We call this a Rope Jack and I have wanted one for a long time. Now that I have it.......... and have been able to tackle a number of trees I couldn't in the past.......... I love it. This jack works really well and has ample power for any normal operation. Could you bend it up? I suspect you could but you'd need to be a gorilla to do so. For the regular Joe in an regular situation............ this is a great tool. AND, the rope that comes with is a proper match, holds the sprocket well and I suspect will last for generations. Great value for the money! Highly Recommended.