Version A	Version B	Version C

Overview

History

Carroll Bassett sold equipment under the name "Vertical Supply" before switching to "Bassett Metal Studios (BMS)" in the mid-1990s.

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Version A
(#3297)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

Carroll Bassett gave me this eight in 2023.

This eight is made from 11 mm. 304 stainless steel rod, bent and welded to shape. It is 98 mm. tall, 124 mm. wide, and 11 mm. thick. The rope hole is 31 mm. high and 47 mm. wide. The shaft length and width are 14 mm. and 29 mm., respectively. The eye measures 32 mm. high by 16 mm. wide. The ears are 26.7 mm. long. This eight weighs 248 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This eight is another example of a welded steel eight with ears.

There are a few things that I do not like about this eight:

• This eight is too heavy for my taste.
• The rope hole is shorter than normal, so it may provide too much friction on stiff or muddy ropes.
• The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
• The ears extend to the side, increasing the size on the eight. I would prefer to see them projecting downward.

None of these are fatal flaws, but the combination is not well-suited for the type of applications that I commonly face.

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Version B
(#3298)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

Carroll Bassett gave me this eight in 2023.

This eight is made from 11 mm. 304 stainless steel rod, bent and welded to shape. It is 123 mm. tall, 126 mm. wide, and 11 mm. thick. The rope hole is 49 mm. high and 54 mm. wide. The shaft length and width are 14 mm. and 31 mm., respectively. The eye measures 39 mm. high by 17 mm. wide. The ears are 25 mm. long. This eight weighs 289 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This eight is another example of a welded steel eight with ears.

The rope hole is larger than the one on Version A, so it works better for me. There are still a few things that I do not like about this eight:

• This eight is too heavy for my taste.
• The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners.
• The ears extend to the side, increasing the size on the eight. I would prefer to see them projecting downward.

None of these are fatal flaws, but the combination is not well-suited for the type of applications that I commonly face.

[ Top | Version A | Version B | Return to Figure Eights ]

Version C
(#3299)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

Carroll Bassett gave me this eight in 2023.

This eight is made from 14 mm. 304 stainless steel rod, bent and welded to shape. 134 mm. tall, 135 mm. wide, and 11 mm. thick. The rope hole is 53 mm. high and 61 mm. wide. The shaft length and width are 11 mm. and 36 mm., respectively. The eye measures 49 mm. by 24 mm. The ears are 25.1 mm. long. This eight weighs 325 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This eight is another example of a welded steel eight with ears.

It is heavier than the others on this page, but the larger size reduces friction to a manageable amount on the muddy caving ropes that I frequently encounter.

[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C ]