Tylaska Low Friction Rings are lighter and smaller than a conventional pulley block and have become a popular alternative for many applications where traditional blocks once ruled. Instead of rolling on a pulley sheave, the active line merely slides on the inside smooth surface of the ring. Another line is spliced around the ring to attach to a fixed point. This attachment line is sometimes made as a loop that can be luggage tagged onto a pad eye or toe rail. Frictional losses are a non-factor in most low speed low deflection applications, especially when used with low friction lines such as dyneema. In addition to being lighter and less expensive than conventional blocks, ring ferrules are also less prone to failure as they have moving parts to wear or need servicing.
Tylaska now produces low friction rings in 3 distinct materials. Hard anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and titanium each with their own advantages.
Hard anodized aluminum is the most affordable, while still being adequately durable for the vast majority use cases. If extreme wear resistance is required, stainless steel offers maximum durability in cases where grit and abrasion could be an issue, such as in kite boarding or other beach launched craft. Lastly, titanium is perfect in applications where carbon fiber is used, as titanium is far more noble than most other materials and therefore not susceptible to carbon fiber induced galvanic corrosion.
