I have the exact same thoughts about the ferrule end but after thousands of pulls mine is still like new. Perfect for choking logs / not so good for other stuff where a slip hook or a grab hook would have been better choice.
For logging the ferrule has never slipped or let me down yet but try to hook up to a back of a car thats slipped into a snowy ditch or atv stuck in the mud and its sucks.
One word of warning to protect the lead end of your rope is to watch how you choke into a tree to avoid kinking the wire rope.
Wrong will kink your rope
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Better / less angle
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Mine came with 2x of these and I sometimes think of switch from the slip to a grab hook and using these chokers more but since 100% of time I only use mine on trees (an 12,000 electric winch with hooks is also a tool I have) how it came for the purpose I bought it for needs no change.
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