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8 Ear
SQU-EAR
Invar Aluminum
Invar Steel, Ver. A
Invar Steel, Ver. B
6021_0745.9
6013_0745.6
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| 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, Ver. A |
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| Invar Steel, Ver. B | 6021_0745.9 (Инвар Двурогий Сталь) |
6013_0745.6 (Восьмёрка Увеличенная Двурогая Сталь) |
In Russia, eights with horns are called "invar" (инвар) eights. In this context, "invar" does not refer to the invar iron-nickel alloy.
There are several eights on my Russian Eights page that appear to be Krok eights, but they lack markings. Since I cannot be certain, I placed them there.
[ Top | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired this eight from PetrenkoWorld (now Gear4Rocks) in 2007. Gear4Rocks is the same company as Krok, the only difference is that the Krok trademark sells gear only inside the Ukraine, and the Gear4Rocks trademark was created to spread Ukrainian gear around the world.
The Krok 8 Ear is milled from aluminum alloy plate and then painted. Mine is 151 mm. tall, 99 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 48 mm. high and 48 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 41 mm. and 28 mm., respectively. The eye measures 25 mm. by 25 mm. The ears are 33.8 and 28.8 mm. long. My Krok 8 Ear weighs 139 g.
The front of the shaft is stamped with the Krok logo.
This eight is rather well made. The tie-off horns are large enough to be reliable unless the rope is too stiff. The "paint" has a chalky feel, almost like whitewash, and forms a thin coating that rubs off easily. I don't like painted finishes on descenders because they can leave a mess on the rope, but this finish seems too thin to worry about.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired this eight from Gear4Rocks in 2008.
The Krok Squ-Ear is milled from aluminum alloy plate and then painted. Mine is 118 mm. tall, 99 mm. wide, and 9 mm. thick. The rope hole is 48 mm. high and 50 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 9 mm. The shaft length and width are 25 mm. and 29 mm., respectively. The eye measures 20 mm. by 20 mm. The ears are 34.2 and 26.2 mm. long. My Krok SQU-EAR weighs 115 g.
The front of the shaft is stamped with the Krok logo, a vertical line, and "25 kN."
For some reason, the idea of putting side horns on a "flat top" aluminum eight like the Krok 8 Square amused me, but there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with the idea - it just makes the eight larger than it need be.
This eight is rather well made. The tie-off horns are large enough to be reliable unless the rope is too stiff, and in that case, the eight does not feed well. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners. The "paint" has a chalky feel, almost like whitewash, and forms a thin coating that rubs off easily. I don't like painted finishes on descenders because they can leave a mess on the rope, but this finish seems too thin to worry about.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired this eight from PetrenkoWorld (now Gear4Rocks) in 2007.
The Krok Invar Aluminum is milled from aluminum alloy plate and then painted. Mine is 132 mm. tall, 109 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 58 mm. high and 58 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 12 mm. and 44 mm., respectively. The eye measures 18 mm. by 18 mm. The ears are 38.4 and 38.2 mm. long. My Krok Invar Aluminum weighs 126 g.
There are no markings on the the Krok Invar Aluminum.
This eight is large enough for general use on 11 mm. caving rope, and the tie-off horns are large enough to be reliable if the rope is not too stiff. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners. The shaft is short, so the rope has to run over the carabiner.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired this eight from PetrenkoWorld (now Gear4Rocks) in 2007.
The Krok Invar Steel is made from steel rod bent to shape and then welded. It is painted with a paint that gives a mottled copper-and-black finish. Mine is 149 mm. tall, 108 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 67 mm. high and 69 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 24 mm. and 20 mm., respectively. The eye measures 21 mm. by 20 mm. The ears are 41.6 and 36.2 mm. long. My Krok Invar Steel weighs 287 g.
There are no markings on the the Krok Invar Steel.
The mottled finish is the same as the one on the Russian figure eight, Version B and the Russian Figure Eights with Ears, Versions B and I. I dislike this coating, since it will simply wear off, leaving a mess on the rope.
The Krok Invar Steel is too heavy for my taste. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired my Krok Invar Steel, Version B from Gear4Rocks in 2012.
Version B is milled from steel plate and then painted. Mine is 120 mm. tall, 138 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 63 mm. high and 63 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 14 mm. and 38 mm., respectively. The eye measures 14 mm. by 14.1. mm. The ears are 38.6 and 38.3 mm. long. My Version B weighs 459 g.
One side is stamped with the Krok logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon and the date of manufacture, "05 11."
The Krok Invar Steel is too heavy for my taste. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners. I dislike the speckled paint, since it will simply wear off, leaving a mess on the rope.
The extra horn provides an additional tie-off point, and it also facilitates providing extra friction on double rope rappels.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6013_0745.6 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired my Krok 6021_0745.9 (Инвар Двурогий Сталь, meaning "Invar Two-Horned Steel") from Krok in 2021.
The 6021_0745.9 is milled from steel plate and then painted. Mine is 123 mm. tall, 138 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 64 mm. high and 64 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 13 mm. and 37 mm., respectively. The eye measures 14 mm. by 14 mm. The ears are 38.1 and 38.8 mm. long. Mine weighs 448 g.
There are no markings on this eight.
The 6021_0745.9 is identical to the Invar Steel Version B except it has no markings and the paint is different. The paint on the 6021_0745.9 gives a textured, mottled finish that I particularly dislike, since it will simply wear off, leaving a mess on the rope.
The second horn provides an additional tie-off point, and it also facilitates providing extra friction on double rope rappels.
This eight is too heavy for my taste, and the eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | Return to Figure Eights ]
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I acquired my Krok 6013_0745.6 (Восьмёрка Увеличенная Двурогая Сталь, meaning "Eight Enlarged Two-Horned Steel") from Krok in 2021.
The Krok 6013_0745.6 (Восьмёрка Увеличенная Двурогая Сталь) is milled from steel plate and then painted. Mine is 154 mm. tall, 152 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 80 mm. high and 80 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 32 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 20 mm. by 20 mm. The ears are 44 and 43.7 mm. long. My Krok 6013_0745.6 weighs 549 g.
One side is printed with the Krok logo, "MBS 50 kN," "2001 0305," and a book-with-an-"i" icon.
The paint on the 6013_0745.6 gives a textured, mottled finish that I particularly dislike, since it will simply wear off, leaving a mess on the rope.
The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
The second horn provides an additional tie-off point, and it also facilitates providing extra friction on double rope rappels. Krok mentions that one can perform a double-rope rappel with separate anchors, and effect a zigzag descent by alternating descent on one rope while tying-off the other.
The 6013_0745.6 is too heavy for my taste. Krok notes that the large rope hole allows passing knots through the hole, but this refers to knots on a non-tensioned line. The 6013_0745.6 is not intended to allow rappelling over knots.
All the eights on this page are Ukrainian T–side eights.
[ Top | 8 Ear | SQU-EAR | Invar Aluminum | Invar Steel, v. A | Invar Steel, v. B | 6021_0745.9 | 6013_0745.6 ]
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