Building an anchor with cordlette vs. nylon webbing

[nkanarik]

This might be a dumb question, but It seems that most canyoneers use webbing for building anchors, and I wanted to understand why. Below is some comparison data from REI regarding Strength & Weight/ft, Price/ft

• 1" nylon tubolar webbing: 17.8KN, 11.75g, $0.36
• PMI 6mm: 7.5KN, 6.7g, $0.55
• PMI 7mm: 10.7KN, 8.8g, ~$0.45
• PMI 8mm: 14KN, 12.2g, ~$0.55

If we take the price out of the equation (sometimes, there are crazy deals)...

1. Yes...Webbing is stronger than cordlette, but how much strength is enough? What would be the minimum recommended cordlette thickness (/strength) for building an anchor (>7mm?)
2. I find cordlette to be more versatile than webbing...it's lighter, easier to handle, you can use it for potshot toss if needed and climb it more easily, etc....what would be reasons NOT to use cordlette (durability? Exposure to elements? Rescue situations? other?)?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

[Bootboy]

Again, I think it boils down to the economy of it.

Also, being flat, the webbing holds up better to the abuse of flashes better, or so I'm told by others. It has no sheath in which to inflict circumferential damage.

Strength For strength, webbing packs much more efficiently than the equivalent cord.

The fact is that price/strength of webbing makes it a no-brainer anchor material.

[ratagonia]

Webbing is stronger and tougher going over an edge. Cordalette material is made for building anchors in a climbing environment, where the cord is clipped into carabiners (ie, no sharp edges).

From a responsibility point of view: responsible people build anchors, and then a whole bunch of people use them without much if any inspection. Best to use robust materials when you build anchors so they last as long as possible. For this reason, we usually use 1" tubular because it holds up well.

Tom

[ratagonia]

6mm cord is not strong enough to use for anchors, except in an emergency, and usually multi-stranded.

Tom

[harness man]

nkanaririk is on a roll with all the good questions!
X2 to the above replies.
With tubular webbing (pretty much) what you see is what you get.
Perlon cord: who knows what lurks inside...