Overview 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 in no way failed a check out—or dropped anyone. Nonetheless as we wrapped up, the well being membership employee took us aside.

He pointed to a shiny informational poster behind him exhibiting Petzl’s official new Grigri technique: to feed slack, as a substitute of pulling by it ATC-style and hoping the brake-assisting cam didn’t interact—or pinching open the cam with the brake hand (which wanted to rapidly go away the rope)—you now wanted to hold out some convoluted gyration alongside together 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?

“Successfully, Petzl merely obtained right here out with this new technique, and we put the poster up last night time time,” he talked about. “So, I suppose I can go you…for presently.”

I’ve since dreaded belay exams on account of my tendency to utilize the Grigri the “unhealthy technique”—which was kind of the solely technique when it obtained right here out. Positive, the Grigri should not be, at least per the legalese, meant to be “arms free,” so what I was doing was technically incorrect. And so, like many individuals who merely couldn’t grasp the “new technique,” I found myself constantly wishing for a device that married the Grigri’s supremely reliable brake assist with the simple slack payout of an ATC.

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

Successfully, it appears it was Petzl, by introducing the Neoxwhich seems to be like exactly similar to the Grigri nevertheless is barely larger and heavier. (My home 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 numerous 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 numerous belayers every safer and better—whichever technique they’ve been using the Grigri. In precise truth, even in case you’ve solely ever acknowledged the “new technique” of Grigri belaying, the Neox takes rope coping with up a notch due to its quick feeding and butter-smooth catches. And, for model spanking new belayers struggling with the Grigri’s strict auto-locking mechanics, the Neox is a quite a bit friendlier risk.

The basic distinction between the two devices lies throughout 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 sorts one side of the rope channel. With the Neox, the plate design is principally the similar, solely its coronary coronary heart is a freely spinning, spring-tensioned wheel, the important thing sauce that drastically improves giving slack—principally, 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 a couple of prototypes a pal who works at Petzl dropped at 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 the way in which to say it other than I immediately favored and nonetheless love the Neox, primarily because 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 can now merely and always carry on the rope. Even whereas belaying my 6’1” pal Will, who will attain down by his knees and pull up King Kong-sized bytes when clipping, I’ve been ready to maintain, with out the Grigri’s typically staccato short-roping. The Neox, truly, feeds with such buttery quickness that it nearly appears to be like like “dishonest,” though perhaps that’s merely years of Grigri trauma talking. I’m sure newly minted lead belayers will equally acknowledge the Neox’s intuitive, snag-free effectivity.

The one caveat is that, unconsciously reverting once more to my unhealthy, outdated Grigri habits—taking my brake hand off to pinch the gadget open and reel out slack with the knowledge hand—has introduced in regards to 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 particular person error, and every time I’ve remembered to pull first with the knowledge hand, abetted by the brake hand, and to take motion simply, the Neox has fed utterly. (Phrase that you’d moreover stick with the “new technique”—if that’s your jam, you frickin’ weirdo.)

The flip side to a faster-feeding gadget is that the Neox lets a little bit bit further rope by in a fall—not an unlimited amount, nevertheless usually about 6 to 12 inches. Buddies and I noticed this instantly with the prototypes, and I’ve confirmed this by way of the usage of 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 seemingly exert a lot much less stress in your excessive piece, serving to to steer clear of the dreaded gear-ripper; the draw again is that, close to the underside, you’ll ought to be further heads-up. And if weight in your pack is a precedence, then perhaps these further two ounces will matter, though I actually hottest the Neox’s further heft and longer lowering cope with.

The Neox was moreover greatest 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 technique a lot much less jerky to me than rapping with a Grigri, and took in slack correctly whereas I jugged, as soon as extra due to 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 standard ATC/plate-style gadget. There was minimal resistance throughout the Neox’s spinning wheel, nevertheless he well-known, for Petzlto maintain up a brake hand on the rope to steer clear of rope slippage. In a lead-belay scenario, he imagines the Neox may be a larger risk for left-handed climbers, who can undertake standard ATC rope-feeding methods.

My closing observe could be, in case you’re a pre-2009 Grigri particular person, to not commute between the two devices, to steer clear of the belay confusion described above. I indicate, truly, at this degree I’d merely get a Neox—it really is that good, and successfully value the extra $40 over the Grigri.

Strive the Petzl Neox on Rei.com