[ Top | Version B | Version C | Version D | Version E | Version F | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight from Rt. 51 Army Surplus in Pittsburgh. I don't have records of the purchase but I think it was in the early 1980s.
The Cassin, Version A is forged from aluminum alloy. Mine is 136 mm. tall, 76 mm. wide, and 16 mm. thick. The rope hole is 42 mm. high and 48 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 13 mm. The shaft length and width are 49 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 22 mm. by 22 mm. My eight weighs 139 g.
The front if this eight is stamped with the Cassin logo, and the rear with "ITALY."
Version A is a typical example of a full sized aluminum eight with a rounded shaft. It is essentially identical to the Chouinard Version B, Climb High versions A & B, and the Kong-Bonaiti Classic. The body is rather fat and well-rounded, so the rope tends to run smoothly. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners, and is not designed for belaying.
[ Top | Version A | Version C | Version D | Version E | Version F | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight from Exkursion in 1996.
The Cassin, Version B is forged from aluminum alloy. Mine is 135 mm. tall, 69 mm. wide, and 15 mm. thick. The rope hole is 41 mm. high and 47 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 13 mm. The shaft length and width are 50 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 24 mm. by 24 mm. My eight weighs 108 g.
The front if this eight is stamped with the Cassin logo and "ITALY."
Version B is another full sized, forged, aluminum figure eight, but it has has an interesting double-bar shank. I don't see any particular advantage or disadvantage to this until the eight begins to wear, which will soon happen whenever an unfinished aluminum eight is used on dirty ropes. Once this happens, the eight will soon be weakened. This eight has some sudden corners so it tends to grab at times. Neither the eye, nor the slot are suitable for belaying.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version D | Version E | Version F | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight from Marc Savinac in 2003.
The Cassin, Version C is forged from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 136 mm. tall, 77 mm. wide, and 13 mm. thick. The rope hole is 42 mm. high and 48 mm wide. The top center thickness is 12 mm. The shaft length and width are 48 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 23 mm. by 23 mm. My eight weighs 116 g.
The front of this eight has "CASSIN" in raised letters, and the rear has "ITALY," also in raised letters.
Version C is a typical example of a full sized, forged, aluminum figure eight. Version C is the best of the Cassin eights. The eight is shaped nicely and runs smoothly. The hard anodizing is wear-resistant; in fact, this is one of the few anodized layers on any device in my collection that I could not penetrate with my Dremel® engraver. This is a basic eight - nothing fancy - so the eye is not designed for belaying.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version E | Version F | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight from Robert Southard in 2007.
The Cassin, Version D is forged from aluminum alloy. Mine is 139 mm. tall, 77 mm. wide, and 14 mm. thick. The rope hole is 41 mm. high and 47 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 13 mm. The shaft length and width are 48 mm. and 27 mm., respectively. The eye measures 23 mm. by 23 mm. My eight weighs 132 g.
The front of this eight has "CASSIN" in raised letters, and the rear has "ITALY," also in raised letters.
Version D is a another full sized, forged, aluminum figure eight. The eight is not anodized, and the lack of a finish means that it will wear more quickly. I prefer Version C to Version D
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version D | Version F | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight from Robert Southard in 2007.
The Cassin, Version E is forged from aluminum alloy and then hard coated. Mine is 138 mm. tall, 70 mm. wide, and 15 mm. thick. The rope hole is 41 mm. high and 48 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 13 mm. The shaft length and width are 50 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 24 mm. by 24 mm. My eight weighs 110 g.
The front of this eight is stamped with the Cassin logo and "ITALY."
Version E is a another full sized, forged, aluminum figure eight. The eight supposedly has a hard "ceramic" coating, but I don't know how this differs from a hard anodizing - either could refer to aluminum oxide. The shape is similar to Version B, so neither the eye nor the slot are suitable for belaying.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version D | Version E | Return to Figure Eights ]
I acquired this eight on eBay in 2009.
The Cassin, Version F is forged from aluminum alloy and then soft anodized. Mine is 140 mm. tall, 77 mm. wide, and 16 mm. thick. The rope hole is 42 mm. high and 48 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 14 mm. The shaft length and width are 49 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 22 mm. by 22 mm. My eight weighs 144 g.
The front if this eight is stamped with the Cassin logo, and the rear with "ITALY."
Version F is essentially an anodized variety of Version A.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version D | Version E | Version F ]
