picture 1 (this cable is no longer available).

picture 2.

picture 3.

For the "old" 222 the largest advantage of the left hand cable is that it doubles the lifetime of the Snek.
For the lighter rowers the cable itself also had a longer lifetime than the right hand lay cables.
Heavier rowers will have a longer lifetime of the right hand lay cable.
For the lighter rowers we still advice to use the left hand lay cable, this will give the best lifetime of Snek and cables.
For the heavier rowers we now advise the CVT cable.
This cable will have a better lifetime and the Snek is likely to hold longer than with a right hand lay cable (but shorter than the left hand lay).
Besides, the CVT cable will be the most silent one.

The left hand lay cable is less suitable - because of its construction - for the models which are equipped with the CVT system, due to its continuous locking.

The greater the force on the cable and the smaller the diameter on which the cable has to roll, the shorter it's lifetime. Thus as a higher gear is chosen, the rate of wear on the cable will be increased. If the cable slips on the Snek this will also shorten the usable life of the cable, as well as that of the Snek! Unnecessary wear is also caused by allowing the cable to rub against the derailleur after shifting.

The more you use the same gear, the faster your Snek wears out. Repeated shifting has only a minimal effect on the Snek, so using different gears is very beneficial for the Snek. If the cable slips on the Snek, this is disastrous for the lifetime of the Snek. Always make sure of a good grip by keeping the Snek and Propulsion cable free of grease and dirt. Also keep enough tension of the cable (by means of the elastic cord).
Another factor is the choice of a right hand lay or left hand lay cable. On a right hand threaded drum (like the Snek) a left hand lay cable is preferred. Steel cable attempts to unwind slightly when put under strain. On a well used rowingbike Snek, it is easy to see that a right hand lay cable files away the outside wall of the groove. This is because, as the right hand lay cable unwinds slightly under load, it naturally works towards the outside of the drum.
When using the left hand lay cable it is clearly visible that it unwinds toward the inner, higher side wall. Because of the extra material on this side, it will take the cable considerably longer to file through it.

The Snek on this photo is worn by a left hand lay cable.

Next to the new Snek on this photo, it is clear what the cable does: it files itself steadily into the Snek but now the edges stay intact enough keep functioning despite the thinning of the edges.

The Snek on the last photo is worn by a right hand lay cable. The edges are almost gone, and the Snek should be replaced although it has been used relatively few times because it won't stay in the right gear anymore.

Number of fractions well exceed rejection standard

Because of the differences in individual style and technique of each rowingbiker, cable wear rates vary considerably.
Check the cable for fatigue fractures and kinks on a regular basis. If a kink is noticeable it needs to be replaced.
When the footslider is in the most forward position, the part of the propulsion cable with the highest number of fatigue fractures will be positioned just in front of the Snek, on the upper side where the cable runs to the footslider. Examine the bottom side of this section of cable, the part that runs across the Snek. This is best done with a magnifying glass. The cable needs to be replaced when, at any place, more than 10 fractures per 10mm (3/8") cable length are visible. If the cable has fewer fractures, then it is possible to use the cable again by turning it over (back side to front).

The Snek is worn out when the side walls between the grooves are worn in such a manner that the cable regularly shifts on its own. Occasional unintentional shifting on rough roads can happen with the 1999 and 2000 Sneks and does not indicate excessive wear.
Cable and Snek lifetime in everyday use.
Some heavy and strong riders find it difficult to get more than 400 km (250mi) from a cable. Light-weight riders often get as many as 1000 km (620mi). These figures apply to the old stainless steel 7 x 19 right hand lay cable.
Using Sneks with 4 mm pitch (made until June 2000) lifetimes have ranged from 2850 to 7500 km (1750 to 4700mi).
All Sneks made from July 2000 have a pitch of 4.5 mm. This means the grooves are now separated by a 1.5 mm wide side wall, as opposed to 1 mm. With this simple reinforcement of the side walls the lifetime of the Snek has increased by a factor 1.5, without noticeable effects on the gearing.

TIP: the elastic cord of the return cable stretches after some time. After roughly 6 months you can increase the tension by shortening the return cable. This is done by shortening the black dyneema cord at the footslider. To receive the longest possible use from the elastic, park the rowingbike in the highest gear or release the cable completely by removing it from the front pulley. This is especially recommended when the rowingbike will not be used for some time.

You have to get used to the system as you need to push the cable a little further as you want to have it by giving it two clicks to one side, and than after changing gear during a full stroke (shifting up) or recovery stroke (shifting down) you give it one click back in the other direction to prevent the cable running against one of the dérailleur rods.
Once used to this shifting it works ok, it sometimes happens that the dérailleur rods are bent and that shifting becomes harder. If this is the fact in your case please check that the dérailleur rods, in any dérailleur position, are as close as possible to the Snek but just do not touch the Snek (the minimal distance should be between 5 and 10 mm from the Snek).
Check that the downward rod just does not touch the spokes in 1st gear position. Adjust the commander cable so that you get the dérailleur in this close to the spokes position when commander is in "1" position.

Now check if the bike reaches all gears and if necessary adjust most upper and downward dérailleur position with the two small screws on the downside of the dérailleur.