UKH

I have read a few good reviews on here and other sites but would like to know if anyone would recommend these on a small 8m wall.
I work at the wall 4 times a week but have heard that the glasses only really come into their own after the climber has reached 5m+.
Does anyone have any experience using these on shorter walls and are they worth it.

Thanks

In reply to petegunn:

If you get a sore neck then just get some.

For belaying a leader, they can be more awkward, as most people want to watch them directly as they clip the first two bolts, then switch to the glasses.

You say you work at the wall which I assume mainly means toproping. There is far more margin for error in this case, and I'd suggest having the glasses on from when they leave the ground would be fine.

Another thing to consider against would be communication - if you are not looking at them, they may not hear you. Also confidence, they may not feel you are paying attention.

Also you would lose 20mins a day explaining what they are and letting everyone have a go!

In reply to petegunn:

I tried them at Penrith wall and felt the that the disadvantage low down outweighed the advantage higher up, I see others use them there who clearly feel different.....I guess it's personal.

In reply to petegunn:

I think they work well for high walls and proper routes outside. As said, they are probably more of a hindrance than a help for short walls. If you don't have neck problems, I certainly wouldn't bother.

In reply to petegunn:

I have a trapped nerve that makes prolonged belaying a pain in the neck. Found these specs to be great after a few goes to get used to them. I wear mine on the end of my nose and look over them until my partner is far enough up and then I switch to looking into them, if you catch my drift. It's really made a difference.

In reply to petegunn:

I climb at a fairly small wall too. about 8m. A couple of guys there wear the glasses and don't seem to have a problem with them.

In reply to petegunn:

It's not rocket science to put them on and then look over the top when the climber is below the first 2 bolts, and then just look through them normally for the rest of the route. SMH.

Belay glasses are brilliant, after having really bad belayers neck I bought a pair of Y&Y ones for £50 or something and they are honestly the best climbing kit I've ever bought. IMHO they are safer/give a better belay for your partner (especially if leading) as you can watch them 100% of the time instead of looking up and down

In reply to petegunn:

No need to spend that much money, you can get them for cca. 20 USD. Check AliExpress

In reply to petegunn: I use them all the time, inside and out, trad and sport. The start to be effective a few metres up and are brilliant in places like Pembrke or Gogarth where leads can take ages and are big things. Get some, no question about it.

In reply to petegunn:

I had an old bloke walk back under my climber (who was only on the second clip, nearly got kicked in the head!) a few weeks ago because they restrict your peripheral vision and make you less aware of your surroundings. His climber was also only at the second clip so he didn't even really want to be using them.

I would say 2nd clip outdoors, third clip indoors at most places in when you want to start using them ie when there's no risk of a ground fall.

On an 8 metre wall you'd have just enough time to acclimatise to the sensation before lowering so not totally useless but definitely pushing the limits of their utility, unless your climbers are finding it difficult and spending a long time doing their 8 metres.

In reply to petegunn:

Thanks for the replies, will give them a go.

In reply to petegunn:

If you want to try them out for minimal cost outlay, pick up a pair of prism reading glasses off amazon or ebay for a few quid, and turn the arms upside down. (I also cut out then inverted and glued the prisms to look upwards and drilled loads of small holes in the surrounding plastic to improve peripheral vision). They have the added advantage that they fit over my mate's glasses too.