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I acquired
Version A from Blue Ridge Outdoors, Blacksburg Va, in 1995.
The Wild Country Raptor is a pretty device that works well
(what looks like rust in the photo are reflections of the brown
paper background). The manual recommends a specific hand position
while paying out rope and then moving the hand when the climber
falls. I don't like changing had positions at the crucial moment,
so I tend to operate it more like a normal slotted
plate belay device, despite instructions to the contrary.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Return to Misc. Belay ]
I acquired Version B from Daniel MacKinnon 2007. I was just looking for a spare, and did not expect to find a new variaton, but I found a few. First, Version B is definitely lighter than Version A. At first I thouught that this was just due to manufacturing tolerences, but then I noticed a second difference: the clip in slot in Version B extends higher; in fact, it extends beyond the lines connecting the base two sides (see the red arrows in the side view). In other words, the slot on Version B could not have been cut by a standard end mill coming in directly from the side. Finally, Version B is not shiny. Looking at the two Versions more carefully, I realized that Version A was anodized and Version B was not.
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick