Climbing Gear Log

This company, pronounced “Manaraga”, is named after a mountain in the Urals. I managed to find their website, and even the page for this specific product.

• Манарага с муфтой, red
  • Received: Thursday, June 4, 2009
    Courtney brought me one of these from Russia as a gift. I love it, even though I'm under explicit orders from her to never use it, because she thinks it looks waaay too sketchy. I kind of agree.
    
    This carabiner is apparently made of anodized aluminum, though it has a fairly rough, unpolished finish, and it appears to have been made from round bar stock, bent into the right shape, with the other features simply machined in. (This led me to wonder for a little while if it might be made of titanium, which would have been quite cool.) I don't know much about how carabiners are made here in the western world, but I think it's quite different from that. This leads me to question the (supposed) strength ratings of this biner, which also appear to be stamped into it in decanewtons (or maybe kilograms) instead of the usual kilonewtons. Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly of all, there's an almost-razor-sharp edge at the base of the carabiner's gate, which I'm certain would quickly tear up any rope, cord, or sling that came into contact with it.