Gri Gri wear

Belay devices are disposable items, they wear through fairly rapidly depending on where and how you climb. The number one factor is how dirty your rope is (or gets, a quick thunderstorm and your rope can pick up loads of dirt in seconds).

The Gri-gri 2 seems to wear faster than Gri-gri 1's or Cinches, but all of them seem better than the plain standard ATCs. Probably because standard ATCs get a lot of extra wear from raps.

We need a cottage market for D2 tool steel inserts on Grigri2 plates.

Where is that picture of ware on Levy's Grigri 1?  It's pretty damn impressive.

I move the rope along the side and the end.   So it never stayed in one spot enough to get a groove.   However that was a Grigri-1 and someone just stole it at Mesa Rim.

Hmm, I'm anxious to see how the GriGri+, with the steel plates, holds up.  Mine looks like new so far, a year or so in to its life.

Kemper Brightman wrote: Anyone have experience with the gri gri plus wearing out? It seems like the steel plate might help significantly!?

I've been using a Gri Gri+ basically since it came out for all kinds of nasty belays and raps (I know--I'm gonna die). Basically shows zero signs of wear. I think the cam wore in after a few months which seemed to make it feed better on lead (generally no need for thumb/cam fuckery with 9.2-9.8 mm ropes I have depending on humidity). Also the faceplate doesn't have the little bent over bit at the end opposite the pivot point so it will close even when the rope isn't in perfectly (like on the new Gri3).

The one thing is people can't seem to figure out the anti-panic lowering. If you get one, please rtfm and it'll probably work great for you. 

Aidan Raviv wrote:

I've been using a Gri Gri+ basically since it came out for all kinds of nasty belays and raps (I know--I'm gonna die). Basically shows zero signs of wear. I think the cam wore in after a few months which seemed to make it feed better on lead (generally no need for thumb/cam fuckery with 9.2-9.8 mm ropes I have depending on humidity). Also the faceplate doesn't have the little bent over bit at the end opposite the pivot point so it will close even when the rope isn't in perfectly (like on the new Gri3).

The one thing is people can't seem to figure out the anti-panic lowering. If you get one, please rtfm and it'll probably work great for you. 

How is the Plus for rappelling?  Does the panic override kick in when you don't want it to?  I've only heard bad things about the Plus, which is what has kept me from buying one.  The metal wear plate on the Plus should be on all GGs. 

Erroneous Publicus wrote:

How is the Plus for rappelling?  Does the panic override kick in when you don't want it to?

It's fine. I've always felt better using the plus than the gg2 for raps (and everything else) because between the weight/materials/construction of the plus everything just feels a lot smoother. When I rap on the gg2 I can feel every little vibration from the rope running through and the resolution of the lever feels low. With the plus there is much less scratchy/rubby-feeling weirdness and it is just more pleasant.

The anti-panic almost never comes into play when rapping. Even if it does, it just clicks and you stop then instead of resetting the lever (which resets the anti-panic), you just pull the lever farther back (which overrides the anti-panic) then continue on your merry way sans that feature until you reset by releasing the lever.

Does anyone else have issues with the grigri slipping down static ropes (even relatively fat ones) when rappelling? Mine is pretty worn, and I'm not sure if this is just a normal thing, my grigri is getting too worn, or I'm just too fat.

Aidan Raviv wrote:

It's fine. I've always felt better using the plus than the gg2 for raps (and everything else) because between the weight/materials/construction of the plus everything just feels a lot smoother. When I rap on the gg2 I can feel every little vibration from the rope running through and the resolution of the lever feels low. With the plus there is much less scratchy/rubby-feeling weirdness and it is just more pleasant.

The anti-panic almost never comes into play when rapping. Even if it does, it just clicks and you stop then instead of resetting the lever (which resets the anti-panic), you just pull the lever farther back (which overrides the anti-panic) then continue on your merry way sans that feature until you reset by releasing the lever.

I bought a GG Plus and have now used it a couple of times in the gym. Like Aidan said, the anti panic thingy is a non-issue and the modulation when lowering seems better than the standard GG.  Only downsides are slight weight penalty and price, but the wear plate should make this rig last longer than a standard GG, so probably a wash on value.  I'm sold on the Plus.  

The gri gris in your pictures are still new-ish in my world.  I'd say they have more than 70% of life expectancy left.  If you haven't worn a hole through it, keep on rockin'. 

David Deville wrote: Does anyone else have issues with the grigri slipping down static ropes (even relatively fat ones) when rappelling? Mine is pretty worn, and I'm not sure if this is just a normal thing, my grigri is getting too worn, or I'm just too fat.

no. i use mine constantly on 9-11mm static ropes and don't have any issues with my gri gri 2

Here's my thoughts: 1) A clean nylon rope's not very abrasive. One carrying silica sand, for example, is another story. 2) Rope diameter makes very little difference in that a rope deforms, or squishes, as it's bent over the wear area. Agreed, 11mm will carry proportionately more sand than an 9.1mm. 3) Good point regarding the balance of resistance applied to the lever verses the brake hand. It's likely, though, that I'll find it hard to change my feel there. 4) Worn groove edges are crisp but not sharp, as in rope-cut sharp, especially following the rope flow direction. The attached photos are of well worn Gri Gri 2's. In the first photo, after the grooves got strikingly deep and I'd retired the unit, I punched a hole through with a 1/8" drill bit. I was surprised at how much thickness was left. In the second, my friend's Gri Gri is worn through. In neither case was there any evidence of resulting rope damage. Having said that, I don't recommend letting your Gri Gri go that far. The haunting danger, as always, in using a Gri Gri, is user error.

George Bracksieckwrote: When I lower someone, or rappel, I keep the rope pulled straight over the stainless-steel bump. I don’t bend the rope over the aluminum face plate. Bending it over the face plate also puts twists into the rope.

I understand the logic behind this recommendation but according to Petzl that's not how you're supposed to lower. I've not had experience of twists in my rope and I always bend it over the faceplate per manufacturer's instruction.

George Bracksieckwrote: When I lower someone, or rappel, I keep the rope pulled straight over the stainless-steel bump. I don’t bend the rope over the aluminum face plate. Bending it over the face plate also puts twists into the rope.

I understand the logic behind this recommendation but according to Petzl that's not how you're supposed to lower. I've not had experience of twists in my rope and I always bend it over the faceplate per manufacturer's instruction.

I burned through my Gri Gri in less than 2 years. I live/climb (a lot) in sandy Sedona where the rope is a giant, 200' long piece of sandpaper. Using a rope tarp may help but the rope just picks up sand from the rock and there's no way around it. Be sure to inspect your Gri Gri (and all your gear) regularly. Mine was so worn it began cutting my rope. I didn't realize what was happening until I de-sheathed a section right in front of me. Made for a spooky lower to the ground. You can see in the pics that I managed to create a knife edge in the edge of the cam. You can also see all the sand that gets in the device. Pretty sure there's no way to avoid this if you spend a lot of time on sandstone. I looked at the pics others posted of wear on the outside where the rope rides as you belay. That area was completely fine.