Smart

There is no right answer because you are looking for an assisted belay device for the wrong reasons. The extra layer of assistance is a huge and non-negligible help for a person who can belay but is momentarily caught off-guard (not paying attention), incapacitated, or the situation escalates (eg a

I mostly lead belay with the Neox, but have since noticed the same with the GriGri so maybe this will help: it’s less likely to lock up if you put some force behind that brake hand. So you’re pushing the rope through the device in addition to pulling with your other hand. If you mostly lead and want

I know what you mean, some devices have more active assisted braking like the GriGri and others are more passive. That sucks, it definitely seems like a lot of indoor centres are heading in that direction which is frustrating because I've been belaying with an ATC for years, it's what those same cen

I went from a GriGri to the Black Diamond Pilot and will never look back. It is so smooth and easy to give rope easier even than an ATC. Even in its peer group the Mammut Smart and Giga Jul, it far outstrips them in terms of ease of use and smoothness. The Neox is good, but as you're not supposed to