller that accepted my $50 offer, free shipping.

So, look around and find a similar or better price. They are Stainless and made in Norway.

Anyhow I agree, working with synthetic to make up various extensions, shackles, bridles etc is definitey therapeutic Male version of knitting I guess

cheers,
george.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I found them for less at a Canadian dealer out east. One of our club members really has an
extensive background of life at sea. So he has been a mentor in using FIDs and nautical knots.
Been a lot of fun messing around. I’ll be getting my FIDs soon.

 

[CharlieS]

I've used my F55 Fast Fid a bunch to re-terminate winch lines, build winch line extensions, and make slings. It makes the process easier for someone who doesn't have experience doing this with regular fids.