Mad Rock Lifeguard

I bought this as a package deal. I really wanted to try out the new mad rock life guard, the gemini, a funky little beaner came with it. It does the thing, never will you end up cross loading your belay beaner. That being said, just pay attention when you climb, and it wont happen either. I have retired this piece of gear to my "gym only" bag. It is overkill, for sure. The lifeguard however, is money! Usually I'm not a fan of mad rocks stuff, unless I'm working as a climbing gym manager, then heck yes...lol...but that lifeguard is freaking sweet!

Got this mostly because I did not like having to override the cam on a grigri when lead belaying but like the added safety of a camming belay device for lead climbing. I have used with a couple of different ropes all around the 9.5 to 9.8 range and for the most part this device can be used just like an ATC. Would certainly recommend over the Grigri+ or any other Grigri for that matter. The cam seems to catch when you want but not when you are trying to feed out rope (for the most part, and with some practice). Overall, would buy again and recommend to anyone wanting to upgrade from an ATC.

I love this device. been using it for 2 seasons now. it's light durable and super fluid it has a stiffer spring than a gri gri so there's less chance of short roping. It is like using an atc with a cam as in you don't need to touch the device most of the time unless some one needs a lot of slack. Take a little getting us to.

Positives: I really like the design and how light it is compared to the Gri Gri. The lever is made out of aluminum which feels way more solid than the plastic Gri Gri lever. The lifeguard works great for top roping too.

Negatives: I had problems when lead belaying with this device. Unfortunately, I don't like leaving a lot of slack in the rope, so when my partner is clipping I need to get rope out fast. That's when the lifeguard jams up. It's not a problem at all if you feed the rope out slowly. It would only jam when I was trying to feed rope out really fast. My partner and I would get really frustrated and in the end I decided to sell my Lifeguard to a friend and i'm just using my old atc till I find something better.

Overall: The MadRock Lifeguard is still a good device, it just wasn't for me.

I've had this for about a year now and I love this thing. Its small and easy to feed slack. It works very similar to an ATC as long as you aren't yanking slack out. Not having to mess with a cam to feed slack for a leader is wonderful. I'm not sure why people still use a GriGri. It also works better on a wider range of ropes than a GriGri.

As a lefty, I've never taken to the Gri-Gri as a belayer. Beyond this, it seems that very few people can use said device without either letting go with the brake hand or short-roping the climber.
When used properly, the Lifeguard does a pretty good job at overcoming both of these issues. It functions like a Gri-Gri, but feeds rope like an ATC--with the brake hand where it ought to be and no thumb overriding the cam. The Lifeguard is also smaller and lighter.
Three small issues:
1) The cam will engage while feeding if your rope is really fuzzy or wet (at least where original diameter is 9.8 or greater). This is easily remedied without overriding the cam, but it can be a pain.
2) People who are used to belaying incorrectly with a Gri-Gri (cam open and no hand on the brake end) will naturally try to do the same with this device. Regardless, such folks have no business belaying without some training.
3) As others have noted, the Lifeguard doesn't lower as smoothly as many other devices. Thus, for top-roping, the Gri-Gri remains superior.
I'm still waiting for a belay device that I can give 5 stars. However, for single-pitch belaying, the Lifeguard is my new standard.

Madrock really did it right with the Lifeguard. As others have said, upon opening the package, the most surprising thing is how small this device really is. It's so tiny! The build construction is bomber. This thing feels durable and secure in your hand. The full metal construction inspires confidence.

I find it does really well leading with ropes thinner than 10mm. With the thicker gym ropes, it will lock up on you when you pay out slack unless you really anticipate the clips and belay a climber that takes pity on you! However, this is really no different than a GriGri (had you not over-ridden the cam).

It works equally well on TR. I've never experienced rope creep with a top rope belay, even with a 100lb climbing partner.

That said, this works to your advantage while route setting. I've had pretty good results routesetting with it. I'm not sure how well it would work in this regard with thinner ropes, but its fantastic on gym fatties.

I haven't had the opportunity to get up any multipitch routes with it yet, but I'll be sure to update my review when I do.

All in all, solid device. I do think its an acceptable grigri substitute.

The Lifeguard is smaller and lighter than the GriGri 2, all metal, pays out more smoothly with most ropes, and is less expensive. The Gri Gri cam engages sooner and more gradually than the Lifeguard, so the Lifeguard does not lock up prematurely when feeding rope out rapidly. I can feed out rope quite fast without pinching the cam open with my thumb, as is needed with the Gri Gri. It has been great with my 8.9 and 9.8 ropes, as well as several other diameters. I have a fat, stiff gym line (sold as 10.1 but functionally much thicker) that is very difficult to pay out with the Lifeguard, but I rarely use ropes that beefy any more.
I took a gamble buying the Lifeguard sight unseen without trying it or hearing from friends, and have been very impressed. It could use a bigger flange to run the rope against when lowering, and I don't understand why no assisted-braking devices are manufactured with a clip-in wire or loop for keeping them secure while loading them off the ground on multipitch routes, but I usually carry only a guide-mode belay /rappel device off the deck anyhow.
Now my old Gri Gri lives in my gym bag, while the Lifeguard gets all the outdoor action!

It took a little bit for me to get used to this (as does any autolocking device) but once I got used to it I would't go any other way. It feels good in your hands also.

I was split between getting the lifeguard and grigri for quite a bit, but eventually decided to give the lifeguard a try. I was looking for an assisted braking device that I could use for mostly sport climbing, and this thing has exceeded my expectations. I have used the gri gri before, and I certainly prefer the lifeguard for lead belaying. It's smoother, smaller, more intuitive, and somewhat lighter than the grigri. It belays similarly to a tuber device, which also means it's easier to use for left-handed belayers. For lead climbing, the cam isn't as sensitive as grigri, but is still more than capable of a safe catch. I would definitely recommend checking out this device.

Works flawlessly with my 9.6mm rope. Interested to see how it works with 10mm+

I've owned the original Petzl Grigri and the smaller version 2 and had the Mad Rock Lifeguard for just a few months now. I don't notice the weight difference much however I love that the Lifeguard is all packed into a nice little size. I prefer how the Grigris lower a climber however the Lifeguard shines for paying out slack to a leader although it can still catch. I'd love to see how it stacks up to the latest GriGri+ with the lead mode.

Great product very durable and smooth. Not as touchy as the grigri. My friends and I really enjoy it.

feeds super smooth when playing out rope for lead climbing. No funky holding of the rope or holding down the cam.

I had wanted an assisted braking device for a while and had looked at a lot of different ones before I decided on this. the size is great, I love the color, and the all metal construction gives me a lot of confidence in it. The device lets you pay out slack super easy when leading and catches securely when taking a fall. great device, would recommend

Y'know that other device, the one from France, the popular one? Yeah this thing is better where it really matters. The key is the strong spring holding the cam open. If you feed slack to a leader just like you would through a tube device, it won't lock up, so there's no need to compromise safety by holding the cam open with your thumb. Oh and it's smaller and lighter and has no plastic parts.

The lowering lever could open to a better angle, but that's not a big enough problem to merit taking away a star.

Bottom line is this is the only device I use anymore for belaying a leader.

Love this one, much smoother and lighter than a Gri Gri

lighter, smaller, all metal construction. No special lead belay technique required. works well for a lefty. this replaced my gri gri and its the same!

I bought this thinking it would be a great way to reduce the weight of the gear I carry on my harness. The device worked as advertised, but was really choppy when lowering, required more effort to lower than similar devices, and made giving slack when lead belaying incredibly difficult.