Product News at UKC presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. They are not gear reviews and are provided by companies that advertise with UKClimbing Limited.
With its revolutionary, patent-pending design made possible by our in-house hot forge, the Black Diamond GridLock Screwgate eliminates the dangers of cross loading. Designed specifically for belaying, the intuitive, easy-to-use GridLock isolates the belay loop behind its uniquely shaped gate, thereby keeping the carabiner in its proper orientation. The GridLock's I-beam spine transitions into a large, rounded rope-bearing surface for maximum strength and smooth rope feeding. Simply put, you'll never have to deal with a shifting, cross-loaded belay carabiner again.
Weight 76g
Hot-forged construction
Patent-pending design eliminates cross loading while belaying
I-beam spine transitions into a rounded, large rope-bearing surface
Intuitive and easy-to-use design
Gate opening: 21 mm
Gate open strength: 8 kN
Gate closed strength: 22 kN
Cross gate strength: 7 kN
More about the Gridlock in these UKC Gear News items:
As climbers we strive to make UKClimbing the kind of website we would love to visit, with the most up-to-date news, diverse
and
interesting articles, comprehensive gear reviews, breathtaking photographs and a vast and useful logbook system. As a result, an
incredible community has formed around the site - we’ve provided the framework but it’s you who make the website what it is today.
If
you appreciate the content we offer then you can help us by becoming an official UKC Supporter. This can be a one-off
single annual
payment or a more substantial payment paid monthly or yearly which includes full access to Rockfax Digital and discounts on
Rockfax
print publications.
If you appreciate UKClimbing then please help us by becoming a UKC Supporter.
UKC Supporter
Support the website we all know and love
Access to a year's subscription to Rockfax Digital.
Plus 30% off Rockfax guidebooks
Plus Show your support UKC porter badge on your profile and forum
posts
I've been using one of these for a couple of months now. I prefer it to the DMM Belay Master for several reasons - there's no plastic to faff with or lose (although I appreciate the newer versions have overcome this). The overall size is smaller than the Belay Master which suits me, and the only thing I miss is the fact that you couldn't close the Belay Master clip unless the gate was screwed - provided a nice reminder once or twice! It can be a little awkward to unclip it from your belay loop however. I find myself removing the belay plate, then having to spin the krab round to remove the loop from within the secondary gate, then spinning it back to remove it from the primary gate if that makes sense. I use mine with a Black Diamond harness - I don't know if other brands might have particularly fat belay loops that wouldn't find behind the secondary gate? Probably not a concern. Nice bit of innovation though, I recommend it.
Personally i feel that Krabs like this and the DMM belay master are quite honestly just gimicks. If you are paying so little attention to what your belay plate and krab are doing then your probably paying little attention to who your belaying......not good Maybe good for kids indoors, but then again buy the DMM belay master, proven design, very simple and no as much of a faff or as exspensive
Maybe for attentive belayer. Might be a completely different thing, if climbing a long multi-pitch and both/all team members are knackered. But the thing both the Gridlock and BelayMaster excel are roped solo thigns, to avoid cross-loading the HMS-krab. Doesn't matter if it is toprope solo with something like a Shunt or MiniTraxion, or "proper" roped solo with Soloist or alike.
Sorry, but that's just rubbish. If your profile is correct and you've only been climbing for six months, I'd say just wait - you'll see how easily HMSs flip. If you are belaying attentively you are watching the climber so you know when she needs slack to clip or when she is climbing down a move etc. etc. Not staring at your harness loop.
Product News at UKC presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to comment about the post and products on the associated thread.
Please support the following outdoor retailers who support UKClimbing:
Comments