UKC

started to do a lot more sport climbing and wall leading where i and my mates are pushing grades more, and therefore falling more frequently. Am thinking of getting something like a grigri or Edelrid Eddy (Eddy looks a bit easier to use and safer in a panic 'grab') Theres also other ones on the needlesports site like the Zap-o-mat and the Wild country SRC.

I'm just after peoples thoughts on ease of use of these devices. I've looked at the online manuals so know how they work, but i dont want to blow say £70 on the eddy and then wish i'd got something else instead if its a pain to use

In reply to ed34:
Do you do a lot of panic grabbing?
No? Then get a GriGri.

In reply to dirtbag1:

well i dont know cos never used a gri gri! Just wondered if its a big problem as i'm sure i've heard / read about it a few times

In reply to ed34:
zap-o-matic isn't auto locking, just variably, and the SRC requires you to take your hand off the dead rope to pay out, which may well have caused a ground fall had I been using one today (guy fell as I wall paying out)
I have a grigri, but am considering going back toward and atc, as I do prefer dynamic belaying to the grabiness of a grigri.
That said, if I had my money to buy an auto locking belay again, I would probably go for a trango cinch, as , looking at the instruction video, they do appear to have been designed with lead belaying in mind from the start.

In reply to ed34:
ps, I have never "panick-grabed", and I don't see why any experianced belayer should. Whenever I'm teaching people I tell them, "if your lowering someone and you feel your loosing control, don't try to catch up, just stop them dead, and start again", and as long as you follow those rules, you wont have an issue. In my opinion, the main issue with grigris is when they are used / paraded as a alternative to an experienced belayer

In reply to dirtbag1:

yep...and to the OP, go to any sport crag and 90% of people using an auto-locking belay device will be using a gri-gri.

it's very ergonomic, esp for lowering (unlike say the faders sum).

that said there is nothing wrong with just using an ATC....you'll just find that hauling in slack as your leader dogs back up to his highpoint for the 7th time will be made easier with a gri-gri.

learn to use it properly....it's not a hand's free belay device..

In reply to ed34:

Never 'panic grabbed' yet, but have used both the gri gri & the eddy & prefer the eddy. Feeds out real easy when required & of course takes thinner ropes.

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I have been using the Trango Cinch now for a year, and really like it. It feeds rope extremely well, and supposedly will slip a bit in hard falls in order to give a "pseudo-dynamic" catch. Lowering is not as smooth as with the GriGri, though.

In reply to ed34:

I've been using a Gri Gri for about 2 months now and really like it. Provided you know how to use it properly (plenty of examples of how NOT to use it at your local climbing wall no doubt) after a few sessions it becomes second nature and is in my opinion a huge improvement on an ATC.

I'm really glad I got one.

In reply to Bill Davidson: Petzl have released a new technique for paying out rope with the gri gri that makes it almost impossible to panic grab to the device and prevent the cam from locking. I'll try find it

Used to hate em but after using one for a few months non stop I really like gri gris. One tip I have is to always use the proper belay technique, mainly because when you switch back to an ATC after months of gri gri use you'll find yourself reaching for the non-existant lower off handle!!

In reply to ed34:

I love my gri-gri, but IMHO it's a pretty specific tool.

Great when you expect your climbing partner to be working a route, dogging it, resting it, falling off and wanting to be hauled back up, etc. plus a couple of other specific circumstances. Generally I'll still use my ATC for about 90% of my climbing, but the labour savings it makes on the other 10% is totally worth it.

The main drawback is paying out slack quickly without letting go of the dead rope, which is initially tricky to get the hang of. (The Petzl 'new technique' works well) You do just need to pick up the knack with it, though, and it's fine.

If you belay with it properly (ie. not hanging on to the lever) then I can't see that 'panic grabbing' is an issue.

Even so, I still use my ATC to belay partners on redpoint attempts as it's always going to be marginally quicker to pay slack rope out.

Think of it as a mechanically-assisted belay device, not an automatic device, and you'll be reet.

Officially you're not meant to use it with skinny ropes, but in practice it works on my 9.5mm rope fine. I know people who use it on ropes down to 9.2mm - but you pays your money you takes your chances.

In reply to plexiglass_nick:

Actually, I was lead belaying indoors with a reverso today for the first time in ages, and found that, if anything, it was a tad slower paying out than with my grigri, using the rope through middle, ring + pinky and thumb on the cam method