Buba
Version A
Version B
Version C
Version D
|
|
|
| Buba | Version A |
|
|
|
|
| Version B | Version C | Version D |
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version D | Return to Figure Eights ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this eight from John E. Weinel, Inc. in 1994.
The Buba is milled from aluminum alloy plate. Mine is 141 mm. tall, 73 mm. wide, and 14 mm thick. The rope hole is 47 mm. high and 47 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 14 mm. The shaft length and width are 45 mm. and 24 mm., respectively. The eye measures 23 mm. by 23 mm. My eight weighs 142 g.
One side of the shaft is stamped with "buba" inside a parallelogram.
This is the only full-size, milled, aluminum eight that I have. I am somewhat surprised that I haven't seen any others.
[ Top | Buba | Version B | Version C | Version D | Return to Figure Eights ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this eight from Artyom Babin (Артём Бабин) in 2022.
This eight is hand cut from aluminum alloy plate. Mine is 109 mm. tall, 69 mm. wide, and 9 mm. thick. The rope hole is 49 mm. high and 49 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 9 mm. The shaft length and width are 10 mm. and 40 mm., respectively. The eye measures 30 mm. by 30 mm. This eight weighs 67 g.
There are no markings on this eight.
This eight is tiny, and probably too small for general use on 11 mm. caving rope, but it works all right on smaller ropes. The tie-off horns are hooked to help hold the rope better. The eye is too narrow to accept two full size locking carabiners. This eight may be hand made.
Rather than create a Midi-sized milled plate eight category solely for this eight, I placed it with the Other Eights.
[ Top | Buba | Version A | Version C | Version D | Return to Figure Eights ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this eight from Artyom Babin (Артём Бабин) in 2024.
This eight is made from welded steel rings. Mine is 118 mm. tall, 93 mm. wide, and 8 mm. thick. The rope hole is 77 mm. high and 7 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 8 mm. The shaft length and width are 10 mm. and 26 mm., respectively. The eye measures 16 mm. by 17 mm. My eight weighs 122 g.
There are no markings on this eight.
The Russians invented "sports tourism" competitions that include, among other things, what amount to rope work obstacle courses. This homemade eight is designed for those competitions, and so its focus is on speed. The large hole facilitates fast rigging. The eight provides minimal friction, allowing for rapid descents with free-fall acceleration. Lighter users might be able to stop without relying on the ground as backup. Don't try this while caving.
The eight is made of steel, but there is minimal margin for wear.
I placed this eight in my Other Eights category.
[ Top | Buba | Version A | Version B | Version D | Return to Figure Eights ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this eight from Aleksei Chernov (Алексей Чернов) in 2026.
This eight is milled from steel and then painted. Mine is 119 mm. tall, 98 mm. wide, and 6 mm. thick. The rope hole is 85 mm. high and 85 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 6 mm. The shaft length and width are 7 mm. and 25 mm., respectively. The eye measures 16 mm. by 12 mm. My eight weighs 96 g.
There are no markings on this eight.
The Russians invented "sports tourism" competitions that include, among other things, what amount to rope work obstacle courses. This eight is designed for those competitions, and so its focus is on speed. The large hole facilitates fast rigging. The eight is used in a free-running mode that provides minimal friction, allowing for rapid descents with free-fall acceleration. Lighter users might be able to stop without relying on the ground as backup. Don't try this while caving.
The eight is made of steel, but there is minimal margin for wear.
I placed this eight in my Other Eights category.
[ Top | Buba | Version A | Version B | Version C | Return to Figure Eights ]
|
|
 |
| Front | Rear |
I acquired this eight from Aleksei Chernov (Алексей Чернов) in 2026.
This eight is milled from aluminum alloy and then painted. Mine is 127 mm. tall, 101 mm. wide, and 10 mm. thick. The rope hole is 81 mm. high and 81 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 10 mm. The shaft length and width are 10 mm. and 36 mm., respectively. The eye measures 15 mm. by 1 mm. My eight weighs 88 g.
There are two set screws in the side of the eye for locking this eight to a carabiner. This helps reduce rigging time for a skilled user by a second or so.
There are no markings on this eight.
The Russians invented "sports tourism" competitions that include, among other things, what amount to rope work obstacle courses. This eight is designed for those competitions, and so its focus is on speed. The large hole facilitates fast rigging. The eight is used in a free-running mode that provides minimal friction, allowing for rapid descents with free-fall acceleration. Lighter users might be able to stop without relying on the ground as backup. Don't try this while caving.
I placed this eight in my Other Eights category.
[ Top | Buba | Version A | Version B | Version C | Version D ]
For far more content, use a larger monitor and a full-width window.
Hundreds of cell phone users complained and asked me to for a simpler, mobile friendly site. In particular, they wanted me to limit each page to a small number of pictures and minimize my use of text. This new site provides what they asked for.