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Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

 Page 1 of 2. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 33
Author
belay devices

Tel
25-Feb-2004
8:51:57 PM
most of you probably have seen a few of my posts by now and realise I am still very much a newbie, bumblie, hack etc etc. And my question this time is related to belay devices.
I bought a petzl reverso a while ago and at the time I took the advice of the person selling it to me. I am wondering whether there are some out there that either have or used this belay device and what they thought of it, good or bad, or if the device is problematic. I don't at this point regret my choice of belay device( used only twice) but wonder whether ther was a better/ or more practicle option.
I have done a little wandering around searching for info and it seems that it is a mixed bag of opinions.
Any thoughts on belay devices would be appreciated.
Cheers
terry
joemor
25-Feb-2004
9:33:16 PM
i use one and love it... feeds well though on thinner ropes its a bit "fast"......

mousey
25-Feb-2004
9:54:15 PM
i think its just a matter of personal preference- i own a gri gri but i only comes out for rapping for photos because i just find my HB sherriff (normal tube/atc design) is so much easier to use. on the other hand, many people swear by the grigri..... it really comes down to what feels best for you. (they ALL work)

nmonteith
26-Feb-2004
9:25:38 AM
I use my gri-gri most of the time unless i know i need to do a double rope abseil at the end of the climb - which is when i bring my ATC.

Mike
26-Feb-2004
9:29:51 AM
On 25/02/2004 Tel wrote:
> I bought a petzl reverso a while ago...what they thought of it

http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=Display&ForumID=1&MessageID=1274&Replies=1

I'm like my GriGri too, though also carry a DMM bug for rapping / leader belay.

Rich
26-Feb-2004
10:20:15 AM
i use my gri for sport and TR and atc for trad..
top belay a dodgy seconder - atc with prusik back-up

Richard
26-Feb-2004
1:24:07 PM
Are you guys using gri-gri's for hard sports climbs where the leader maybe resting on the rope of a lot of the time? ie it allows you a hands-free "hold" belay device, so you don't need to keep the rope locked of for 10-15 minutes at a time? This sort of use is probably not what Tel has in mind - I would not reccomend gri-gris - the're heavy, and don't allow you to take in. You should be able to easily hold a fall with other belay devices - which you can also use for abseiling.

Regaring reversos - i don;t like these either, unless you really use it a lot, and know all the different ways to feed the rope through.

If you are a begginer - buy a simple device. Why make it hard, when your starting? An ATC - one way to feed the rope, belaying, absiling. Can't make a mistake. Sounds good huh?

Cheers
dalai
26-Feb-2004
1:38:49 PM
On 26/02/2004 Richard wrote:

>- I would not reccomend gri-gris - the're heavy, and don't allow you to
>take in.

Don't allow you to take in??
AndyCJ
26-Feb-2004
2:02:47 PM
I'd have to agree with Richard on the "keep it simple" option.

All you lot are experienced climbers using the Gri's - which is fine, but when you're beginning - something like the ATC is the go - they are simple and they teach you about holding onto the rope!

I think Rich was just talking about the Gri being a little harder to quickly let out slack, which is true enough if you're just starting, and obviously not once you've used them for a while and know their in's and outs.

Me - I like to know the belayer has his hand on the rope, and isn't just trusting the GriGri. I've heard too many stories of dudes using them, taking the hands off, the leader falling and.... they fail! Not good.
dalai
26-Feb-2004
2:19:33 PM
For the beginner or predominately trad climber, the standard plate (ATC etc) is ideal. It is an all round device which is quite simple to use.

But the Gri-gri is an indispensable tool on sport routes, aid climbing or any time the climber is weighting the rope for any length of time.

The Gri-gri, though self locking should plain and simple NOT be relied on to stop the climber. The brake end of the rock should ALWAYS be held. What it does allow is when the climber has weighted the rope and the cam has locked the rope, that the belayer doesn't have to hold the rope tight letting the device do it's job. It's belayer errors which make it dangerous in certain circumstances. As to feeding in or out rope, it's only a matter of practice...

Sorry Tel, I haven't used the Reverso so can't comment on that device.

nmonteith
26-Feb-2004
3:59:11 PM
I prefer trusting a complete bumbly to use a gri-gri than a non-locking belay device. They may have a bit of dificulty pulling slack out but at least i know that generally it will lock up by itself if the shit hits the fan. I really like the fact that if the belayer is knocked unconcious from rockfall or from being thrown against the cliff in a lead fall then i will still be held. Although i trust my belayers - i know they are not going to be doing anything useful if they are asleep at the wheel. A gri-gri is also very useful in self rescue aplications. I can use it as a very fast ascender, lowering device for bodys ect. Saves dragging silly prussics up climbs any day.

Rich
26-Feb-2004
4:31:24 PM
silly prussiks can come in pretty damn useful when doing rescues though..

nmonteith
26-Feb-2004
4:33:10 PM
My point was a Gri-gri is much mroe useful in a rescue than a prussic.

Rich
26-Feb-2004
4:50:16 PM
in some rescue scenarios I would have thought prussiks (or equivalent, say slings) would be pretty imperative. even for say a z-drag where a gri would do away with one prussik but you would still need another.

Romfrantic
26-Feb-2004
5:41:17 PM
On 26/02/2004 nmonteith wrote:
>...A gri-gri
>is also very useful in self rescue aplications. I can use it as a very
>fast ascender, lowering device for bodys ect. Saves dragging silly prussics
>up climbs any day.

Silly??? many a time I've taken the good old "silly" prussik, and they've very handy indeed. They're pretty standard self-rescue equipment though...
James
26-Feb-2004
5:46:10 PM
reverso's or trango B-52's (or similar devices) are very popular in the moutaineering scene.... the self locking ability is great for crevasse rescue when a clogged-with-snow-prussic won't grip a frozen rope, & I reckon they're good as you can more easily belay the 2nd with a free hand & munch on some snacks at the same time. I generally only use my gri-gri for ascending fixed lines & aid situations (oh, & prussic are always on my harness).

meinmuk
26-Feb-2004
8:06:54 PM
The reverso is great for belaying one or two seconds in autoblock mode. I climbed an easy five pitch climb in the blueys with two mates and the reverso allowed the second and third to climb at the same time with little difficulty for the belayer.
Andy

timmy
27-Feb-2004
12:00:26 AM
I bought a reverso a while back, and found them just as good as a standard ATC. The only advantage they have over the ATC is the autoblock mode, which I have used only a couple of times.

The disadvantages are that they provide a lot less friction on a single rope rap. As Joe said previously, they are very fast. Also, you have to pay attention to which way you thread the rope throught the device, although it will become second nature after a few times.

A couple of months ago, I bought a 9.4 single rope and tried using it in the reverso. It fed through VERY quickly. I did manage to catch a few falls with it, but then reverted back to mny ATC. For some reason, I just get paranoid about having to grip the rope as hard as I possibly can every time. The reverso has seen little action since, as I own two thin ropes, and when I climb with other peoples thicker ropes, they ATC does the job just as well.

I'm not saying the reverso is a bad device by any means. It just comes down to knowing the limitations of your gear, and knowing which bit of gear to use in any given situation.

Rich
27-Feb-2004
12:46:28 AM
i think where the reverso excels is with top belays. auto lock-off with less weight than a grigri, otherwise you may as well have an atc

Clancy
27-Feb-2004
12:35:55 PM
I have been using a reverso since i started climbing about a year ago and i would have to say i really like the autoblock mode for bringing up a second, right up until you need to lower them back down when they cut loose...then its just a pain...

Also I have been using it with a 9.4 single and it is very fast on the abseils, I generally turn it around or double krab.

As for gri gri's IMHO i would only ever use them for a sport climb dogging session where holding the end of the rope for 15 mins is a pain on a normal plate...

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There are 33 messages in this topic.

 

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