Petzl GriGri

Tom Hughes
Reviewed: 11 April 2006

GOOD BUT BE CAREFUL

Very good belay device for sport climbing when used properly, e.g. when taking repeated falls and hanging around a lot.

I would possibly say that, despite what is said by other reviewers, this may not be an ideal device for beginners as it has several problems. Before purchasing this device I would strongly advise reading the following articles, as well as the Petzl instructions.
http://www.8a.nu/eng/articles/grigri.htm
http://www.thebmc.co.uk/safety/tech/articles/grigri.pdf

On thinner ropes, especially when top roping, the device fails to lock if the climber just sits on the rope. This is not a problem if the belayer is using the device properly, but these devices are often used by the inexperienced, hence accidents happen. Learing to pay out slack quickly and SAFELY takes a bit of practice as there is a tendency to panic, but it is possible to do so once the technique is mastered. It is expensive, heavy, and useless for trad. It also encourages bad habits - the locals in Spain seemed to use them as a 'hands free' device! Not a good plan!

If you know what you are doing a very useful tool for bolt clipping otherwise, leave it alone - look at the Camp YoYo and WC SRC which are great for top roping.

Matthew Wood
Reviewed: 04 January 2005

INDOOR DEVICE - PERFECT FOR ITS DESIGNED PURPOSE

Auto-grips the rope so if you drop the rope on a fall or the belayer is asleep, things don't go pear-shaped.
Very easy to ease both for leading and top-roping.
Absolutely ideal for indoor climbing.

Only works on single ropes.
Thicker or more worn rope (as often found at indoor walls) can be difficult to get through it.
Quite heavy.

Auto-grips the rope so if you drop the rope on a fall or the belayer is asleep, things. Best for indoor use - I wouldn't use anything else there. Outside on trad routes - not so good but that's not what it's designed for. Mine is 10 years old or so and still going strong.

Matthew Lloyd
Reviewed: 03 January 2005

BEGINNERS BELAY DEVICE

Can increases safety in gyms
instills confidence in climber, and belayer
makes slip-ups (like a belayer scratching an itch with their brake hand) less likely to end in tradgedy

heavy
big
slow for paying out slack
uses a cam to brake the fall, and this can go wrong
encourages sloppy belaying
usless (i.e dosent work atall) on some new ropes.
mechanism is not failsafe atall

fantastic for gyms, or new belayers being shown the technique
also good to give people confidence. but the potential for encouraging sloppy belaying, combined with the fact that it dosent always work makes it a little shaky. If youre past beginner, leave it alone

Andrew Raubenheimer
Reviewed: 29 September 2003

brilant

so many uses

plastic handle

a must for standard gear

Ian Baker
Reviewed: 07 May 2003

HEAVY MECHANICAL BELAYER

good for sport climbing

can get ugly when people do not know how to use them (i was dropped 30ft on one)
should not be used for trad
can be slow to deal with the rope and quite heavy

ok if you sport climb, though its a bit limited for the price