UKH

I'm looking for advice- my old ATC needs to be retired. I'm looking for a new belay device which provides plenty of friction for abbing on 9mm ropes, given I'm not as slight as I was before I became a father ; )

Cheers

In reply to lummox:

An ATC with friction notches would seem a good thing to look into, such as an ATC guide. There's a lot of options in that style, ATC XP, petzl reverso come to mind too.

In reply to needvert:

Cheers - I thought the new(er) ones with grooves are the way to go..

In reply to lummox:

another vote for the Reverso

In reply to lummox:

Metolius BRD has a lot more holding power than an ATC.

In reply to Toerag:

TBH, there's probably isn't much in the shops as slick as an original ATC these days.

If the 'magic plate' functionality is likely to be useful (at all, ever) I'd say ATC Guide or Petzl Reverso.

Otherwise for something very like the original ATC but with just a bit more 'grip', I really like my DMM Bug.

In reply to lummox:

Currently of the normal plates the ATC XP has the most friction, particularly on thinner ropes. The extra friction of the BRD and a few others like the Trango B52 comes at the price of more difficult handling in normal use and the actual increase in holding power has yet to be proven.
The Bugette has good power but it´s getting a bit marginal for handling with thicker 9mm ropes and its microscopic size means heat buid-up abbing a long way would worry me a bit!

In reply to jimtitt:

Thanks to all for your suggestions

In reply to lummox:

DMM Bug works well for me, the Reverso I have used and find it sticks too much... then again, I do only weigh 10 stone (ish!).

In reply to lummox:

The Alpine Up is a good do-everything device. Heavier and bulkier than an ATC, but gives very controlled rappelling and belaying.

In reply to Toerag:

Agreed, plus it stays cooler on long abs because of the fins


Chris

Grivel's Belay Master Pro ("the snail"), is the only ATC-like device that can provide extra friction on top of the grooves that all other tubes have.

In reply to lummox:

I used my old ATC a few weeks ago to see what it was like compared to my Black Diamond guide and reverso. It was very slick!!
I personally find the Black Diamond guide far more durable than the reverso which seems to wear very quickly.

In reply to lummox:

I can't abseil using the friction side of my atc xp guide on 8.5 mm ropes if I'm using a prussic - it's too grabby!

That said I think the ATC XP will be enough for you and it does belay better than the guide IMO (unless you need it to work on 8mm ropes in which case the guide is better IMO). I find the guide is more grabby and the fin along the middle of the base plate which is needed for it to work in guide mode doesn't make it as nice to use.

In reply to ianlaw:


Bug is fine with 9mm, put anything 8.5mm or less in it and prepare to fly!

In reply to Toerag:

I agree. I used a bug for years, but reluctantly changed when I started regularly using skinny ropes. Currently using a reverso 4, which has been pretty good so far.

In reply to lummox:
Most of the reversible devices will do. But don't, repeat don't, buy a Wild Country Variable Controller Pro 2. They are utter, utter rubbish, they jam up really easily unless the krab you use is the perfect shape.

Neil

In reply to lummox:

I've been using for years either an ATC guide or Reverso 3, both of which give plenty of friction abbing on double ropes.

I'm currently reviewing the two Edelrid ones - the Micro Jul and Mega Jul. Plenty of people seem to hate them, but I'm finding them pretty good. They have a locking abseil orientation which again some people describe as awful, but trying it last weekend it seemed to work exceedingly well. https://twitter.com/TobyinHelsinki/status/476711546840961024/photo/1 The other way around you don't need the 'krab-handle' but you will want a prussik as back up if you need both hands free whilst on the abseil. In this locking orientation if you need both hands to get a stuck bit of gear out for example, you just let go.

In reply to TobyA:

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions ! Way too much choice nowadays ; )

In reply to lummox:

Reverso 4 works better on slim ropes so it will give a little bit of extra friction.
Also Mammut Bionice Alpine is good.

In reply to Kai:


Can I assume you have one? I have wanted one badly, ever since I spotted its first appearance at a trade show and knew for sure it would be as brilliant a 'do-everthing' as i suppected, and you have described it.

Have you any criticisms of it?

In reply to lummox:

There is a tiny version of the DMM bug, designed for super skinny ropes.
And when I say tiny, I mean TINY. it looks embarrassingly so.
Dunno what it's called, I got one bundled with a load of other crap in a job-lot I bought of eBay a while ago.
I look at it and wonder how one could fit anything bigger than twin ropes into it, or whether it would break if i dropped it!

In reply to Jonny Allen:

Bugette?

http://dmmclimbing.com/products/bugette/

In reply to Denni:

I knew that really!

Actually, i did, but I was trying to pretend I don't to seem self-effacing etc. And this thing looked so small and fragile when i saw it, I did actually wonder whether it had to be something else again other than the bugette.

But thanks for making me look silly and/or not the all-knowing gear freak that I really am!

In reply to Jonny Allen:

No worries ;0)
As I pushed the send button I thought, he probably already knows what it is.....

In reply to lummox: I used to - it's been a while, but I suspect the advice is just as valid now as then - clip a couple of extra krabs onto the loop of rope behind the belay device, so in effect the rope is having to pass through three krabs rather than just the one. This gives you a bit extra control as you go down.

And given that you presumably have these already, you can pocket the money you've saved and spend it on lycra to show off your newly-honed physique. Or beer, as you wish.

T.