The reason I did not give 5 stars is because there were several tufts of the rope that in my opinion are a defect. These tufts will most likely catch on rough surfaces and break down more quickly than normal, which will lead to the overall breakdown of the rope more rapidly than if they were not there from the factory. Have thought about simply melting them but I'm worried that will cause an even more rapid breakdown. I may be making a mountain out of a mole hill, but it's just annoying to pay a decent amount of money and out of the box there are defects.