Is the safeguard safer than a ropeman for use on a tether is another good question. I havent been able to find what it is rated for. It does not have teeth like a ropeman so I would think there wouldnt be an issue with de-sheathing of rope during a fall.
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Using a Madrock Safeguard as a single point connection between your bridge and tether would be a miss-use of the product. Not hating on the Safeguard, it's one of my favorite pieces of equipment at the moment. Just be sure to thoroughly read the instructions that come with it. I'm not saying the Safeguard wouldn't work for your desired application but you're essentially asking if a spoon or fork cuts better when you know a knife is really the answer.
IF I decided to stay connected to my Safeguard after an SRT ascent, I'd do it by adding a friction hitch above the Safeguard and connect it to my carabiner or by tying an alpine butterfly at waist level and connecting it to another carabiner on a linemans loop. I can't picture a scenario where a Safeguard or a RM1 would fail with no slack in the tether BUT they are mechanical devices and there is no way I'm hanging from one without a backup of some sort.
Neither an ascender or a rescue belay device is designed for the application. Again, not saying it wouldn't work just be thorough in making the risk assessment for yourself. As an example, I bet there will be thousands of saddle hunters hanging from RM1's this year. That doesn't make it right for you as it sounds like you've decided against it.
On a side note, most of these climbing and rope manufacturers are extremely helpful and will gladly answer any questions you have. As awesome as this forum is, some questions are best reserved for those more qualified to answer.
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