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I acquired my AustriAlpin Fish from Outdoor-Climbing in 2021.
The AustriAlpin Fish 54 mm. long, 119 mm. wide, 29 mm. high, and weighs 69 g. The body is made from two 2.9 mm. aluminum alloy stampings held together by three shoulder rivets, two of which act as wear surfaces for the rope, and a tiny pin at the tip of the handle. The stamping at one end has a thinner, subtriangular area giving the illusion of a fish’s mouth. An injection-molded handle is inserted between the plates at one end. The rope opening is 32 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. There is a spring-loaded lever opposite the handle that serves as a secondary handle.
The front is printed with the AustriAlpin logo, "FISH," a circle around on of the shoulder rivers (forming an eye), teeth in the mouth area, a climber icon, an arrow showing part of the rope path, a carabiner icon around the arrow, "use with AustriAlpin RONDO only, another line, and a third line ending at a hand icon. The rear is printed with "002 mod. dep.," "made in austria," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "EN15151-2," "UIAA," a circle around on of the shoulder rivers (forming an eye), teeth in the mouth area, a climber icon, an arrow showing part of the rope path, a carabiner icon around the arrow, "rope Ø 8.0 11.0 mm," another line, and a third line ending at a hand icon.
The Fish is a large belay device designed for single ropes only. Although this saves weight (and although large, the Fish is quite light), it does not compensate for losing the ability to do double-rope rappels.
Most of the braking occurs at the rivets (acting as bollards), but the rope also runs over the plastic grip. I do not like this: The grip will wear down with use.
My Fish came with an AustriAlpin Rondo carabiner. Although this carabiner is specifically called out by markings on the fish, it has an unusual locking mechanism that I find to be about the most obnoxious that I've ever used, save for the "combination lock" carabiners meant as novelty items. Lawyers would tell me that I must tell you to use only the Rondo carabiner with the Fish, even if I can see no reason not to use a much friendlier HMS carabiner in its place.
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