I found this device to work just as well as the BD ATC guide. Both work exceptionally well. The reverso 3 was near impossible to rappel with in the extra friction mode, but i just spun it around and it rappelled like a champ. I do feel as though the ropes pull through a bit easier than the BD making life easier on your elbows.

Forgot to mention the Reverso's quick-release loop lets you release tension on a fallen climber by simply putting in a carabiner and torquing the device up. But BEWARE! When you do this make sure you keep your hand on the rope because it is easy to zoom your partner down too far by not retaining control of the rope when you release tension to lower...how's that for a run-on sentence?! Cheers!

This is a great belay device for belaying the leader and/or the second. I love belaying the second off the anchor so I can be hands free! What an amazing concept that is available to the masses through the use of the Petzl Reverso 3. There are other devices out there but they don't work as well. The BD ATC Guide is heavier and tends to twist the rope more by having the clip in hole (the one that you clip the device into from the anchor) is turned 90 degrees from how the ropes feed. The Reverso 3 clips in at the same angle that the ropes are fed through the device, causing no twist in the ropes! One thing about using these devices to belay the second from the anchor...Obviously your anchors have to be BOMBER for you to belay off of them, but they better be BOMBER anyway! I use thin cords in the mountains for Alpine and 9.6 mm singles through this device for rock climbing and all are smooth belaying and catching falls. If you are old school and use over 10.5 mm cords, I don't recommend this device. Why are you using such large and heavy cords? The smaller diameter single ropes are strong, and LIGHTER! Get rid of your fat ropes and get a nice 9 mm single and stop carrying all that extra weight around and start climbing easier and harder! Hands free belaying of the second (or third!)on multi-pitch routes is awesome! This device works great for belaying a leader as well. So you can have it to belay the second just in case and not be bummed you are carrying it. Oh yea, this thing rappels way better than the old Reverso. Nice improvement by putting the teeth in there! Way safer!

Works great, especially with thin ropes (I often rap on a single 9.1 strand, and it brakes well enough). However, after just a summers worth of fairly light use it is already developing sharp edges like the last version did! AFAIK, this is not a problem with the ATC Guide. Petzl, use some harder aluminum, this thing cuts like cheese.

A quick note: A couple of reviews here have mentioned that they use the Reverso 3 for hands-free belaying of a second. They should not be doing this! The instructions clearly say, "It is very important to always hold the braking side of the rope."

I was ice climbing in Kandersteg, Switzerland last weekend. While belaying my second up the pitch in the Reverso mode, a huge block of ice fell from above and landed on my left shoulder, breaking my scapula, clavicle, some ribs and collapsed my left lung. I was belaying him off the V-thread i was anchored to so i was able to continue to easily belay him safely with my still functioning right arm despite my injuries. After reaching me at the top of the pitch I was able to be lowered and then taken to medical facilities at Interlaken. Had I used another device or not belayed off the anchor, I would not have been able to continue belaying my second safely, and he may not have reached me and lower me. Bottom line: The reverso 3 is a safe and easy device to use even in emergency situations resulting in a quicker rescue time.

I am a big fan of auto-locking belay devices - nice to have free hands when belaying the second so I can take photos, eat, and scratch my ass. Warning though, the new reverso does not work well with 11mm rope - it is a push to get an 11mm rope into the new reverso and tends to bind during auto-lock belaying. The old reverso works fine with 11mm

I can use my single 9.4 or 10.2 or go ice climbing and use my 7.7 twins. I have had to lower the second and it is a cinch (much like the Cinch) and i have lead climbed with it too, super light and easy to set up no matter what. Love Petzl and here is another reason!

I own and/or have used almost every belay/repel device available. Everything from 8s, stich-plates, Kong Gi Gi, Grigris, Cinches, Jaws, B52s, almost every incarnation of ATCs and Reversos, etc. If I was forced to pick one device to use for the rest of my life, this would be it. It doesn't do EVERYTHING but it does do many things better than any other device I've seen. Petzl took BD's ATC Guide made it lighter, rotated the Guide Mode attachment point, and enlarged the quick release hole so that a standard 'biner fits through it. In my opinion, this is the best tube-style device on the market.

Well Ill just list out the pros and cons.
Pros-
.feeds smooth with a 10.5M rope, easy on the hands
.rappels like a dream
.grabs to ropes well on a fall
.light weight
. belay a second form the top very well.

Cons
.Price, for 6 bucks less you can get the BD ATC guide (not as smooth and much heavier).

Light, strong, and very useful. I use this for everything. I really enjoy the reverso function when belaying a second. If all you're doing is gym or sport climbing go with an ATC or a Verso.

As smooth with a 9mm or a 10.2mm rope. This is no different to many other belay devices until you hang it from the big loop to belay your partner up. I no longer get a freaked out second when he/she sees me belaying with an italian hitch - there goes my fun. A further advantage is the autolock feature when belaying a second from an anchor (the live rope runs over the dead rope so that a fall results in the latter being pinched into the belay device effectively causing a self-arrest)A nice piece of equipment but maybe runs a bit smooth for a beginner. A standard ATC has more friction and may be easier to control when belaying or rappelling.

Having retire my reverso (became quite sharp from rope wear; although petzl says this is ok...I figured that $35 is pretty cheap for a very critical piece of gear).

works smoothly as a belay device (slightly smaller than the reverso...handles thin ropes better and thick ropes are a bit of a chore). Works great as an autoblock (for a 3:1; belaying 1 or 2 seconds, etc.) The quick release hole (allows you to torque it to release a climber when weighted in the autoblock mode) is really simple...a nice addition.

Pretty great belay device...covers everything from sport-wanking to multi-pitch alpine routes...

good for any size rope. creates enough friction but not too much. easy to feed to a leader and catches great for a fall. i also have not used the autolock.

love it for the fact that u can use it on ropes as small as 8.2 doubles and as big as 10.2 catches well. runs good a smooth, works well as an autobloc and the small loop will fit BD biners to.

Got the Reverso 3 to avoid having to switch between my regular Reverso and the Reversino. I've use it for a couple of weeks and it works well with my my double 8.1 mm and a single 9.8mm. Haven't used it in the auto-lock position, for a second, but expect that it would work fine. My double 8.1 are pretty new and still slick, in a free repell I would prefer a little more friction from the Reverso 3. All in all a good choice if you regularly switch between fat and skinny ropes.

Ive tried them all and been belayed by them all and this is the best. The rope is so smooth going through the reverso and never jams up. Once you pull it in to lock it down the rope never slips. Awesome!

Excellent ATC/Reverso works well with all ropes and is easy to back out rope when used in auto-lock mode. I had the old petzel reverso which was difficult at times to use in auto-lock, this redesign works better.

i got one for my b/f and then got a second one to replace my atc-guide

it accepts the thick ropes at my rock gym that the atc-guide doesn't and feeds much much better- unimportant side note- it's also lighter than the atc-guide-

since getting one for myself i've gotten two more for my other friends that climb-

The only belay device I will be using for any climb!!! Significatnly lighter then the Black Diamond ATC Guide! If you are using a rope over 10.2, or one that has been used a lot and is now extremely fat, you might find it a bit tricky to feed the rope through. No biggie though, since the ropes I use are not bigger then a 10.2 I perfer this device over any other device out on the market, even teh gri-gri.

Does the job well and I'm sure it will last me forever as it seems like it is made well. (as is all Petzl gear)