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Version A
Version B
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I acquired my Charlet-Moser, Version A from Stéphane Pennequin in 2014.
Version A is 54 mm. tall, 61 mm. wide, 55 mm. thick, and weighs 76 g.
The Charlet-Moser is essentially a large brake bar stamped from 1.3 mm. plated steel. There are two holes on one end. The upper hole is 12.6 mm. diameter, the other is 16.9 mm. The other end is notched so that the face sits parallel to the carabiner. There are two dimples that act as rope grooves. The center dimple is about 5.8 mm. deep, the outer 5.2 mm., and the ridge between them is 3 mm. high.
The top is stamped "CHARLET-MOSER" and "MADE IN FRANCE."
The Chartlet Moser is a lightweight but bulky brake bar first introduced in 1971. They had taken over the Guido Magnone descender and modified it heavily to make this one. The large surface area helps dissipate heat effectively. With the large depth, it provides more friction than a standard brake bar.
Charlet-Moser made this descender specifically for their triangular security carabiners, and I didn't have any of those when I took the photos. The slots are angled to the axis connecting the two holes, so it does not work well on oval or D carabiners, nor does it seem to fit most HMS carabiners well. Triangle or pear carabiners seem to be what one is looking for, and I was able to find a Bonaiti that worked well.
[ Top | Version A | Return to Brake Bar Descenders ]
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| Front View | Side View | Open for Rigging |
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| Front | Rear | Top |
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| Left | Right | Bottom |
I acquired my Charlet-Moser, Version B from Marty Karabin in 2021.
Version B is 53 mm. tall, 66 mm. wide, 58 mm. thick, and weighs 86 g.
The Charlet-Moser is essentially a large brake bar stamped from 1.3 mm. plated steel. There are two holes on one end. The upper hole is 12.6 mm. diameter, the other is 17.1 mm. The other end is notched so that the face sits parallel to the carabiner. There are two dimples that act as rope grooves. Each dimple is about 4.9 mm. deep, and the ridge between them is 4 mm. high.
The bottom is stamped "CHARLET-MOSER" and "MADE IN FRANCE."
Version B looks like a mirror image of Version A. When looking at the convex side of Version B sitting upright on a carabiner, the carabiner gate is to the right, while for Version A it is to the left.
Version B also has a small dimple behind the upper hole that makes it easier to place it on the carabiner.
Like Version A, Charlet-Moser made this descender specifically for their triangular security carabiners, and I didn't have any of those when I took the photos. There are not many carabiners that fit Version B well. The small Bonaiti-Cassin in the photos works better than any others in my collection.
Stéphane Pennequin, who gave me my Version A, sent me this photograph of the Charlet-Moser descender from their 1981 catalog:
The photo in the catalog matches my Version B, not the Version A that he sent to me. He suggested that I show the Charlet-Moser with a screw gate carabineer as the catalog suggests, but I had trouble finding one that fit well.
[ Top | Version A | Version B ]
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