I acquired this eight from Barry Duncan in 2006.
The Kong is forged from stainless steel (304?). Mine is 140 mm tall, 129 mm. wide, and 16 mm. thick. The rope hole is 49 mm. high and 49 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 13 mm. The shaft length and width are 46 mm. and 26 mm, respectively. The auxiliary hole is 27.2 mm. high and 10 mm wide. The eye measures 25 mm. by 25 mm. The ears are 29.3 mm. long. My Kong eight weighs 446 g.
The front side of the Kong eight is marked with "INOX AISI 304," an icon showing a rigged eight with triangles above and below indicating tension and "KN 40,", and the Kong logo.
The Kong is a "Mini" Size Figure Eights with Ears, but it looks more like a small "rescue eight" with the ears sticking out to the side.Why make did Kong make this eight out of stainless steel? It will wear well, but it is too heavy for me to consider carrying it. Also, from a heat dissipation perspective, stainless steel is decidedly inferior to aluminum.
The slot in the shaft is 10.5 mm. wide and 27.5 mm long. This is too narrow for belaying with 11 mm. ropes, and I can't imagine anyone carrying the weight of this eight and climbing on single 9 mm. rope at the same time. At least this eight is smaller than the Kong Big "8s" and much lighter than the steel versions of the Big "8s".
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick