Wire Gates, Conventional Krabs, Locking Krabs, Petzl Mechanisms

KARABINERS

Krabs are the crucial links in the climbing chain. It is important that they are very strong and reliable. Also no matter how many you have, there is always a need for more. I think that my rack is about average size, it contains around 50 krabs, that includes quickdraws.

Krabs were originally made of steel, but now almost all are made of a high tensile aluminum alloy. This is a lot lighter than steel, and almost as hard wearing. Steel krabs can still be bought but are only really used in outdoor centres, where weight is not a concern, but durability is.
 

WIRE GATES

The gate of any krab is the weakest point. Even though wire gates seem so flimsy and insubstantial, they are quite a lot stronger than conventional gates. This is primarily because they are one part, and they bend rather than shearing through. This increases the overall strength of the krab. Apparently the stainless steel wire is the strongest part of the krab, with the body failing before it. Several conventional krabs have been modified for wire gates, thus increasing the strength. The original strengths are marked as it would cost money to change them.

Most modern krabs are fairly unbreakable, except when loaded incorrectly, over an edge, or is damaged. If a krab fails it is usually when it is undergoes a high impact when the gate is open. The current standards are 7kn. The gate is rarely opened by a protrusion from the rock, but by the krab hitting the rock as it is loaded. So the krab gate opens just as it is loaded, thus reducing the overall holding power. The distance it whiplashes is down to the mass of the gate and the strength of the spring. The spring cannot be too strong as it would be hard to use, so the mass of the gate should be changed, thus wire gates do not whip as much.

One concern would be that the narrow wire would cut the rope if loaded over the minor axis. But due to it being continuous and smooth there was almost no difference between it and a conventional gate.

The operation of the krabs varies between models but is generally very good and smooth. Also the gate open distance is far greater than a bent gate, plus the rope is less likely to unclip from a straight gate.

Wire gates are obviously lighter than the conventional equivalent, saving between 10 to 20 grams per krab. Thus a typical rack like mine could weigh between half and 1 kilo different.

The krab is made of only two components, that being the body and the gate. Thus it has no spring and is a lot simpler. Which is a bonus in harsh climbing conditions when ice or salt could freeze up a conventional gate. Also the sprung wire gate remains springy for a lot longer than conventional gates.

The WC wild wire is a very refined krab, with a smooth gate open action, that is very light. There is not really any fault with it. The BD Hotwire is also very good. It is slightly stronger than the wild wire, and has a couple of differences. The major one being a flared nose, that protects the wire, and stops it rubbing open. Both gates are recommended, and I personally own more Hot wires. But the wild wire quickdraw is probably the best quickdraw available, due to weight and ease of use.
 

CONVENTIONAL KRABS

These are the traditional krabs, that come in a few different flavours. Big, small, thick, thin, they all serve the same process. One problem with them over wire gates is that the spring can flick out. This can strip the sheath from a rope in an instance. Which is not a good thing. The differences between wire and solid are mentioned above.

I still use a lot of solid gate krabs, although I am not sure why. It is probably to give my rack a varied feel. Most of my krabs have been bought in pairs, and chosen because of their price. Cheap krabs should be strong enough.

DMM mambas are my favourite quickdraws. They are exceptionally strong and cannot be cross loaded as the sling is in a captive eye. The weight penalty of the gate is fairly negligible on short routes, so it isn't really a problem most of the time.

Most krabs are good, but some are a little different. The DMM eclipse has a wide opening and is very good to store nuts, But a wire gate would work equally as well.
 

LOCKING KRABS

At stances it is very important to use locking krabs on all the major anchors. This is because if there is a problem and you need to hoist, escape the system, or whatever it is good to know that the stance is bombproof. When rope is all over the place it is nice to know the anchors are secure. Wouldn't it be annoying if you died simply because you forgot to do up a screw gate. HMS krabs are often best, as they can hold more clove hitches than typical D shaped krabs.

Screw gates are often the cheapest form of locking krab. This being the reason that I use them instead of self locking mechanisms. The only problem being that you need to remember to screw up the gates. There are a number of sprung screw gates available, such as the ball lock from petzl. The gate gets automatically locked when the gate is released.

The best HMS krab for belaying, in my opinion, is the DMM Boa screwgate. It is possibly the largest krab I have used and is also fairly light. It is exceptional for belaying, but not so good for fixing anchors. I use Black Diamond Mini pear shaped krab for anchors. This is because it has a wide top for knots and slings, and is lighter than other HMS style krabs.

Petzl Locking Krabs

	A manual locking system, with an extremely strong alloy sleeve. There is a red safety indicator, that is visible when the krab is not locked.
Spinball A rapid action manual locking system. To unlock the gate of the krab simply press on the green button. The sleeve will turn to the left or the right. Locking is done by turning the sleeve until the green indicator reappears.
	Ball Lock An automatic system. To open the gate of the krab, press the green button and turn the sleeve a quarter turn right. Closure and locking occur as soon as the sleeve is released. The green indicator reappears.