finsterwalder-charly.de - Finsterwalder & Charly - Hanggliding and Paragliding Equipment since 1974

UNILOCK

Ultraleichter, universeller Gleitschirmkarabiner

Mit einem Gewicht von nur 45 g und mehr als 25 kN Bruchlast ist der UNILOCK der derzeit leichteste und gleichzeitig einer der am höchsten belastbaren Gleitschirmkarabiner auf dem Markt. Beim Dauerschwingtest ertrug er 2.000 Lastwechsel mit Oberlast 252 DaN sowie anschließend 5 Mio. Lastwechsel mit Oberlast 115,4 DaN. Somit erreicht der UNILOCK eine Zeitfestigkeit von 5 Jahren im Monobetrieb.

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Infos zur Karabinerproblematik

White Paper Gefahr der Materialermüdung	Sincotec Prüfvorschrift Auslegung von Karabinerhaken	Sincotec Prüfbericht Dauerschwingfestigkeitsvers.	Sincotec Prüfbericht Dauerschwingtest Pin Lock

UNILOCK

Ultralight, universal paragliding carabiner 

With a weight of only 45 g and a breaking load of more than 25 kN, the UNILOCK is currently the lightest and at the same time most loadable paragliding carabiners on the market. In the fatigue test, it endured 2.000 load cycles with an upper load of 252 DaN and subsequently 5 mio. load cycles with an upper load of 115,4 DaN. The UNILOCK thus achieves a fatigue strength of 5 years in mono use.

Downloads

Infos zur Karabinerproblematik

White Paper Gefahr der Materialermüdung	Sincotec Prüfvorschrift Auslegung von Karabinerhaken	Sincotec Prüfbericht Dauerschwingfestigkeitsvers.	Sincotec Prüfbericht Dauerschwingtest Pin Lock

PARALOCK 3 universal paragliding carabiner

The Paralock 3 is a universal paragliding carabiner with important safety features that can save your life in a variety of dangerous situations.

The next generation paragliding carabiner is not only useful for emergency water landings and high wind conditions on the ground, its quick-release function also makes it possible to prevent dangerous interactions between the reserve and the paraglider and to make use of the possibility to steer the reserve.

Advantages over conventional paragliding carabiners

• Lifesaving for emergency water landings in breaking waves or on rivers.
• Helpful for handling strong winds.
• Enables the paraglider to be disconnected after an emergency parachute deployment. This prevents an increased sink rate due to the interaction between the parachute and paraglider and the risk of a downplane through the paraglider.
• Long service life without material fatigue problems.
• Intuitive and safe operation with additional blocking option.
• Easy and twist-free installation on almost any harness.
• No need to carry a crosscut knife.
• 28 kN breaking load at only 75 g weight.
  
  

Flying safely means being aware of the risks

In the year 2024, a tragic accident occurred with the Paralock 3. It is clear that in addition to the advantages of separation carabiners, they also carry risks. If you know them, you can avoid them. Our latest Paralock 3 owner's manual makes this even clearer.

Water landings are also very dangerous for paragliders, as the accident statistics show. The article ‘Death trap Water" in DHV-info 216, the magazine of the German Hang Gliding Association (DHV), highlights the dangers of water landings for paragliders. It emphasizes the importance of separating the glider quickly to avoid risks such as entanglement or dangerous pull forces.

The following two videos show specific situations in which it would have been helpful to separate the paraglider after an emergency deployment of the reserve parachute.

This 1 minute long video shows a downplane situation:

This 1 minute long video shows the attempt to pull in the main glider: 

Complex processing of high quality materials

The sophisticated forging process enables the Paralock 3 to be manufactured with a high surface quality despite the high degree of deformation. The forging of the high-strength material Titanal provides additional material reinforcement, resulting in a low weight of only 75 g with a breaking load of 2.8 kN. The steel parts are made of hardened chrome steel, the plastic parts are made of the oil-resistant and low-wear plastic POM, and the swivel lever has a hard-anodised coating for low-friction dry running.

Proven fatigue strength

Unlike conventional paragliding carabiners, the Paralock’s lock is form-fit, so the dynamic stress relevant to material fatigue in flight is only a fraction. It has survived the fatigue test of 2.000 load changes at 525 DaN top load and then 5 million load changes at 240,5 DaN at an accredited materials testing institute without damage. This is equivalent to 5 years of tandem operation with unlimited flight hours. The maximum recommended service life for mono paragliding use is 8 years, with no risk of material fatigue even with extended use.

Proven in practice

The Paralock has undergone extensive field testing during its development.

This 47-second video shows how easy it is to disconnect the paraglider after an emergency parachute deployment:

 This 7-second video shows how to hook in the paraglider and then check that the swivel lever is securely engaged:

 This 1:22 minute video shows the practical use of the Paralock 3

Unlocking, opening	Blocking of the release lever

 Connection

Insert the riser	Place the lock on the lever bearing	Swivel the Lever up and release. The Lock snaps shut, but malfunctions are possible, which is why it is essential to check that it engages securely before each flight (link manual)

Easy installation on almost any harness

Accessories:

Speed system separation links

A speed system separation link is required to allow complete disconnection of the paraglider when a quick release carabiner is operated. The speed system separation link is activated automatically when the carabiner is opened. CHARLY offers three types of speed system separation links:

FINSTERWALDER Paralock 3 Blue Disc

The installation of the FINSTERWALDER Paralock 3 Blue Disc on the securing pin of the Paralock 3, makes the operation of the release blocking mechanism easier, and its position (close to the Paralock / at a distance) indicates the activation of the mechanism.

Paralock 3 Blue Disc Instruction Manual

 Downloads

Manual Paralock 3 Karabiner with upgrade

Manual Paralock 3 Karabiner	Manuel d`instruction Paralock 3 Mousqueton	Manual Paralock 3 Blue Disc	Manuel d`instruction Paralock 3 Blue Disc

Manual Separat. system Brummelhook	Manual Separat. system Easy Release

Infos zur Karabinerproblematik

White Paper Risk of material fatigue	Sincotec test specification only available in german	Sincotec test report only available in german	Pinlock endurance test only available in german