Petzl Grigri Belay Device - 2006 BCS

When we go rock climbing, my friend brings her grigri and that is the only belay device that we use. She won't even let us belay her with anything else. It is awesome to belay with, not to mention it will save your life if you fall! All my friends weigh more than I do, and they feel really safe with me using this belaying device-it locks when they start to fall. It is great, save your life and your friends...get one!

I very much like the Grigri, and it is great to give to new belayers. The only thing about it that is tricky is the lever that decreases tension on the rope to let it slide, which lets you or the climber down, it's hard to get used to it and descending is bumpy and jerky, but overall it's a great safe belay device.

The Grigri is a real life saver when it comes to enjoying your climbing day. I love my gal to death, but when she’s belaying she has the attention span of a two-year-old, which makes more butterflys in my stomach than the biggest net could handle. The grigri locks up immediately with tension which really makes me feel a lot safer when I’m scaling the side of a mountain. Trust me, the security and peace of mind is worth the price, and this thing is built like a rugged tank!

The Grigri Belay Device is a terrific piece of climbing equipment. MAKE SURE THE ROPE IS FED INTO THE DEVICE PROPERLY!! Not only does it have strong braking power (the thicker the rope, the better), but because the feed is also so smooth, it makes belaying much less tiring for the belayer. In the event of a fall, it brakes and holds the instant the rope tries to pull through, and does so with very little slippage. Descending a climber takes a little practice, but becomes smooth and sure. (Because the belayer is letting the rope slide through their brake hand and isn't feeding the rope out, as with a standard belay device, a thick glove on the brake hand, to prevent rope burns, is suggested.)
Overall, whether climbing or belaying, the Grigri Belay Device feels incredibly safe and solid (but don't get lazy... be an attentive belayer). It truly does give you peace of mind... as well as a little rest for the belayer.

It’s been a few weeks since my purchase of the Petzl Gri Gri. I must conclude that this is a fine piece of equipment. Since we are new to the sport, my buddy and myself have decided to go the safest route with a belay device. The Gri Gri has proven to be just that. It really takes all the worries away from the climber and lets him focus on the climb. The Gri Gri operates just like a safety belt, but better. I was joking with my buddy and we had said that you could be drunk and still safely belay. Of course we were kidding and wouldn’t ever recommend that. But that’s the kind of foolproof way in which this operates. A true Lexus belay device. Two thumbs up.

Yes, the Gri-Gri is bomb-proof for stopping a fall (almost too good, that bit of give as the ATC clamps down on the biner is a few less newtons on the back...). My belay partner is much lighter than I, and she can hold me with absolute confidence. That said, the only downside I've found is trying to safely use a Gri-Gri left-handed. With the smooth rope-protecting lip on the right-hand side and the brake in on the left-hand side, I have to either switch hands controlling the rope, or try to control the whole thing backwards.
Petzl needs to make a left-handed version of the GRI-GRI!

Great for indoors and top roping. It's a little clumsy paying out rope for a lead climber, but the safety factor makes up for that and it gets better with experience.

I feel much better knowing that if something were to happen to me while belaying my climber won't drop.

I think there is no safer way to belay than with a GrGri.

Good for top roping and piece of mind when teaching new belayers or bringing up a second.