Jerry,
To my understanding the climber was on the ground introducing a test load when the ring snapped. I saw no elongation of the metal which makes me believe the forging process was poorly monitored and managed. Individual testing would likely have revealed the problem. We broke 6 rings from inventory (3 marked and 3 unmarked) and none broke under 6,800 lbs.
Blinky, Don't ditch it, trade it in for an individually tested version that YOU CAN trust your life to.
WoodBoy, we have sold these Kong-sourced rings alone as well as spliced them into various friction saver accessories.
NoBivy -Dates? Don't understand your question. Here - If you ever bought a polished aluminum ring from us without inscription we are inviting it back, there's simply no room for error in my opinion.
Sean, According to a source who just received a similar ring from Wesspur, your response "All our rings have the strength in kN printed right on the side" is, well, not exactly accurate. I would also reconsider your current hardware source. I thought SherrillTree was doing right buying directly from the manufacturing source in Italy but it turned out they outsourced. You, on the other hand, must surely know your source is NOT only NOT a manufacturer, but also a known importer of... less than premium quality. Drop me a pm and i'll redirect you.
all for now.