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Kong-Bonaiti, Version A
Kong-Bonaiti, Version B
Kong
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| Kong-Bonaiti, Version A | Kong-Bonaiti, Version B | Kong |
In 1977 the Bonaiti company changed its name to Kong. I see no reason to separate these by placing them on different pages.
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I acquired my Kong-Bonaiti Kisa, Version B in 1982.
The Kong-Bonaiti Kisa is forged from aluminum alloy. My Version A is 107 mm. long, 44 mm. wide, 9 mm. thick, and weighs 58 g. It has five 11.8 mm and one 9.8 mm. hole for the sliding rope, and a 23.8 mm. diameter eye.
One side is stamped with "USE ROPE," "ø11↑" with an arrow pointing to the lower 11.8 mm. hole, "ø9→" with an arrow pointing to the smallest hole, and "KONG-BONAITI-ITALY."
I've read that Kisa stands for Kong Impact Shock Absorber. That is a nice story, but Kong is an Italian company, and I would expect an Italian name.
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I acquired one Kong-Bonaiti Kisa, Version B from Kelly Byrne in 2021, and two more from Kelley Deem at the 2022 Old Timers Reunion.
The Kong-Bonaiti Kisa is forged from aluminum alloy. My Version B is 108 mm. long, 45 mm. wide, 9 mm. thick, and weighs 61 g. It has five 12 mm and one 9 mm. hole for the sliding rope, and a 24.5 mm. diameter eye.
One side is stamped with "USE ROPE," "ø11↑"with the arrow pointing to the lower 12 mm. hole, "ø9→" with an arrow pointing to the smallest hole, and "KONG-BONAITI-ITALY."
I missed getting an anodized one of these when they were available, and placed it on my Ten Most Wanted List. It remained there for 14 years before Kelly saw that I was looking for one and donated his to me. Thank you, Kelly!
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I acquired my first Kong-Bonaiti Kisa from The Outdoor Store in 2007, and several more over the years, including one from Mountainland Outdoor in 2007 and one each from Paolo Favero and Barrabés.com in 2009. Marco Bonaiti of Kong donated two more in 2021.
The Kong Kisa is forged from aluminum alloy and then hard anodized. Mine is 104.6 mm. long, 48.6 mm. wide and 9.1 thick. It has five 11.4 mm. and one 9.2 mm. hole for the sliding rope. The eye is shaped like a toppled pear, and is 21.2 mm. high by 32.7 mm. wide.
One side is etched with two rigging diagrams (one labeled "Ø11" and the other "Ø9"), the Kong logo, and "060085 06."
The design of the Kisa did not change for many years. I finally decided to buy an anodized one in early 2006. I did not know that they changed the design until I received this one: both The Outdoor Store’s web site and the Kong instructions packed with the Kisa showed the old design.
The new eye makes the Kisa slightly shorter and wider. I don't see a strong advantage of one design over the other.
The hard anodizing will let this Kisa wear better than an unfinished one, but do you really want to keep using a Kisa after it has held a hard fall? I would retire any anchor brake long before it wore out.
The 2000 Kong catalog had a table that showed the forces associated with the Kisa with different ropes and riggings. Remember, using a wet or muddy rope or a rope other than the type used in the tests will change the results.
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