"I can't use a grigri" is a massive red flag?

Recently went climbing with a new partner. He told me that he can't use a grigri because he constantly short ropes with it. Instead he uses a wild country revo which is obviously superior to an ATC. 

Is this a red flag? Grigris aren't that hard to use. 

atc guide for top belaying gri gri for lead belaying any other configuration means you never graduated gumbyhood idc how strong or accomplished you are

I am a proud Luddite, Artem !!! I am perfectly happy to top rope belay with a gri-gri, though I think that it is unnecessarily clumsy and complicated for the task,and not otherwise very versatile. But, for me, it does not work well for lead belaying, primarily because I have issues with my wrist that prevents me from holding the gri-gri optimally for that purpose. I think that folks who are so adamant about such things need to step back a bit. No device is perfect, all have positives and negatives---it is a matter of personal choice. 

Nobody ever mentions that feeding a fat rope through a modern GG sucks and hurts the elbows. The poor guy has probably had that same experience too many times. GGs are great with new 9.8s and smaller though.

Not a red flag and shouldn't be the only question on the test.

I wouldn't say it's necessarily a red flag. For one, he's aware of his shortcomings and avoiding the device that makes him a bad belayer. Self-awareness is good. Secondly, this is something my partner might say, and that's not because he's a bad belayer (he's quite good, in fact). It's just that he hasn't put the time in yet to really learn the grigri, so he tends to shortrope with it. If you're dead-set on having him use a grigri, then just tell him you really want  him to learn it. 

I thought the holiday was Christmas not Groundhog's day.  Give it a rest already.  But as long as the floor is open for arguments I'll just say to all those that brag about their vast collection of devices and the ability to use the right one for the right task - you are risking an instinctive reaction that may be appropriate for the situation and device you use most of the time but not appropriate for what you have at the moment.

That said - using some sort of assisted device is the right thing most of the time for single pitch situations - which is what this audience does 99% of the time.

Oh, good - another Grigri thread.

M Mwrote:

Nobody ever mentions that feeding a fat rope through a modern GG sucks and hurts the elbows. The poor guy has probably had that same experience too many times. GGs are great with new 9.8s and smaller though.

Not a red flag and shouldn't be the only question on the test.

Maybe the fat rope is the red flag? 

FrankPSwrote:

Oh, good - another Grigri thread.

There are 7 wilderness fixed anchor threads 

Darren Mabewrote:

There are 7 wilderness fixed anchor threads 

We need to catch up with the Grigri threads. A race to the bottom!

The red flag is someone insisting a particular device be used instead of a solid belay.

I have many devices collected over the decades but I prefer to use my Vergo for lead belay. I didn't like the way the GriGri feed out slack and after I bought my first Cinch, I never put the time into the GG again. 

Can I use the GriGri ? Yes but get ready to be short roped.

I recently used a revo for the first time and liked it a lot. More than a gri gri. Why aren’t they more common?

M Mwrote:

Nobody ever mentions that feeding a fat rope through a modern GG sucks and hurts the elbows. The poor guy has probably had that same experience too many times. GGs are great with new 9.8s and smaller though.

Not a red flag and shouldn't be the only question on the test.

Can you even buy >9.8mm ropes now?

Eric Marxwrote:

atc guide for top belaying gri gri for lead belaying

Thread drift, but if you’re not also using the grigri for top belaying, you’re missing out on maybe the best part. Taking in slack is so much smoother. Totally worth the weight of bringing two devices imo (assuming your current setup is to swap between partners so that each person only has to carry one belay device).

Back on topic, maybe a yellow flag, definitely not a red flag. The grigri definitely has more of a learning curve until quickly feeding slack is smooth. I can imagine someone trying it for a while and switching to something else because they don’t realize how much easier it gets with experience. I’d much rather a partner who uses a Revo because they find it hard to pay out slack on a grigri than one who “solves” the problem by constantly keeping their thumb on the cam or leaving extra slack.

sounds like yall need a new partner registration and screening app. Swipe left on no-gri gri, you pampered little poof balls.

Eric Marxwrote:

atc guide for top belaying gri gri for lead belaying any other configuration means you never graduated gumbyhood idc how strong or accomplished you are

Honestly can't tell if this is trolling or not. 

This place is nothing if not entertaining.

Can we talk about crag dogs instead?

Real men use swami belts and hip belays. None of that new fangled nonsense for me.

I wonder if he could use a double back buckle vs. a speed buckle.  Or vice versa.  Try that one on for size.  If he can't use one or the other, then that's a definite red flag.

I suspect some people new to a grigri (maybe even brand new to climbing) may have trouble feeding slack, if the partner who has stuffed a grigri in their belayers hand is impatient, and one of those types who yard up 3 armloads of rope as fast as possible to clip a hanger they can barely reach?? Then glorious leader gets pissed off when the device gets locked. Then that climber gets the thumb perpetually on cam belay they themself taught the poor noob trying to belay them?

Maybe that belayer may then say they can't use a grigri, when someone else asks?

And actually be stating the truth?

Or would you rather have the thumb on cam belay?

Dogmatic responses to anything is usually a red flag.