Smart

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

Left handed belay instructor here… Like it or not, the industry is moving towards assisted breaking devices, so don’t buy an ATC. On toprope, you can actually apply some pretty slick left handed technique with a GriGri, but not so much when lead belaying. Any of the geometry assisted devices (BD Pil

I like the mammut smart 2.0. I think it's normally 50 bucks, but REI has it on sale etc. It has no moving parts in it but uses an interior pinching surface that interfaces with the rope and caribiner to assist lock if the rope starts feeding too quickly (someone is falling). With a single mechanism

This happened to me before - lowering a heavier climber and I got my hand stuck in the ATC and it was so painful. I got an auto braking device (Mammut Smart) which feels a lot like an ATC but has the auto brake similar to a grigri. I personally don't like a grigri because it is harder on lead belay.

Yeah, silly me for not mentioning my belay device. I use Mammut Smart 2.0, from the manual it says: "To guarantee optimum functioning of the Smart 2.0, the use of a Smart HMS or a similar symmetrical, round-profile HMS carabiner is recommended." What bothers me here is the phrase "symmetrical, round

Edelrid's Jul family is The Way. Jul 2 is single strand, and shares geometry with the dual strand Mega Jul. These tend to give the best lockup with most ropes, but it depends a lot on the carabiner, too. Skinnier biner stock tends to lock up tighter, but I get good results with an Edelrid Bulletproo

I use a smart alpine, which is a twin-tube version of the Mammut Smart. There is an odd motion that you can do where the curve of the belay biner can bind in the device, locking it up and preventing rope from traveling in either direction in it. I think it is better to have the wider belly, as well

Bei uns in der Halle wird in Kinderkursen durchgehend mit GriGri+ gesichert. Scheint zu gehen. Ich nutze für die kleinen ein Mammut Smart 2.0. Geht super, auch mit 20 kg.

The mammut smart and atc Pilot are geometry based and use almost the same technique for belaying as your reverso, with the benefit of the backup that you’re trying to figure out. I’m not a fan of making something that is not complex more complex because I don’t want to pick a tool that already exist

Mad Rock for shoes Organic for Crash pads if you can afford it Wild Country - Friends, Nut tool (theirs has the leash and that has saved my ass repeatedly), their rope bag/tarp combo has got to be my favorite on the market but that that's just me. DMM - Offset Nuts Edelrid - Ohmega, Bulletproof HMS