Breaking load (kN)
30
Material Aluminum
Finish Anodized
Weight approx. 145 g
Identification Individual numbering
Descender Eight Classic
Classic rappelling eighter made of aluminum with a length of approx. 14.5 cm.
- Material: aluminum
- Breaking load: 30 kN
The descender shaft is a device from the rope technology. The abseil shaft is originally used as a rappelling and belaying device, especially in sports and alpine climbing. However, the abseil shaft offers many other possibilities. In a large number of other rope activities, such as tree care or arboristics, rescues, mobile rope setups or even intervention, the classic aluminum figure of eight is often used. There are also a large number of special products in all kinds of shapes with a wide variety of sizes and made of a wide variety of metals. The classic shape made of cast aluminum is usually about 15 to 20 cm in size.
Special very small descender eights, e.g. from ISC Wales, can be used with 5 to 7 mm lines, while other few made of high-alloy stainless steel have breaking values of up to 100 kN and are used for controlled lowering of large loads, sometimes with rather thick ropes. The idea is that the rope is placed around the corpus of the descent shaft in such a way that the friction of the rope on the metal slows down the descender or the load to such an extent that this situation can be controlled and also the speed at which to descend can be influenced and controlled. All in all, this form of abseiling or controlling a rope is very efficient, requires little effort and the abseiling shaft can definitely be described as "low maintenance".
The abseiling night works even under the most adverse conditions, including in the water, for example, canyoning. Since the braking effect is much higher in water, the abseil shaft is "threaded" differently here. The loop that is pulled through the large ring of the abseil shaft is not led around the middle bar, but is hooked into the carabiner in which the figure of eight is anchored. This technique, which makes the figure eight much faster, also prevents the so-called "flipping" of the knot and the associated danger of "total blockage". In sport climbing, whether indoors or on the rock, the abseil eight has been widely used for a long time, since it has been used here as a "belay device" for the leader and the follower. We would like to point out that the abseiling night is not a belay device and that the use of the abseiling night as such is associated with risks and dangers.
Since the device does not constitute PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) in the eyes of the law, the abseil night also does not have a CE mark and is not subject to mandatory certification (as of March 2017). Most of our ALIENS abseiling chutes have individual numbering, a lasered pictogram of how to insert the rope, a marking about the date of manufacture and a breaking load indication, just like many other devices from KONG Italy, Singing Rock or ISC Wales. However, with a descender shaft you can do a lot of things in rope technique.
There are special knots that are quite "tricky" with the figure of eight, the descent shaft can be used as an anchor and anchor point, for example when lifting loads, you can completely block the descent shaft and use it as a rope brake. In sailing, there is an application as a so-called "boom brake".It is definitely worthwhile to do some research on the abseil shaft and experiment with it. We will continue to carry the abseil shaft in our program.
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