You can get 20% off all purchases of untreated Tossa Lite from midnight tonight GMT for 7 days only. Click here and see ‘On Sale’ on the top left or navigate to Jute>Tossa Lite. That’s like one rope free with every four you buy. I want as many people as possible to give it a try, as those who have love it. One of my students recently ordered 300m of rope from a well-known Japanese specialist supplier at great expense, but he tells me that he much prefers my Tossa Lite. He has written a review on Fetlife which you can read in full here along with other people’s comments. I’m pleased to see that the review and comments completely agree with my assessment of this rope. Here’s a snippet from it:
“Japanese rope has its place but for me Tossa Lite is the one I reach for most, especially if I’m planning to do multiple ties or just want to have a bit of fun without the hassle of spending an hour straightening out my ropes after.
So for me eight months in and they’re still going strong, if i’m honest they have only got better with use. I’m not sure how long this set will last but when they do need replacing I personally would not hesitate to replace with Tossa lite if its still available.”
Mosaru commented on the review: “I am not going to repeat what you have said above and I do totally agree with your points…I think the Lite is bang on the best of both worlds as it still is a fairly loose twist and so has the positive benefits of the Asanawa yet it is a fast rope and durable almost like the normal Tossa without the weight of it”
Although my Lite is darker in colour and more hairy off the reel, a quick burn off and oil works wonders. You can wet treat it but it is so pliable and soft already is doesn’t give a massive benefit, except for cutting down on breaking in time a little. The best thing about this rope is that, like much of my range, it uses double yarns twisted together which appears to give far greater stability and durability than the Japanese method of single yarns twisted around a central core. In my experience, as beautiful as Japanese rope can be, it tends to ‘high-strand’/go out of balance after relatively little use, which means a lot of painstaking maintenance to get a long enough life to justify the cost.
It is called Lite because it really is super-light. The latest batch of 5mm is barely that diameter, so with its loose lay, is hardly noticeable in your hands and just flies. I would only suggest it for floor-work since it is so light. The 6mm is also very close to the nominal size but offers much greater strength. As those who have read my articles on line breaks and the loads generated by dynamic suspension will know, even 6mm has its limitations and it is well worth considering the use of substantial main lines, especially if you are creating higher loadings than the Japanese pros are doing with their diminutive models.