Silent Partner failure

Sorry everybody for getting nervous.

the reasons why i was inclined to mock and be dismissive of your OP were

1) the title -
to me, it seems presumptive to declare " silent partner failure " , maybe a question mark at the end , or maybe framing it in a less declarative way would seem more reasonable to me .


2) the hand spin test as the basis for your claim of " silent partner failure " -

i'm no expert , but i would be willing to bet money , that spinning the wheel by hand is a completely unreliable way to test the unit , regardless of the circumstances, regardless of variance in results from unit to unit .

...

It is a good idea, however, to routinely inspect the Silent Partner. Check for bent, cracked, loose, or missing parts (See Silent Partner Anatomy, page 6) Rotate the side plates and check for excessive looseness on the axle. Spin the drum slowly to see if it turns smoothly and quietly. Spin the drum quickly to see if the locking mechanism is working. Look and listen for signs of the axle or clutch housing being contaminated by foreign matter. Look at the black rubber seal between the drum and the clutch housing to see if it is still intact. If the Silent Partner doesn’t pass any of these tests, don’t use it. If your Silent Partner locks up a lot when it is not supposed to, it probably has an internal problem and will need to be repaired.

If it does not lock up when spun fast this is a failure to operate as designed, thus is a failure.
The internal mechanism's only function is to lock up when spun fast, as happens in a fall.
It did not kill anyone, but that is because the OP caught while checking on the ground.

The manual says (under maintenance and service,) (His/sic.) my emphasis added:

It is a good idea, however, to routinely inspect the Silent Partner. Check for bent, cracked, loose, or missing parts (See Silent Partner Anatomy, page 6) Rotate the side plates and check for excessive looseness on the axle. Spin the drum slowly to see if it turns smoothly and quietly.
Spin the drum quickly to see if the locking mechanism is working.
Look and listen for signs of the axle or clutch housing being contaminated by foreign matter. Look at the black rubber seal between the drum and the clutch housing to see if it is still intact. If the Silent Partner doesn’t pass any of these tests, don’t use it. If your Silent Partner locks up a lot when it is not supposed to, it probably has an internal problem and will need to be repaired.

Spinning by hand, or using a hunk of rope is absolutely per the manufacturers instructions, and is the only reasonable way for a climber to test the device themselves.

In my case I first just spun it by hand while putting away gear, only it did not lock. So I put a chunk of 10.5mm line into it and yarded on it. Previous experience is that it would lock up after maybe 6-12" of rope was pulled through it, instead it failed to lock up pulling a full armful through as fast as I could. After a bit of playing it gradually went back to readily locking up. I have no idea whether it would eventually lock up at high enough speeds or not, and I am glad I did not find out.

After they opened and repaired my unit I got a pretty short response that they found a small amount of grit past the rubber seal, but no other issue and that it was fully retested prior to shipping back to me.

I think the op has a rare isolated incident/defect with his unit, it happens that is why we back up our devices no matter what if you are in it for the long haul.

So you think everyone should dump their SP? Or just follow the directions and don't use it in freezing or close to freezing conditions? Just interested in your final take besides RE is too slow.