UKC

It's a White Hole.
youtube.com/watch?v=TxWN8AhNER0&

But (more) seriously..

What is it? And what's its purpose?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/92020197@N02/8363620059/in/photostream

I know it's a karabiner with a captive eye and while I'm not about to start using it, but I am a bit curious as to its original use.

It looks industrial, rather than for leisure use, but it's not stamped with any load limits.


Does anyone want any toast?

In reply to cuppatea: So what is it?

In reply to cuppatea:
You tend to see them pretty often on ebay! They are for industrial use, but i've struggled myself to see the specialist use of them! Presumably something for riggers or rope access guys?
Or maybe to make a krab necklace/belt with???

In reply to cuppatea: I've seen krabs like that used to attach restraining lanyards and fan descenders, usually with either a spliced or sewn eye.

In reply to cuppatea:
Sometimes used for attaching rope to harness. It reduces the chance off cross loading. For example during bottom roping and group abseils.

In reply to alan r b:

That was my first thought, but it has no CE mark or load ratings. Were these only used after a certain date?

In reply to cuppatea: It's just a pretty standard captive eye carabiner. They are widely used by arborists and in other rope access situations.

The main advantage is that they provide a predictable direction of loading which eliminates any chance of cross-loading so are quite widely used in critical situations either with a variety of lanyards or sometime for connecting directly to ropes.

I've got a couple of more modern ISC triple-lock versions http://www.iscwales.com/product/KH300-Captive-Eye-Karabiner/ that are excellent for quickly and very securely connecting people to top-ropes or safety ropes. However, in many climbing related situations such as with climbing wall auto-belays, a DMM Belaymaster carabiner offers an equally good or possibly better alternative.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

Thanks again! There's a good depth of knowledge on this forum. What would explain the lack of load rating?

In reply to cuppatea:
Not sure about the lack of markings / load ratings sorry.

In reply to cuppatea: So what is it?

In reply to cuppatea:

Age, would be my guess. It was probably produced before there was an appropriate standard in place that specified that load ratings were to be displayed on the carabiner.

It was certainly produced before the current version of the standard for industrial carabiners, EN362:2004 (which obviously came into force in 2004). However I don't know anything about what, if any, previous standard there were.

In reply to cuppatea:

We used to use loads of these in tree surgery. Often would have a rope spliced into the eye and used for static lowering, sometimes rigging for controlling felled boughs, or kit hauls/slings with chainsaws etc.
A lot easier than using a threaded bowline or lumber hitch.

Very hand pieces of kit and we didn't need the ratings that high as they were very rarely shock loaded.