UKH

Belaying at the wall this week I was discussing with my climbing partner the amount of stress applied repeatedly to the plastic handle of a Gri Gri and wondering whether they ever snap. We then proceeded to try lowering each other without using the handle, and it seemed to be very difficult. Has anyone on here had one snap, and was it usable in an emergency without a handle?

Reportedly (from a Petzl techie) when they made the Grigri they trained a guy to do replacements and a box of bits. A highliner tensioned the rope with one and broke the handle trying to release it and the guy wad overjoyed at actually having to do it 20 years later.

If you want a handle I've got one somewhere I cut off.

They'll go soft and distort if you get them hot enough.

Yes, but the pin not the handle, on the grigri+ on a stiff static rope while abseiling. Couldn't lower any further so had to escape on to a belay plate.