MODE builds the Spider range of powered rope ascenders — 1000 W machines rated to 200 kg that climb a fixed rope on app control, offered in a standard build and a sealed one.
MODE
14.5 kg · 200 kg SWL · IP65 · WiFi app control, 100 m · Built for harsh environments
$5,900 USD
MODE
14.3 kg · 200 kg SWL · IP54 · WiFi app control, 100 m · Everyday rope access
$3,900 USDBoth Spider units carry the same headline duty: 200 kg safe working load, a 1000 W motor on 36 V, a 5000 mAh hot-swap lithium battery, and an aluminium alloy body of almost identical size — 330 × 265 × 267 mm against 332 × 263 × 269 mm, 14.3 kg against 14.54 kg with the battery in. On paper they look like one product listed twice.
They are not. What separates them is how much weather and grit the machine is built to keep out, and how far it goes between battery swaps. The Smart Spider Pro is IP54 and covers 330 m at 120 kg on one battery. The Spider Pro Max is IP65 — sealed against dust entirely and against water jets rather than just splashes — and covers a 450 m round trip at 100 kg. One is the unit for ordinary rope access work; the other is the one you buy when the site does not stay clean and dry.
| Smart Spider Pro | Spider Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Max load (SWL) | 200 kg | 200 kg |
| Ingress protection | IP54 | IP65 |
| Range, single battery | 330 m @ 120 kg | 450 m round trip @ 100 kg |
| Ascent speed | 0–20 m/min | 0–22 m/min |
| Descent speed | 0–37 m/min | 0–30 m/min |
| Motor | 1000 W, 36 V | 1000 W, 36 V |
| Battery | 5000 mAh Li-ion, hot-swap | 5000 mAh Li-ion, hot-swap |
| Charge time | — | 140 min |
| Weight | 14.3 kg, incl. battery | 14.54 kg, incl. battery |
| Dimensions | 330 × 265 × 267 mm | 332 × 263.3 × 268.5 mm |
| Rope | Ø10.5–11 mm, EN 1891 | Ø10–11 mm, EN 1891 / A |
| App control | WiFi, up to 100 m | WiFi, up to 100 m |
| Operating temperature | −20 to +50 °C | −20 to +50 °C |
Both units are driven by a variable-speed control handle and both pair with the Mode app over WiFi at up to 100 m. What the app does beyond that range figure is not spelled out in either record, so treat 100 m as the specification and the manufacturer's manual as the description.
Both carry an emergency stop and powered descent, and both retain power-off lowering — a controlled descent path that does not depend on the motor. Speed is stepless in both directions: the Smart Spider Pro ascends at 0-20 m/min and descends at up to 37, the Spider Pro Max ascends at 0-22 and descends at up to 30.
Both run on semi-static kernmantle rope to EN 1891 / EN 1891 A. The Smart Spider Pro's record specifies 10.5-11 mm with ductility of 4% or less; the Spider Pro Max's specifies 10-11 mm.
The manufacturer issues a declaration of conformity for each unit. Ask us for the current document for the configuration you are specifying and read it for the duty it covers — what a machine is documented to do is the question, and the presence of paperwork is not the answer to it.
Both are rated for −20 °C to +50 °C, and the Smart Spider Pro's record gives a maximum continuous operating time of 15 minutes at full load. Each ships with the unit, one battery, a charger and a heavy-duty outer case.
The load does not decide this one — both are 200 kg. The environment does. If the machine will spend its life on facade, telecom and general industrial rope access and comes back to a dry store, the Smart Spider Pro is the unit and the IP54 is enough for it.
If it will work where dust is constant or where it will be washed down, hosed or rained on with no shelter, the IP65 body of the Spider Pro Max is what you are paying the difference for, and the longer range per battery comes with it. Ingress protection is not a specification you upgrade later.
Sealing and range. Both are rated to 200 kg with a 1000 W motor and weigh about 14.5 kg with the battery. The Smart Spider Pro is IP54 and covers 330 m at 120 kg on one battery; the Spider Pro Max is IP65 — fully dust-tight and protected against water jets — and covers a 450 m round trip at 100 kg. Choose on the environment the machine will live in, not on the load.
Yes. Both Spider units pair with the Mode app over WiFi at a range of up to 100 m, alongside a variable-speed control handle on the unit itself. Both also carry an emergency stop and powered descent, and both keep a power-off lowering path that does not depend on the motor.
Semi-static kernmantle rope to EN 1891 / EN 1891 A. The Smart Spider Pro's record specifies Ø10.5-11 mm with ductility of 4% or less; the Spider Pro Max's specifies Ø10-11 mm.
It is quoted as working range rather than as hours, because that is what the job is measured in: 330 m at 120 kg for the Smart Spider Pro, and a 450 m round trip at 100 kg for the Spider Pro Max, on a single 5000 mAh pack. The battery is hot-swappable on both, and the Spider Pro Max's record gives a charging time of 140 minutes.
The manufacturer issues a declaration of conformity for the unit. Ask us for the current document for the configuration you are specifying, and read it for the duty it covers. Both units are also used with an independent backup device on a separate safety line, as any powered ascent device is.