Marshall	Sheriff

Rigid Sheriff, Version A	Rigid Sheriff, Version B	Rigid Sheriff, Version C

Overview

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Marshall
(#744, 873)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my first HB Marshall from Link Up Gear in 2000, and a second from Amnon Zohar in 2007.

The HB Marshall is forged from aluminum alloy and then soft anodized. Mine is 47 mm. long, 38 mm. wide, 82 mm. high, and weighs 49 g. The slots are 33 mm. long and 11 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 17 mm. below the ends of the slots. The keeper is made from 4.6 mm. aluminum rod.

There are no markings on my HB Marshall.

Comments

The HB Marshall is designed for 9 mm. ropes, which ought to give it some appeal among ice climbers and mountaineers, who traditionally use thinner ropes than rock climbers and cavers. The slots are narrower and the Marshall is deeper than most other tubers, but the slot length is comparable. The Marshall has a rigid rod keeper, which I prefer. Not only does it handle abuse better, but it is also easier to manipulate with winter gloves on.

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Sheriff
(#695)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my HB Sheriff from Guadalupe Mountain Outfitters in 1996.

The HB Sheriff is forged from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 54 mm. long, 48 mm. wide, 80 mm. high, and weighs 59 g. The slots are 32 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 13 mm. below the ends of the slots. The keeper is made from soft 6 mm. diameter polyurethane.

There are no markings on my HB Sheriff.

Comments

The Sheriff comes in two versions. This one has a polyurethane keeper that could be destroyed if the rope were allowed to run over it. Fortunately, it is stiff enough that it can be kept out of the way.

History

Early Hugh Banner catalogs were not dated and new catalogs doid not appear every year. The Sheriff first appears in a catalog that can be dated to 1997 by its contents, while the previous catalog can be dated to 1995. Taken with the date that I acquired my first Sheriff, I conclude that the Sheriff was introduced in 1996.

Thank you Stéphane Pennequin for sharing these catalogs with me.

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Rigid Sheriff, Version A
(#699)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my HB Rigid Sheriff, Version A from Ragged Mountain Equipment in 1997. I acquired another from Miles Bradshaw in 2023.

The HB Rigid Sheriff, Version A is forged from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 54 mm. long, 47 mm. wide, 78 mm. high, and weighs 65 g. The slots are 32 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 13 mm. below the ends of the slots. The keeper is made from 6.4 mm. diameter aluminum alloy rod.

There are no markings on my Rigid HB Sheriff, Version A.

Comments

The Rigid Sheriff has an aluminum rod keeper. I prefer it to the Sheriff with the polyurethane keeper because the aluminum keeper is more robust.

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Rigid Sheriff, Version B
(#2816, 3779)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired two Hugh Banner Sheriff Rigid, Version B belay tubes on eBay, one from from Paul Remington in 2021 and another from Bette Gledhill in 2022. I acquired a third from Miles Bradshaw in 2023.

The Hugh Banner Sheriff Rigid, Version B is a belay tube. It is forged from aluminum alloy and anodized. Mine is 57 mm. long, 47 mm. wide, 81 mm. high, and weighs 68 g. The slots are 32 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 16 mm. below the ends of the slots.

There are no markings on this device.

Comments

Version B uses a different method to connect the keeper rod than Version A does. This method produces a better-looking product, but has no real functional advantage.

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Rigid Sheriff, Version C
(#1681)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my HB Sheriff Rigid, Version C on eBay from Crystal Brocklehurst in 2010.

The HB Sheriff Rigid, Version C is forged from aluminum alloy and hard anodized. Mine is 56 mm. tall, 47 mm. wide, 80 mm. thick, and weighs 66 g. The slots are 32 mm. long and 15 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 16 mm. below the ends of the slots.

The front is stamped "N743."

Comments

Version C has markings while Version B does not; otherwise, they are identical.

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