Good but...

By wjrenf2 Ranked #119 - Big Wall Climbing June 2, 2009

This was my second belay device, my first being a rescue 8. Better than the 8 for climbing, because of weight and there seems to be less rope slip. Of course this piece slips a bit even with ropes around 10mm. I haven't used it with any rope thinner than 10mm. If you want more control during rappelling try extending the atc from the belay loop and use a backup friction knot like a prusik knot. For belaying a leader the atc works great, and some slippage is a good thing, since a small amount of slippage exerts less force on the protection/anchors. Feeding rope to the leader is so much nicer than with an auto locking belay device. Another plus is that this is lightweight. I suggest buying the atc guide or petzl reverso 3 if you plan to ever do any multi pitch stuff or anything where you may have to belay off of anchors. I prefer this unit to the gri gri, though once you learn the gri gri techniques the gri gri is nice for top rope and sport climbing. If you're just starting to climb or do short rappels and stuff buy this or the atc guide or the petzl reverso 3.

View Details: Black Diamond ATC Belay Device

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