Batman isn’t the only superhero who uses a grappling hook. First responders, firefighters and police departments across the world also need them from time to time. Our modern day heroes aren’t the first people to use grappling hooks – the need for line throwing equipment goes back thousands of years. According to Wikipedia, the earliest example of a grappling hook can be found in ancient Roman times. Soldiers would use hooks to latch onto ships and then wrangle them with rope. Evidence of these grappling hooks can also be found in ancient China. The use of line throwing would continue to evolve from crude humble beginnings into high powered pneumatic technology today. One amazing innovation is called the gravity hook – a type of retractable grappling hook that can open and close to pick up heavy items in hard to reach places. Today, grappling hooks are commonplace and can be found all over pop culture in areas like video games and comic books.
Traditionally, most people think about a grappling hook as a tool to help scale a wall. Rock climbing, mountain climbing and tree climbing are other activities that may require a grappling hook. However there are several additional uses for a grappling hook that may not seem obvious at first. For example, the coast guard has been known to use a grappling hook in order to hold and contain a speedboat fleeing into open waters. The grappling hook can also be used below the water’s surface in rescue operations. Other branches of the military have used grappling hooks to assist with mountain warfare and urban building entry. Navy Seals, especially, have been known to use this technology as Wired Magazine points out in this article about grappling hook technologies.
Line throwing equipment, and especially grappling hooks, aren’t always readily available to purchase at your local hardware store. That is why HGR is excited to offer a new selection of line thrower grappling hooks at our warehouse in Cleveland. These particular throwers are made by ResQmax, a company that makes line deployment and water rescue equipment in Portland, Oregon. The ResQMax website points out that, “The Tactical ResQmax is a pneumatic line thrower specifically designed to deploy a line only, a grappling hook and climbing line, or a grappling hook and ascending ladder to an otherwise inaccessible point in both land-based and maritime environments without putting the operator at risk.” Operator safety is paramount and you will be safer by using a product that relies on air compression power rather than on pyrotechnic firepower to function. Head over to the ResQmax website to get more details on this item and other products.
Head over to the HGR Website to browse our line throwing equipment. We have a few ResQmax throwers in stock but they won’t last very long. Happy Hooking!