ATC

Most of the comments thus far aren’t aware of the differences between a standard ATC, and an ATC Pilot. You can’t go wrong with a grigri or Pilot but the Pilot is the better option for most first devices IMO. Unless you’re gifting it to someone. My recommendation is not as a former Black Diamond rep

I have a Giga Jul and use it as my primary device for gym and outdoor sport climbing. It's super versatile, and can be used with double ropes as well as for rappelling, but if you're not going to be doing that, then your options are more open. I haven't used the Ocun Bow, but it looks to be the same

IMO, everyone should learn on a non-assisted device first to build strong brake-hand-always-on habits, and then if assisted braking is desired, get a Grigri because it's more or less the standard ABD. I started on a BD ATC-XP, which worked very well. I would recommend a two-lane device, and to get a

Oh my God, I had this bullshit happen in real life. I was ice climbing (well, top-roping in the Ouray Ice Park) with my wife belaying me. Long story short, some dude walks by and accuses her of having an unsafe belay. In reality, she was properly using a BD ATC, but he insisted BD stopped selling th

or Black Diamond ATC Pilot. (the edelrid one is called the "Jul") Any of the mentioned devices will be a great upgrade from a basic ATC style, both in usability as well as safety.

I stick to screwlocks for basically all my carabiners (save for a couple small wiregates I have for clipping shoes/chalk to my harness). For a belay device, assuming it's an ATC style, get a round stock carabiner - ie it looks like it's made of a cylinder of metal instead of the flattened profile th

The Neox and Revo pay out slack the same way as an ATC. I haven't used the Neox but I've heard about the noise that it makes, so I'm not sure it's worth it. Revo is great for paying out slack - it's so smooth ☺️ Its downside, though, is that it's a bit pricey and that it's assistance kicks in only if

8.5 mm ropes are really scary with regular belay devices. Get the green Black Diamond Alpine ATC or something else that is actually designed for thin ropes.

If you weren’t having issues with an ATC, then I’d recommend switching to a different belay device. I use the Black Diamond Pilot, and I personally think it’s much better than a grigri! It’s much more intuitive, easier to feed rope, and in my (controversial) option is safer.

Hijacking the top comment for an UPDATE I contacted black diamond and they confirmed that metal gear should be good to go. "Metal gear such as ATCs, cams, stoppers, and carabiners can sometimes remain usable after decades if they show no cracks, deformation, or corrosion. However, soft goods like ro