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FED-21
Fedor Automat
Fedor Mini 8+
Fedya, Version A, Left
Fedya, Version B, Right
Fedya, Version C, Left
Fedya, Version C, Right
Fedya, Version D, Left
Fedya, Version D, Right
Fedya Double
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| FED-21 (ФЕД-21) |
Fedor Automat, Right (Фёдор Автомат) |
Fedor Mini 8+ (Фёдор Мини 8+) |
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| Fedya, Version A (Федя) |
Fedya, Version B (Федя Зеркало) |
Left | Right |
| Fedya, Version C (Промальп Федя) |
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| Left | Right | Fedya Double (Федя Дубль) |
| Fedya, Version D (Федя Зеркало) |
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Фёдор (Fedor) is a Russian male name, and Федя (Fedya) is a diminutive form of that name.
[ Top | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Left | Right |
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| Front: Open for Rigging | Rear: Open for Rigging |
I acquired my Krok FED-21 from Krok in 2021.
My FED-21 is 162 mm. tall, 79 mm. wide, 62 mm. thick, and weighs 647 g.
The FED-21 consists of a fixed rear plate and a pivoting front plate with a top bollard, pivoting main bollard, anvil, and swinging eye between them, and handle, and cover latch assemblies on the rear.
The back plate is a 130 mm. tall, 78 mm. wide, irregular plate made from 3.9 mm. aluminum alloy. A 27.7 mm. diameter, 15.9 mm. long steel bollard is riveted to the back plate near the top. The rivet has a mushroom head that provides a 7.8 mm. diameter, 3.8 mm. wide notch at the front end. An 8 mm. hole below and left of this bollard may be a construction hole, as it serves no apparent purpose. The main bollard is mounted 60 mm. below the top bollard. A 9.5 mm. wide 70° arc is cut through the rear plate above and to the left of the main bollard axle. A 46 mm. tall, 16 mm. deep anvil is riveted to the right of the main bollard. The rivet also captured a mushroom piece at the front and a ball bearing at the rear of the plate. The anvil has a flat-bottom rope groove at the top that is 11.3 mm. wide at the top, 4.4 mm. wide at the bottom, and 8.4 mm. deep. Slots on the outside of the anvil are to enhance cooling. A hole at the bottom of the anvil continues through the back plate. The cover latch passes through this hole. The main attachment is attached to the bottom of the rear plate with a machine screw.
The main bollard is 49 mm. in diameter and 14 mm. thick. It is made from aluminum alloy. It has three lightening holes, a hole for the axle, and holes for two pins that extend trough the arcuate slot in the rear plate to the handle assembly. The axle hole is 9 mm. off-center, giving the bollard an eccentric motion. The axle has a mushroom head, and is riveted to the rear plate.
The front cover is a 131 mm. tall, 80 mm. wide plate milled from 3.9 mm. aluminum alloy. Three notches on the right side engage the mushrooms on the upper bollard, anvil, and cam axle when the cover is closed. An 8 mm. hole that aligns with the similar hole in the rear plate may be a construction hole, as it serves no apparent purpose. A hole on the right end has a 6.8 mm. piece pressed in place. This piece has a central hole, a full-depth notch and a half-depth notch for the cross pin in the cover latch.
The lower attachment point is a 48 mm. long, 28 mm. wide, and 9.8 mm. thick aluminum block that freely swings between two washers on what appears to be a hidden crossbar secured between the front and rear plates with torx-head machine screws. The attachment has a 14 mm. eye.
The handle mechanism sits behind the rear plate. The mechanism is attached to the main bollard by the two pins previously mentioned. The handle assembly consists of a housing with an integral spiral cam, a spring mechanism, the handle arm, and a cover held in place by three countersunk machine screws. The handle arm is 125 mm. long and is made from 2 mm. steel. The distal end has a 27 mm. wide, 14 mm. thick rubber hand grip with three shallow finger grooves. When the handle is rotated counter-clockwise (as viewed from the front) past the top of the FED-21, the integral cam makes contact with the bearing behind the anvil. Continuing to move the handle downward (counter-clockwise), the cam forces the main bollard away from the anvil, reducing friction for descent.
The cover latch is a 43 mm. long, 7.7 mm. diameter spring-loaded pin with a knurled head. A small cross-pin engages the notches in the front plate, providing a reasonably secure latch. When unlatched, the cross pin keeps the latch from falling out of the anvil. In this position, the latch also interferes with normal handle motion.
The front cover is printed with the Krok logo, ’СУ "ФЕД-21",’ "EN 12841-2014/C," "Max 400кг Ø 10," Max 500кг Ø 11," Max 600кг Ø 12," and "MBS 26 kN." The main bollard axle mushroom is etched with a very fine rope-with-an-eye-held-by-a-hand illustration. The rear is printed with "EAC," "TP TC 019/2011," a book-with-an-"i" icon, and the Ukrainian Conformity Mark. The bearing is stamped with "RBP," "M," "606ZZ," and "IV."
The FED-21 is nicely designed and very well made.
The handle assemblies integral cam provides for a smooth rappel with little effort. The cover latch is secure, and by interfering with the handle when open, it provides a subtle and hopefully unnecessary reminder to secure the cover before use.
There are two variations of the FED-21 with different attachment points. One replaces the lower attachment block with an aluminum connecting swivel, called the "Antaba" (Антаба), the other uses the bare crossbar. I do not have either of these versions in my collection.
[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Left | Right |
I acquired my Fedor Automat from Krok in 2021.
My Fedor Automat is 135 mm. tall, 80 mm. wide, 49 mm. thick, and weighs 474 g.
The descender consists of a steel back plate that supports a rope guide (three bollards and a cover plate) on the right and a central rotating bollard with attached handle extending to the left. The back plate is a 104 mm. tall, 63 mm. wide, irregular plate made from 3.1 mm. steel plate. There is a 17 mm. auxiliary hole punched in the lower portion of the plate. There are three 16 mm. long bollards along the right side, covered by a common 80 mm. tall, 24 mm. wide, and 3.0 mm. thick cover plate, all riveted together to form a rectangular rope channel. The top bollard is 24.8 mm. in diameter with an 11 mm. wide, 6.7 mm. deep U-shape groove turned in its circumference. The other two bollards are 10 mm. diameter cylinders. The top bollards have a 36 mm. separation, inside to inside. The bottom two bollards are only 10.3 mm apart; they form a rope anvil.
The rotating bollard pivots on an axle riveted to the back plate. The axle does not rotate. The pivot is about 37 mm. to the left of the lower rope channel bollard (center to center). The pivoting bollard is a 49 mm. diameter, 14 mm. thick steel circle with a 45 mm. minor diameter U-groove turned on the edge. There is a large lightening hole milled in the bollard. The pivot hole lies about 13 mm. below the bollard’s center. There is a 136 mm. long control handle attached to the front of the rotating bollard with two 5 mm. round-head rivets. The handle is 3.1 mm. steel plate with an 87 mm. long rubber handle.
The handle is part of a folding handle assembly. The mechanism has a cylindrical housing attached to a base plate riveted to the cam. The housing contains a spring that constantly acts to fold the handle to the storage position. A cover plate is riveted through the housing to the base plate, holding the handle in place. The handle has three shallow finger grooves.
With the exception of the cam axle, all visible metal components are painted.
The front strap is etched with a rigging illustration. The rear is printed with the Krok logo, ’"Фёдор Автомат",’ "Max 400кг ø 10," Max 500кг ø 11," Max 600кг ø 12," "WLL 15 kN," "MBS 22 kN," "20.04.30.09," "TP TC 019/2011," "EAC," a book-with-an-"i" icon, the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, and "EN 12841-2014/C.
The Fedor Automat is similar to the Fedya Version D, but unlike the Fedya, Version D, there is no mechanism to hold the handle in the extended position. The spring is fairly strong, an I find the handle’s constant closing tendency to be rather annoying.
Rigging the descender is simple in concept: simply push a bight under the strap and loop it over the handle. Clip in to the hole through the bollard axle. Choose your connector carefully, as many common carabiners and Maillons will not fit through the cam axle attachment hole. Do NOT clip into the auxiliary hole, which is only designed for hanging the descender or suspending a secondary load such as a tool bucket or cave pack.
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Warning: NEVER clip into the auxiliary hole! AlwaYs Clip in to The hole in the cam axle. |
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[ Top | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front | Rear |
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| Left | Right |
I acquired my Fedor Mini 8+ from Krok in 2021.
My Fedor Mini-8+ is 91 mm. tall, 75 mm. wide, 36 mm. thick, and weighs 198 g.
The descender consists of an aluminum back plate that supports a rope guide on the left and a central rotating bollard with attached spring-loaded handle extending to the right. The back plate is a 79 mm. tall, 59 mm. wide, irregular plate made from 2.8 mm. aluminum alloy plate.
The rope guide consists of a bollard, an anvil, and a cover plate. The aluminum bollard is 11.2 mm. long, 15.8 mm. in diameter, and has a 1.6 mm. deep turned U-shaped groove on its circumference. A steel rivet holds it in place. The anvil is a steel extrusion held in place by two rivets. The cover plate is 82 mm. tall and 22 mm. wide, and is made from 2.8 mm. aluminum alloy.
The rotating bollard pivots on an axle riveted to the back plate. The axle does not rotate. The pivot is about 38 mm. to the left of the lower rope channel bollard (center to center). The pivoting bollard is a 49 mm. diameter, 9.8 mm. thick steel circle with a 45 mm. minor diameter U-groove turned on the edge. The pivot hole lies about 13 mm. below the bollard’s center. There is a 97 mm. long control handle attached to the front of the rotating bollard with two rivets. The handle is spring-loaded to favor the storage position.
The front strap is etched with a rigging illustration. The rear is printed "Фёдор 8," "5 >Ø> 9," the Krok logo, "SWL 4kN", "1511", and a book-with-an-"i" icon.
The Mini 8+ is a smaller version of the Fedor Light (Фёдор Лайт), a device that I do not have in my collection. The Fedor Light is a discontinued sports version of the Fedor Automat, designed for ropes between 8 and 12 mm. The Mini-8+ is designed for smaller ropes. Ropes in the upper end of its design range may be suitable for rappelling, but one should avoid rappelling on smaller ropes.
Rigging the Mini-8+ is simple in concept: simply push a bight in from the right and loop it over the handle. Clip in to the hole through the bollard axle. Choose your connector carefully, as many common carabiners and Maillons will not fit through the cam axle attachment hole.
As one descends, friction on the rotating bollard will tend to rotate the handle upward, and the off-centered mounting will cause the rotating bollard to squeeze the rope against the anvil. Pulling the handle down relieves this pressure, allowing one to descend. Pulling the handle down too far will also slow the descent, but this requires a strong pull.
On rappel, the Fedya works reasonably well. The handle is somewhat sensitive (but not overly so) and it requires a strong pull, but I found that I was able to control my descents reasonably well. Still, the handle does not come close to any convenient reference surface, so it takes some getting used to.
Obviously, the marking "5 >Ø> 9" contains two typographical errors.
[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
I acquired my Krok Fedya, Version A from Gear4Rocks in 2012.
Version A is 174 mm. tall, 68 mm. wide, 26 mm. thick, and weighs 369 g.
The descender consists of a steel back plate that supports a rope guide (three bollards and a cover plate) on the right and a central rotating bollard with attached handle extending to the left. The back plate is a 104 mm. tall, 60 mm. wide, irregular plate made from 3.2 mm. steel plate. There is a 15.5 mm. auxiliary hole punched in the lower portion of the plate. There are three 16 mm. long, 10 mm. diameter cylindrical bollards along the right side, covered by a common irregular shaped, 82 mm. tall, 22 mm. wide, and 3.0 mm. thick cover plate, all riveted together to form a rectangular rope channel. The top bollards have a 37 mm. separation, inside to inside. The bottom two bollards are only 5.2 mm apart; they form a rope anvil.
The rotating bollard pivots on an axle riveted to the back plate. The axle does not rotate. The pivot is about 38 mm. to the left of the lower rope channel bollard (center to center). The pivoting bollard is a 50 mm. diameter, 16 mm. thick steel circle with a 46 mm. minor diameter U-groove turned on the edge. The pivot hole lies about 13 mm. below the bollard’s center. There is a 136 mm. long control handle attached to the front of the rotating bollard with two 5 mm. round-head rivets. The handle is 4.0 mm. aluminum plate with a 75 mm. long plastic handle. The handle has four finger grooves. The plastic has two parts, an inner sleeve and an outer heat-shrink cover.
With the exception of the cam axle, all visible metal components are painted.
The rear of the back plate is stamped with the Krok logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "08 11" (the date of manufacture)
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 Gear4Rocks’ web site advertises their products as "…functional, serviceable, affordable and safe, not pretty or trendy…." The Fedya has been tested by "STANDART," the Ukrainian National Scientific-Certification Center in Kiev. Their testing procedures are based on CE and UIAA standards.
Rigging the descender is simple in concept: simply push a bight in from the right and loop it over the handle. Clip in to the hole through the bollard axle. Choose your connector carefully, as many common carabiners and Maillons will not fit through the cam axle attachment hole. Do NOT clip into the auxiliary hole, which is only designed for hanging the descender or suspending a secondary load such as a tool bucket or cave pack.
As one descends, friction on the rotating bollard will tend to rotate the handle upward, and the off-centered mounting will cause the rotating bollard to squeeze the rope against the two lower rope channel bollards. Pulling the handle down relieves this pressure, allowing one to descend. Pulling the handle down too far will also slow the descent, but this requires a strong pull.
On rappel, the Fedya works reasonably well. The handle is somewhat sensitive (but not overly so) and it requires a strong pull, but I found that I was able to control my descents reasonably well. Still, the handle does not come close to any convenient reference surface, so it takes some getting used to. The stop position held my weight (90 kg.), something that many "stop" devices fail to do.
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Warning: NEVER clip into the auxiliary hole! AlwaYs Clip in to The hole in the cam axle. |
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[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front View | Rear View | Top View |
I acquired my Krok Fedya, Version B from Gear4Rocks in 2012. They sold it as the "Fedya Mirror" (Федя Зеркало).
Version B is 173 mm. tall, 67 mm. wide, 25 mm. thick, and weighs 394 g.
Version B is almost a mirror image of Version A. The significant difference is that the handle on the Mirror is made of steel, not aluminum, and it is attached with countersunk rivets.
The inside of the back plate is stamped with the Krok logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "09 11" (the date of manufacture)
The choice between the Standard and Mirror is based on one’s preference for rappelling left- or right-handed.
The steel handle adds 25 g. to the weight of the Fedya compared to the aluminum handle used in Version A. I am not sure why the change was made, but Krok seems to have maintained the steel handle in all their later versions.
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Warning: NEVER clip into the auxiliary hole! AlwaYs Clip in to The hole in the cam axle. |
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[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Left-handed: Front | Left-handed: Rear |
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| Left-handed: Left | Left-handed: Right |
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| Right-handed: Front | Right-handed: Rear |
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| Right-handed: Left | Right-handed: Right |
I acquired my Krok Fedya, Version C descenders from Krok in 2021.
Version C is 173 mm. tall, 64 mm. wide, 31 mm. thick, and weighs 444 g.
The descender consists of a steel back plate that supports a rope guide (three bollards and a cover plate) on the right and a central rotating bollard with attached handle extending to the left. The back plate is a 104 mm. tall, 63 mm. wide, irregular plate made from 3.1 mm. steel plate. There is a 17 mm. auxiliary hole punched in the lower portion of the plate. There are three 16 mm. long … bollards along the right side, covered by a common … 80 mm. tall, 24 mm. wide, and 3.0 mm. thick cover plate, all riveted together to form a rectangular rope channel. The top bollard is 24.8 mm. in diameter with an 11 mm. wide, 6.7 mm. deep U-shape groove turned in its circumference. The other two bollards are 10 mm. diameter cylinders. The top bollards have a 36 mm. separation, inside to inside. The bottom two bollards are only 10.3 mm apart; they form a rope anvil.
The rotating bollard pivots on an axle riveted to the back plate. The axle does not rotate. The pivot is about 37 mm. to the left of the lower rope channel bollard (center to center). The pivoting bollard is a 49 mm. diameter, 14 mm. thick steel circle with a 45 mm. minor diameter U-groove turned on the edge. The pivot hole lies about 13 mm. below the bollard’s center. There is a 136 mm. long control handle attached to the front of the rotating bollard with two 5 mm. round-head rivets. The handle is 3.1 mm. steel plate with an 87 mm. long rubber handle. The handle has three shallow finger grooves.
With the exception of the cam axle, all visible metal components are painted.
The front strap is etched with a rigging illustration. The rear of the left-handed descender is printed with ’"Федя",’ the Krok logo, "Max 220кг ø 10," Max 280кг ø 11," Max 400кг ø 12," "WLL 10 kN," "MBS 22 kN," "1901.2919," "TP TC019/2011," "EAC," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "ГОСТ EN 12841-2014/C,"the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, "006 inside a hollow rectangle, and "ДСТУ EN 12841:2017/C." The rear of the right-handed descender is printed with ’"Федя",’ the Krok logo, "Max 220кг ø 10," Max 280кг ø 11," Max 400кг ø 12," "MBS 22 kN," "20.11.20.03," "TP TC019/2011," "EAC," a book-with-an-"i" icon, the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, and "EN 12841-2014/C.
Version C is heavier than the earlier versions, probably because of extra weight in the new handle. The new handle is an improvement, being both more comfortable and more durable than the earlier design.
Rigging the descender is simple in concept: simply push a bight in from the right and loop it over the handle. Clip in to the hole through the bollard axle. Choose your connector carefully, as many common carabiners and Maillons will not fit through the cam axle attachment hole. Do NOT clip into the auxiliary hole, which is only designed for hanging the descender or suspending a secondary load such as a tool bucket or cave pack.
As one descends, friction on the rotating bollard will tend to rotate the handle upward, and the off-centered mounting will cause the rotating bollard to squeeze the rope against the two lower rope channel bollards. Pulling the handle down relieves this pressure, allowing one to descend. Pulling the handle down too far will also slow the descent, but this requires a strong pull.
On rappel, the Fedya works reasonably well. The handle is somewhat sensitive (but not overly so) and it requires a strong pull, but I found that I was able to control my descents reasonably well. Still, the handle does not come close to any convenient reference surface, so it takes some getting used to. The stop position held my weight (90 kg.), something that many "stop" devices fail to do.
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Warning: NEVER clip into the auxiliary hole! AlwaYs Clip in to The hole in the cam axle. |
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[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Double | Return to PolyBollards ]
I acquired my Krok Fedya, Version D descenders from Krok in 2021.
Version D is 152 mm. tall, 63 mm. wide, 43 mm. thick, and weighs 501 g.
Version D replaces the fixed handle on Version C with folding handle assembly. The mechanism has a cylindrical housing attached to a base plate riveted to the cam. The housing contains a spring-loaded pin or ball that engages one of two holes in the handle. A cover plate is riveted through the housing to the base plate, holding the handle in place.
With the exception of the cam axle, all visible metal components are painted.
The front strap is etched with a rigging illustration. The rear is printed with ’"Федя",’ the Krok logo, "Max 220кг ø 10," Max 280кг ø 11," Max 400кг ø 12," "MBS 22 kN," "20.06.30.25" for the left- and "20.11.20.03" for the right-handed descender, "TP TC 019/2011," "EAC," a book-with-an-"i" icon, the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, and "EN 12841-2014/C.
Version D is 59 g. heavier than Version C. The folding handle gives a smaller package for transport, but the difference is not very large, and so I prefer the fixed handle and its associated simplicity.
As with the earlier versions, do NOT clip into the auxiliary hole. It is only designed for hanging the descender or suspending a secondary load such as a tool bucket or cave pack. Choose your connector carefully, as many common carabiners and Maillons will not fit through the cam axle attachment hole.
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Warning: NEVER clip into the auxiliary hole! AlwaYs Clip in to The hole in the cam axle. |
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[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Return to PolyBollards ]
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| Front, Handle folded | Rear, Handle folded |
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| Left | Right |
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| Front, Unfolded for Use | Rear, Unfolded for Use |
I acquired my Fedya Double from Krok in 2021.
My Fedya Double 153 mm. tall, 88 mm. wide, 83 mm. thick, and weighs 987 g.
The Fedya Double is made by attaching left- and right-handed Version D Fedyas back-to-back. The connection is made by extending the rivets bolding the front straps and bollards through the two bodies, and by extending the hollow cam axle rivet.
With the exception of the cam axle, all visible metal components are painted.
The front straps are etched with a rigging illustrations. One handle is printed with ’"ФЕДЯ ДУБЛЬ",’ the Krok logo, "WLL 10 kN," "MBS 22 kN," "20.01.21.03," and a book-with-an-"i" icon. The other handle is printed with "TP TC 019/2011," "EAC,", the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "EN 12841-2014/C.
The Fedya Double is a large contraption that allows descending double ropes. While cavers and climbers occasionally encounter double-rope rappels, I cannot imagine carrying the Fedya Double as a contingency for those rare occasions.
While the Double works, I find it excessively complicated. Trying to manage two levers instead of one is complexity that I don't need.
The attachment point for the single-rope Fedyas is the hollow cam axle, and I do not have any carabiners or Maillons that will pass through the 39 mm.-long channel on the double. The only way I could rig to this hole was with a length of accessory cord. That has obvious safety and operational drawbacks. I reject that approach. Krok recognized the problem and they recommend attaching to the more obvious auxiliary hole. In their own words:
Attention! The connection point of the connecting carabiner to the FEDYA-DOUBLE trigger is a hole in the cheek! Therefore, there is a possibility that the rope may come off the device. Be careful.
Let’s leave the Double for the industrial and other users.
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Warning: there is a possibility that the rope may come off the device. |
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[ Top | FED-21 | Fedor Automat | Fedor Mini 8+ | Fedya Version A | Fedya Version B | Fedya Version C | Fedya Version D | Fedya Double ]
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