Lightweight, safe, just as convenient to use as a conventional paragliding carabiner – and yet more durable and separable under load. This is the current status of the Paralock pre-series.
In terms of safety, stregth and function, the current Paralock pre-series is faultless.
We have ensured this through extensive testing. The first flights with prototypes by Tom Grabner and other test pilots were still made without a security cap.
However, after it became apparent that an unintentional opening due an accidental push of the release mechanism is unlikely but still possible, we added the security cap as an additional safety step. The paraglider can still be disconnected in seconds, even under load.
However, there is still room for improvement, and the currently available pre-series is also not yet flawless in terms of visual appearance.
The current manufacturer has to date not been able to deliver the quality we require for mass production. As a result, each Paralock is being completely disassembled in our Munich workshop and some parts have to be extensively reworked. The costs of production still far exceed the achievable revenues. Not even taking into account our investments in forging molds and machining equipment.
Nevertheless, also based on the knowledge gained with the pre-series, we are in the process of completely revising the design of the Paralock and restarting production with a different manufacturer. Just like our Quick-Out, the Paralock has to be forged in a complex two-stage process that only few companies can master. Based on our experience, we do not expect the new Paralock generation to enter the market for another one to three years, due to the overall very high complexity of the product.
But when it will be available, we want to offer an upgrade to the new generation at a 50% discount to all pilots who have purchased a pre-series Paralock and thus helped to finance this challenging project.
More information about the Paralock and other Finsterwalder & Charly carabiners ...
