UKC

I am hardly the man who has everything but my son wants to know what I want for Christmas. I was introduced to a guide plate the other week and although I understand there are issues around their use, I am inclined to ask for one. I would appreciate recomendations about which model to get / avoid. Thanks

In reply to Mike Conlon:

BD ATC Guide or Petzl Reverso are the main two.

DMM's new Pivot (think that's it's name) looks great too.

Guide plates are awesome

In reply to Mike Conlon:

From what I hear the ATC Guide is a more durable metal, but the Reverso is a bit better with smaller ropes? I have the old style ATC and love the guide mode, if you don't use it then you just carry an extra couple of grams with you, unlikely to be the cause of you not onsighting your newest project.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Reverso 3 is similar to the ATC Guide I believe. Reverso 4 is much smaller and lighter. I've belayed 10mm ropes with it but it was a little bit jammy. It's also presumably less durable (less metal). I don't take it to the gym, and save it for big routes where I want everything as light as possible.

In reply to Mike Conlon:

I have been using the BD Guide for the past 5 years and it's still going strong, its very robust. The only sticking point I have it sometimes grabs with the combination of certain carabiners and thick ropes 10.5 on payout but this is only sometimes. My daughter has the Petzl 3 and she is into her second one with less belaying than me. It wears down quicker and starts to develop a sharp edge. Wild Country gave me a gift of their new guide mode device which seems to be good as well. Only been using it for 3 months and it seems closer to the Petzl Reverso than the BD. For a no nonsense belay device go with the BD guide for longevity, or you could wait for the DMM Pivot which I'M sure will be good coming from DMM.

In reply to Mike Conlon:

Kong gigi is the king for guide plates isn't it?

In reply to Mike Conlon:

I think you need to differentiate between whether you want a belay device with a "guide mode" like the ATC Guide/Reverso/WC Pro guide etc... or what has traditionally been called a Guide Plate - Kong Gigi, CAMP Ovo. Think of the belay devices as a "do-it-all" device, and the guide plate a more focused device for bringing up seconds. Both have their place, as guide plates do bring up seconds better than a do-it-all device, but that's about all they do.

In reply to Mike Conlon:
Do you often climb multipitch? To my mind guide plates are really only useful in two scenarios. Bringing up two seconds that are climbing simultaneously as you are trying to save time (normally longish routes) and fast taking in on very long easy routes such as the North ridge of Piz Badile. For most other climbing uses I find the negatives outweigh the positives. I find a normal device better for bringing up seconds in general as I can easily pay out rope as they work out moves and down climb.

In reply to Mike Conlon:

A guide plate can be used in a lot more ways than a regular belay device. You can use it to safeguard yourself while climbing up to unstick a stuck rope while abseiling, you can self belay over a tricky step when soloing using one, you can use it instead of a prussik in some situations.

I use one all the time.

In reply to CurlyStevo:


I agree as highlighted in another thread recently, they can be tricky to lower with, once your second has weighted the rope.

Another useful place for them is multi pitch ice or winter climbing as they offer a little extra security by acting as a form of auto locking device for half / twin ropes especially when you are belaying in gloves and doing all the other things that distract you from the important job of looking after your second when huddled on a winter belay ( like eating, wind milling your arms a bit, changing gloves, day dreaming about the next hot rock trip etc. etc.

In reply to Roberttaylor:

I've not tried but I've heard people on here say guide plates do not make good Prussics or auto blocks and are really only suitable for emergency use.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

I've tried it, it works.