I acquired this eight from Ural Sport in 2004.
The Ural-Alp Self-Braking Descender/Belay Device, Version B is made from two pieces of nickel-plated aluminum, screwed together. Mine is 137 mm. tall, 70 mm. wide, and 27 mm. thick. The rope hole is 40 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 26 mm. The shaft length and width are 44 mm. and 18 mm, respectively. The eye measures 16 mm. by 16 mm. The ears are 3.9 and 6.8 mm. long. My Ural-Alp Self-Braking Descender/Belay Device, Version B weighs 88 g.
One plate is stamped ""RUSSIA" and "URAL ALP," and the other is stamped "KOZLOV DESIGNS."
The
Ural-Alp Self-Braking Descender/Belay Device falls into my miscellaneous figure
eights with ears category. The two-plate design allows one
to use the device as a normal figure eight, or to add an auto-stop
capability by rigging the rope between the plates. In the latter
configuration, the rappeller must hold the free end of the rope
up to keep it from wedging between the plates. This can be tiring
if the rope weight is heavy - which it shouldn't be for this class
of device (no long rappels!). The original
Version did not have ears, but the designer quickly realized
that adding small ears made for a better device, and created this
Version.
The screws do not support a significant load, and even if
they fail, the rope will remain rigged and will hold the plates
together. The manufacturer provides an ultimate strength rating
of 20 kN. the device is designed for 9 to 11 mm. rope.
The Ural-Alp Self-Braking Descender/Belay Device, Version B is lighter than most figure eights with ears. The rope hole is shorter and narrower than normal, so it may provide too much friction on stiff or muddy ropes. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
Since the Ural-Alp Self-Braking Descender/Belay Device is made
of thin plates, the edges may sharpen as they wear. Beware of
this, and file them smooth if this should occur.
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©2007, Gary D. Storrick