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Karabiners – Classification, Climbing & Colour!
Whatever your specific requirement, Landmark Trading offer a wide range of karabiners to suit that requirement. From climbing karabiners, to rigging karabiners and tool karabiners, we have an extensive variety of karabiners for every purpose. This blog will give a synopsis of each category, with the hope that this will equip you with all the information you need to know about karabiners and how to choose them.
All the climbing and rigging karabiners we sell are serial numbered and conform to EN362 standard.
In order to conform to the EN362, karabiners must have a ‘Minimum Breaking Strain’ (MBS). The MBS is measured in kiloNewtons (kN). A kilonewton is equal to about 225lbs, and is a force of gravity rating, not static weight, or mass. Each karabiner is measured in terms of the rating of force it can withstand.
That rating doesn’t take into account wear and tear or shock loading, so be aware that this will decrease with age and use, and always replace any karabiners with excessive wear or that have sustained a significant shock load.
The strength is relative to the material the karabiner is made from, the type of karabiner, and what its purpose is. Rigging karabiners must have a very high MBS. Climbing karabiners must also have a high MBS, but less so than for rigging karabiners. Tool karabiners have a much lower Minimum Breaking Strain as they are not designed to take any serious weight, and are used for convenience rather than safety purposes.
Some karabiners come in a variety of colours – some arborists prefer brightly coloured, highly visible gates, also having a variety of colours allow easy identification for organizational purposes, such as use of a specific colour for a particular item of equipment.
Climbing karabiners are made from aluminium. They come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, depending on specific climbing applications. Karabiners can largely be categorized into two types: Oval or HMS/Classic. The Oval design is now the most popular for many climbers due to its symmetrical shape, allowing the karabiner to pass freely through small device eyes. HMS or ‘pear’ shaped karabiners are more of a traditionally recognized ‘karabiner shape’ and are still the preferred option for many climbers for certain uses, being available in a variety of sizes and slightly different proportions and shapes.
All climbing karabiners have a secure 3-way locking gate, to help prevent accidental opening whilst in use.
OVAL
The soft, even curves of the oval shaped karabiner allow it to flow freely through a small space without getting jammed. The symmetrical shape also helps ensure correct loading on the vertical axis. Here are a selection of the high-quality oval karabiners we offer:
Harkie Oval Karabiner
The Harkie Oval Alloy Karabiner has a symmetrical design allowing for the optimal loading of devices and allows the karabiner to flow freely through small device eyes such as on mechanical prussic or swivel. It has a gate with good grip for easy opening when wearing gloves, as well as offering easy one-handed use and an MBS of 25kN. It is available in a range of four vibrant colours: black body and orange gate, black body and purple gate, black body and blue gate and black body and green gate. The Harkie range of karabiners are known for their durability and high quality.
This extra compact karabiner uses a new extra-short gate to create a profile as compact as possible with a length of only 95mm, particularly intended for keeping friction systems close to the user and taking up as little space and weight as possible. The PerfectO is a true oval karabiner that offers easy one-handed use. Its shape provides effective centring of loads and the fully rounded rope bearing areas increase karabiner and rope longevity. A keylock nose allows snag-free operation. It is available in one colour – silver body with a green gate.
The Kong OvalOne is an aluminium karabiner with a large opening. The wide symmetrical shape, greater than that of a classic oval, allows a better positioning on mobile devices and helps ensure correct operation even if not perfectly aligned with the connector. It has a keylock nose system to prevent snagging and is available in three colours: gold body and black gate, red body and silver gate and matt black body and gate. Made in Italy.
The Petzl OK Oval is a lightweight oval karabiner made of aluminium and is Petzl’s recommended connector for the ZigZag and Chicane. The oval shape allows optimal loading of devices with a wide cross-section, such as pulleys and rope clamps. Its fluid interior design and keylock system facilitates handling. It has an MBS of 25kN. It weighs 75g and measures 111mm in length. The Petzl OK Oval karabiner is available in one colour – silver body with an orange gate.
HMS
The classic wide pear shape design of this karabiner makes it suitable for use with all anchoring and belaying systems. The following is a list of high-quality HMS karabiners.
The Harkie HMS Alloy Karabiner features a gate with good grip for easy opening when wearing gloves and ensures easy one-handed use. It has an MBS of 25kN. It is available in a range of four vibrant colours for clearly defined identification: black body and orange gate, black body and purple gate, black body and blue gate and black body and green gate.
The DMM Shadow karabiner is a small, more compact, HMS with an I-beam profile for increased strength to weight ratio. It offers an MBS of 24kN, and measures 102mm in length. It is available in silver body with a green gate.
The Kong HMS Classic karabiner is a good value for money HMS with a Keylock system to help prevent snagging. The classic wide pear shape makes it suitable for use with all anchoring and belaying systems. It is available in three colours: matt black back and gate, gold body and black gate, and red body with silver gate. Made in Italy.
The DMM Boa Karabiner is made from aluminium and features a large profile, providing increased internal volume and a 24mm gate clearance. Similar in shape to the classic HMS it is a larger version for applications requiring more space. It features an I-Beam section for increased strength to weight ratio, as well as a Keylock clean nose for snag free connection. It weights 86 grams, measures 122mm in length and has an MBS 25 kN.
The Gecko karabiner is an old favourite with many established climbers with its kinked back and rounded end, helping to keep the rope exactly where the climber intends it. It has an MBS of 30kN and measures 115mm in length. It is available in one colour – grey body with a red gate.
The Mongoose karabiner is a large HMS, and similar to the Gecko has a kinked back which acts as a guide for the rope eye. It has an MBS of 30kN and measures 132mm in length. It is available in one colour – grey body with a red gate.
The Harness Alloy karabiner with its partially defined eye is designed to bring ropes perfectly into the longitudinal axis. Measuring 120mm in length, the Harness Alloy karabiner has an MBS of 22kN. It is available in one colour – a silver body with red gate.
The Captive Eye Alloy karabiner has a completely defined eye, allowing this karabiner to do the job of a karabiner and ring in one go. As such this can be used for specific uses such as directly on a harness bridge. It has an MBS of 30kN and is available in one colour – a grey body with a red gate.
The Swivel Eye Alloy karabiner is similar to the Captive Eye karabiner but with the added advantage of a swivel mechanism on the eye to help keep the climber’s working system free of twists. It has an MBS of 25kN and is available in one colour – a grey body with a red gate.
The DMM Rhino is made from alloy and has the unique feature of a ‘horn’ on the spine to significantly reduce the risk of cross loading, by restricting certain devices from rotating off the top bar. Its I-Beam construction helps keep weight to a minimum. It has an MBS of 27kN, measures 104mm in length and weighs 72g. It is available in one colour – a silver body with green gate.
Rigging karabiners are made from steel, as their purpose is to provide an extremely strong breaking strain, for carrying out heavy rigging operations. Some rigging karabiners come with a 3 way locking gate, whilst others have a screwgate.
Here is a selection of our quality rigging karabiners.
The Iron Wizard karabiner is extra strong with a higher-than-average 70kN breaking strain. It also features an off-axis gate which allows bigger gate opening for easy insertion of slings or other components. It has a 3-way gate, measures 124mm in length and weighs 295g.
The Big Dan Steel karabiner, as can be deducted from the name, is a chunky karabiner with a large capacity and features a Supersafe 3-way action, reducing the risk of the gate opening accidentally. It has a 50kN maximum breaking strain, measures 133mm in length and weighs 278g.
The Klettersteig Steel karabiner has a slimmer profile than the Big Dan and a straight, rather than kinked, back. It features a Supersafe 3-way action, reducing the risk of the gate opening accidentally. It has a 50kN maximum breaking strain, measuring 123mm in length and weighs 269g.
The D-Profile Steel karabiner is a more modest size karabiner for rigging operations with less bulky connections and features a 3-way locking gate. It has a breaking strain of 50kN, measures 109mm in length, has a gate opening measuring 19mm and weighs 190g.
The Offset D Steel karabiner is a small screwgate karabiner. Despite its compact size it still boasts a breaking strain of 50kN. It measures 112mm in length, and weighs 220g.
Small Offset D steel Karabiner
The Small Offset D Steel karabiner is the smallest of our rigging karabiners and comes with a screwgate closure. It has a breaking strain of 40kN, measures 102mm in length, and weighs 170g.
Tool karabiners are designed only, as the name suggests, for the attachment of tools and kit to one’s harness or belt. Most tool karabiners have a wire gate, as they are not required to provide a high strength connection. Here is a list of some of the best tool karabiners on the market.
Petzl Caritool Karabiner Hook, small
The small Petzl Caritool karabiner hook is a fantastically popular little connector which allows extra karabiners to easily stored or removed. It easily fits most harnesses. These tool karabiners have a 20mm gate opening and measure 115mm long. It has a 5kg maximum load and comes in black.
Petzl Caritool Karabiner Hook, large, 143mm
The large Petzl Caritool karabiner hook was introduced by Petzl in response to climbers’ requirements for a larger version of the traditional Caritool. The larger capacity allows more gear connections but also has an increased load bearing capacity of 15kg. As with its sibling, it easily fits most harnesses. These tool karabiners have a 20mm gate opening, measure 143mm long, and comes in black.
DMM Phantom Spring Gate Tool Karabiner
The DMM Phantom Spring Gate Tool karabiner is a non-PPE alloy karabiner with a spring gate for use as a tool karabiner. It has a gate opening of 22mm and has a surprising MBS of 23kN. It is available in two colours – green and red.
The DMM Vault karabiner is a wire gate tool storage karabiner. It has a 23mm gate opening and an MBS of 3kN, and comes in silver with a red gate.
We hope that you found our karabiner blog useful and informative! Please bear in mind that information is based on styles and specifications available at time of writing, which can change over time. You can check our website for current information and specifications at any time, or contact our office for more information.