Version A	Version B

Overview

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Version A
(#1345)

Front View	Rear View	Side View

Front View: Open for Rigging	Side View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Krok Grisha, Version A from Gear4Rocks in 2012. 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.

Version A is 156 mm. tall, 84 mm. wide, 31 mm. thick, and weighs 399 g.

The side plates are made from 2.5 mm. steel. One plate is fixed, while the other pivots on the lower bollard axle to allow opening for rigging.

The lower bollard is part of an autostop assembly. This bollard is milled from steel, with a shallow rope groove and a nose that acts as a brake. Friction from the main rope’s passage tends to turn the lower bollard and force the nose towards the upper bollard, thus locking the rope and ideally arresting the descent. The rappeller uses the handle to keep the autostop feature disengaged. A steel handle is riveted to the fixed side plate side of the lower bollard. The handle portion has a plastic cover for comfort. The lower bollard and handle assembly rotate on a riveted axle. A weak, concealed spring tries to keep the handle to the engaged position, supplementing the action provided by the rope friction.

The upper large bollard is riveted to the rear plate. Made from steel, the bollard is cut away on its lower side to provide a flat surface to act as an anvil for the cam action of the autostop feature. The top of this bollard is even with the top of the frame. There is no provision for keeping the rope running over the top of this bollard. The front plate has a 40 mm. long, 12. mm. wide, 4 mm. thick plate riveted to it, near the handle edge. The corresponding edge of the plate is rounded. This provides a smooth surface for the rope to run over if it comes off the top bollard.

Most of the metal parts are painted with a mottled-finish paint. The front plate is stamped with the Krok logo and "04 11," the date of manufacture.

Comments

The lack of any provision for keeping the rope running over the top bollard my be disconcerting to some, but the idea is an old one, as seen in the Descendeur Autobloquant Dressler. The advantage is that this reduces the size of the descender, but it does require some more attention from the user. I find that stiff ropes, such as PMI Pit Rope, are particularly willing to leave their appointed path.

There is no gate or cutout to allow opening the device without removing it from the harness.

I dislike the painted finish as well, since the paint just wears off and leaves a mess on the rope.

The shape of the handle brings it farther from the attachment carabiner than handles on the Petzl Stop and similar stop bobbins. I don't find this to particularly significant. I suppose it is mainly a matter of preference; but it does make the Grisha a bit bulkier for packing.

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Version B
(#1357, 1362)

Front View	Rear View	Side View

Front View: Open for Rigging	Side View: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Krok Grisha, Version B from Gear4Rocks in 2012. Immediately thereafter, I received a second one when Alex Dniprovsky sent me a box of donations originating from Alex Kostromitinov, the CEO of Krok. 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.

Version B is 135 mm. tall, 109 mm. wide, 36 mm. thick, and weighs 402 g.

Version B makes the following changes to Version A:

• The side plates are bent outward and downward to provide a rounded surface for the rope to run over.
• There is no longer a need for a block to be riveted to the pivoting side plate, so it is gone.
• There is an additional small hole in the handle near the lower bollard.
• The plastic handle is thicker and made form a more robust material

The pivoting side plate is etched with a rigging icon, the Krok logo,"0412 N088," (0412 N002" on the second one), "4kN," and a book-with-an-"i" icon.

Comments

Performance is identical to Version A’s. The beefed up side plate may increase strength, but I doubt that anything is wrong with the strength of Version A, so I consider the extra weight superfluous. The use of a different lot of bolts is unimportant. I almost never use this bobbin since I see no advantage over Version A.

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