Assessment of Petzl Neox Belay System

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Once more in 2009, my partner, Kristin, and I wanted to take a belay check out whereas visiting a model new well being membership. I’d been using the Petzl Grigri, the conventional assisted-braking belay gadget, for nearly 20 years, and had not at all failed a check out—or dropped anyone. Nevertheless as we wrapped up, the well being membership employee took us aside.

He pointed to a shiny informational poster behind him displaying Petzl’s official new Grigri methodology: to feed slack, as an alternative of pulling by it ATC-style and hoping the brake-assisting cam didn’t work together—or pinching open the cam with the brake hand (which wanted to briefly go away the rope)—you now wanted to hold out some convoluted gyration alongside along with your thumb to keep up your brake hand perpetually on the rope, albeit very close to the gadget. What sort of devilry was this?

“Correctly, Petzl merely received right here out with this new methodology, and we put the poster up closing night time time,” he said. “So, I suppose I can cross you…for instantly.”

I’ve since dreaded belay checks resulting from my tendency to utilize the Grigri the “harmful methodology”—which was type of the solely methodology when it received right here out. Positive, the Grigri is not, in any case per the legalese, meant to be “palms free,” so what I was doing was technically flawed. And so, like many individuals who merely couldn’t grasp the “new methodology,” I found myself persistently wishing for a software that married the Grigri’s supremely reliable brake assist with the straightforward slack payout of an ATC.

Why, oh why, did such an element not exist—and who was going to invent it?

Correctly, it appears it was Petzl, by introducing the Neoxwhich appears exactly identical to the Grigri nonetheless is barely greater and heavier. (My dwelling scale locations the most recent Grigri at 176 grams, and the Neox at 237 grams, or 6.2 ounces and eight.3 ounces, respectively.) There’s been loads of build-up and anticipation spherical this gadget, and I think about the hype is merited—the Neox feeds so simply and naturally, and locks off so reliably, that it’s going to make loads of belayers every safer and better—whichever methodology they’ve been using the Grigri. The reality is, even for many who’ve solely ever recognized the “new methodology” of Grigri belaying, the Neox takes rope coping with up a notch resulting from its speedy feeding and butter-smooth catches. And, for model new belayers combating the Grigri’s strict auto-locking mechanics, the Neox is a quite a bit friendlier alternative.

The fundamental distinction between the two models lies inside the cam. With the Grigri, the plate that pinches down on the weighted rope has a tough and quick, raised “plateau” at its coronary coronary heart that varieties one side of the rope channel. With the Neox, the plate design is especially the similar, solely its coronary coronary heart is a freely spinning, spring-tensioned wheel, the important thing sauce that drastically improves giving slack—primarily, you get the free-running rope of an ATC with the cam-activated brake-assist of the Grigri.

My first experience with the Neox was with just a few prototypes a buddy who works at Petzl delivered to Boulder, Colorado, this spring. They weren’t that far off the finished model, which I’ve been testing since early June, for lead belaying and toproping on ropes spherical 9mm in diameter, and single-line rappelling and ascent on 10mm and 11mm static strains. (The Neox is designed for ropes from 8.5 to 11mm.)

I’m undecided learn the way to say it other than I immediately appreciated and nonetheless love the Neox, primarily on account of you probably can, as with an ATC, whip rope by with the knowledge hand whereas concurrently coaxing it by from beneath with the brake hand, which could now merely and on a regular basis carry on the rope. Even whereas belaying my 6’1” buddy Will, who will attain down by his knees and pull up King Kong-sized bytes when clipping, I’ve been able to maintain, with out the Grigri’s typically staccato short-roping. The Neox, in precise truth, feeds with such buttery quickness that it almost looks as if “dishonest,” though possibly that’s merely years of Grigri trauma talking. I’m constructive newly minted lead belayers will equally respect the Neox’s intuitive, snag-free effectivity.

The one caveat is that, unconsciously reverting once more to my harmful, earlier Grigri habits—taking my brake hand off to pinch the gadget open and reel out slack with the knowledge hand—has prompted the Neox to lock up if my climber is pulling slack aggressively, giving the “click on on of lack of life” that presages a attainable short-roping. Nonetheless, that’s purely shopper error, and every time I’ve remembered to tug first with the knowledge hand, abetted by the brake hand, and to take motion simply, the Neox has fed fully. (Phrase that you may probably moreover follow the “new methodology”—if that’s your jam, you frickin’ weirdo.)

The flip side to a faster-feeding gadget is that the Neox lets just a bit further rope by in a fall—not an infinite amount, nonetheless usually about 6 to 12 inches. Associates and I seen this immediately with the prototypes, and I’ve confirmed this by using the Grigri and the Neox within the similar day. The upside is that the Neox offers a softer catch, and, in a trad-climbing setting, will attainable exert a lot much less drive in your prime piece, serving to to avoid the dreaded gear-ripper; the draw again is that, close to the underside, you’ll must be further heads-up. And if weight in your pack is a precedence, then possibly these extra two ounces will matter, though I actually hottest the Neox’s extra heft and longer decreasing cope with.

The Neox was moreover wonderful for toprope belaying, taking in rope merely as simply as a result of it pays it out. And it was a delight whereas establishing new climbs on a tough and quick static line, whether or not or not whereas rappelling or ascending, using a jumar and etrier above the Neox for progress. The Neox felt methodology a lot much less jerky to me than rapping with a Grigri, and took in slack correctly whereas I jugged, as soon as extra because of the wheel’s {{smooth}} movement. On a multi-pitch in Alberta, my co-tester well-known how simply the Neox belayed from above compared with a typical ATC/plate-style gadget. There was minimal resistance inside the Neox’s spinning wheel, nonetheless he well-known, for Petzlto deal with a brake hand on the rope to avoid rope slippage. In a lead-belay state of affairs, he imagines the Neox might even be a larger alternative for left-handed climbers, who can undertake standard ATC rope-feeding strategies.

My final bear in mind might be, for many who’re a pre-2009 Grigri shopper, to not journey between the two models, to avoid the belay confusion described above. I indicate, truly, at this stage I’d merely get a Neox—it actually is that good, and successfully value the extra $40 over the Grigri.

Check out the Petzl Neox on Rei.com