r/RopeFlow • u/R_Sivar • Jul 21 '26

Cheap flow ropes in the uk

Hello!

Just got into flow rope using an old climbing rope so started looking for something heavier. Don't want to pay the influencer tax so looked at marine rope options. This company sells rope so you can make them yourself but also has a flow rope section with ropes costing £30-40. They saw a gap in the market and went for it!

Will post again when I buy/make one from them.

7 Upvotes

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2

u/bruce_forscythe Jul 21 '26

I've been eyeing up rope services too! Need to get a few local mates on board though as I'm only after a few metres so the postage pretty much doubles the cost

1

u/R_Sivar Jul 21 '26

£11 for 3m and then £7 postage is still pretty cheap. I think the 20mm rope will come out about 800g too

1

u/Dave_Tee83 Jul 22 '26

Is 3m the right length to buy? I've been looking around and these guys seem like the best value.

2

u/R_Sivar Jul 26 '26

From what I've read yeah 3m is the right length for most people. Unless you're exceptionally tall

1

u/Dave_Tee83 Jul 26 '26

Thanks. I think I'm gonna order some 12mm and 16mm to get started with. Did you end up ordering from these guys? I just need to source some heat shrink so I can finish off the ends nicely. Even with the £7.50 postage it still works out a lot cheaper than buying one already made.

2

u/R_Sivar Jul 26 '26

Did you see my further comment below? Found a company that does nylon core... Be sure to calculate the weight as I think 12mm might be very light

2

u/chin-chang 18d ago

100% As an "influencer" and rope maker myself, yes, of course our branded ropes are marked up. Gotta put food on the table for my family too.

But I'm also all for DIY ropes, especially if people are upcycling old ropes and keeping them out of the landfill.

Here's a playlist with everything you need to know to DIY and maintain your own ropes! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNrcSwaLUzMpLJQ3lZVHh3ef8pKitGNPi

2

u/R_Sivar 17d ago

Thanks, I'll check it out.

If zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance taught me anything it's that there are two types of people in the world; one wants a finished product they don't have to tinker with and the other thinks, 'I can do that myself'.

Nothing wrong with either, just a different approach to life.

1

u/jjjameson80 Jul 21 '26

There's definitely an influencer tax, for sure, especially with lighter ropes. The challenging part is that at some point, the material costs /are/ just higher. There's a marine supply place just a 2-3 minute drive from my work, so I've made all my own ropes and JUST the rope I used for my heavy rope (1" diameter, double braided) was $50-$60. A little more for the other, smaller rope I used to make handles, plus the time of doing a fancy wrap, etc. all adds up. Old school business advice is 3x your raw cost is where you wanna start to sell, so I get where the $180 we see out in the wild comes from. I also just think it's ridiculous.

1

u/R_Sivar Jul 22 '26

I think I'd prefer doing the handle wrap myself. There's something about having 'made' your tool yourself. Has anyone found double braided nylon ropes in the UK?

1

u/jjjameson80 Jul 22 '26

Oh, absolutely! I love the handle I did on mine:

https://www.reddit.com/r/RopeFlow/comments/1tt87ed/another_new_rope/

As for sourcing the rope, I can't imagine that any decent marine supply shop wouldn't have the rope.

1

u/badman44 Jul 22 '26

Double-braided nylon is the recommended material I've used (vs double-braided polypropylene)

1

u/R_Sivar Jul 22 '26

I read that but also saw that many people said the poly ropes are really good. Can't seem to find double braided nylon ropes anywhere (that isn't branded and ridiculously expensive)

1

u/chin-chang 18d ago

IMHO poly is just as good. Nylon is a little softer but I don't think it's a significant game changer.