No, Masterpull does not own the trademark for Amsteel - and I say this after just having filed my tax return with Masterpull's name on one of my W2s...
As a commercial fisherman; and a trawler, both wire rope and synthetic rope has it's place in whatever operation you're undertaking. Honestly, I'd imagine
most off road winching scenarios are within the envelope of rating within wire rope. However - I've got Amsteel on my own winch - mostly due to the fact that I can re-splice 12 strand Dyneema about 10 times (and more effectively) than I can splice 6x19 wire.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people are willing to fork over easily 4x the overall cost of raw synthetic rope to purchase it from a retailer pre-spliced. Seriously. Samson publishes their splice instructions online for free - and it takes all of about 5 minutes to comprehend and execute.
I've parted 1.25" Samson TS-II Dyneema SK75 line before, and the argument that it doesn't store kinetic energy is utter BS. Of course, that was on a 50k LB hydraulic winch...
Bottom line. Use common sense.
I've got an acquaintance that's missing an eye as a result of synthetic line breaking, a family friend that lost a hand due to wire rope breaking and a friend of a friend that lost his life from a nylon line breaking. Use your judgement on establishing a safety zone when placing ANY line/rope under ANY stress. I find myself cringing when watching the videos of off road winching on YouTube.
But what do I know? I'm just a dumb commercial fishing Captain.
Just got this material to play with on the boat; put the protective seizing on it yesterday:
1 1/8 12 Strand; Polyester Jacket with a Dyneema SK75 core...