A manufacturer of
Climbing gear. They manufacture
tube belay devices and other
protection, but what they are really known for is their
Carabiners. At the moment, all but one of my
Carabiners is an
Omega biner. Why? Low cost, good strength, and high availability. And how do they get those things?
Inmate Labor.
Yup. Since 1993, many of Omega's products are produced by the fine folks in the
State of Washington correctional facilities. The
moral questions of this are obvious, but on the other hand, for many, the price of a good
carabiner is key. Many times, while retreating from a route for example, a good
carabiner must be left on the face (for instance, you need it there to hold the rope to
rappel from, but once you're done, there's no one up there to retrieve it). Thus, You want a biner you can trust to hold you, but doesn’t hurt too much to lose.
Omega Pacific's website is located at www.omegapac.com