Raed Zaed: ohm alternative?

True

dino74wrote:

If you fall on the first draw with the ohm, there is a notch that should add extra friction to the rope.

Can confirm from experience - it adds a LOT of extra friction. It results in a super hard catch... Not recommended. 

No notch in the OHM II? Maybe they use a different method to add resistance?

Would be curious to know if the new version will be appreciably better than the old. I’m on the edge of needing one but never bothered since I have heard they can be annoying for the climber. No experience with it myself though.

Thanks everyone for the good information.  The zorro chap never replied to my email, so I've gone ahead and ordered the Zaed.  I'll see about sharing videos of catches when it arrives to get some more real work information out about it.

https://edelrid.com/us-en/sport/belay-devices/ohm?variant=3110027#

Ohm II on the website

https://youtu.be/yiYRU9N0W30?si=32AYSym0dvlkHTSN

German video explaining technique for heavy belaying light and light belaying heavy with the use of Edelrid Ohm, Bauer Zorro and Raed Zaed. I bought Zaed yesterday and eager to see how good it is. The result in the video looked promising.

Any speculation on whether the lighter weight titanium Zaed would perform different / worse than the heavier stainless steel Zaed? They're both a lot lighter than the ohm, but seems like the weight of the ohm helped it stay down when feeding slack to clip. Maybe that's less of an issue with the Zaed?

Well I'm a sucker for gear, I've got one ordered this morning.  Will compare it to the OHM I've used for years on countless sessions, will also compare with the OHM 2 when that comes out. 

Looks like HowNot2 is out of stock for the Zaed right now. If you do bite the bullet and order one from Raed overseas, that youtube video had a 10% discount code in the description: JURACLIMBS 

One issue I found with this device, is that on it the model name is written with big letters which unfortunately means semen in Norwegian. ZÆD, but true, but I'll handle some ridicule for my future flaccid falls belayed by my lighter partner. 

I got the Bauer Espressi. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet but will this weekend. It looks very well made!

Timothy Primewrote:

Can confirm from experience - it adds a LOT of extra friction. It results in a super hard catch... Not recommended. 

I’ve repeatedly whipped on the first bolt without any issue, and I received a soft catch. In the scenario where I use it, I would have decked because of the 100 pound weight difference. If the weight difference is smaller, probably the ohm is not appropriate. (This is not to say that is the case for you Timothy, just to say I had a soft catch)

I prefer not to use the ohm, but it makes things safer and more comfortable when your belayer is 100+ pounds lighter than you. 

The high friction mode only occurs after a fall or a take. The device changes angle to add friction. Sometime the belayer needs to flick the rope to let the ohm fall back into low friction mode for the next clip after you start climbing. I never have trouble clipping after a short conversation with the belayer. 

Will

WillFwrote:

I’ve repeatedly whipped on the first bolt without any issue, and I received a soft catch. In the scenario where I use it, I would have decked because of the 100 pound weight difference. If the weight difference is smaller, probably the ohm is not appropriate. (This is not to say that is the case for you Timothy, just to say I had a soft catch)

I prefer not to use the ohm, but it makes things safer and more comfortable when your belayer is 100+ pounds lighter than you. 

I'm glad the Ohm is working well for your use case, WillF. I'm excited to try the Zaed out to see if it's any better for mine!

I am about 60lbs/23kg heavier than my usual belayer (not quite 50% heavier), and I get spiked way more often than a soft catch with the Ohm. My belayer often reports feeling like they barely feel me when I fall- the ohm rockets up and pinches the rope and bears most of my weight. We have experimented with more or less slack out between the belayer and the Ohm, and different standing positions, but it doesn't seem to help much.

Edelrid's marketing (for the Ohm II) says, "Makes the belayer 25 kg heavier”, and says, "The German Alpine Club (DAV) recommends that a lead climber should weigh a maximum of 10 kg more than the belayer (for example, belayer 60 kg/climber maximum weight 70 kg). If the lead climber is more than 10 kg heavier than the belayer, then weight or friction-enhancing measures are recommended." So they're clearly marketing it for much smaller weight differences than 100lbs.  The Raed Zaed on the other hand seems to suggest a MAX difference of about 50-60%.

FWIW, it seems like the method of action is similar for the Zaed, where it works by lifting up towards the second bolt and changing the rope run to pass rounded surfaces adding friction. The rounded edges are much wider in the Zaed than the Ohm, though.

Another review of the Zaed;

https://www.bergsteigen.com/produkte/test-ohm-und-zaed/

I bought it from their official website. Quick shipping, but the EU VAT  (19%) was not subtracted at the end of purchase and I was doubled-VAT-ed since I am outside of EU. Total cost EUR 194,53. 

Not so happy with that, but I am in dialogue with the owner. 

I'll post a review after trying it out this weekend.

Tried out the Bauer Espressi yesterday. So far it seems well built and functions as it should - a nice upgrade over an Ohm. The rope feeds very smoothly while climbing/clipping. I didn't notice it biting while pulling up rope like I've sometimes experienced with an Ohm. It also didn't seem to have much if any delay in adding friction when taking a fall. And it doesn't do that thing Ohms do where they stay engaged and the belayer has to shake the rope out to disengage it. The climber can just immediately start moving without any special belay technique or anything.

I didn't like the idea of having to use a locker with the Zorro. I think that'd be pretty inconvenient in a lot of situations. Didn't try stick clipping it but there's no reason it wouldn't work.

I'm satisfied!

Ryan Smithwrote:

I got the Bauer Espressi. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet but will this weekend. It looks very well made!

Where/How did you order this? 

Brad Johnsonwrote:

Where/How did you order this? 

https://bauer-seilbremse.de/Shop/

There's options for within EU or export (so you don't get charged VAT unnecessarily), Zorro, Espressi, with/without carabiner. The carabiner they include is nice if you get it.

Ryan Smithwrote:

I just saw an ad for this thing that appears to be an ohm like device but with adjustable friction..? I hadn't heard of it. It appears to be new and I couldn't really find any info outside of their own website so I was wondering if anybody here knows anything or has tried it.

Link to product page:

https://raed-climbing.com/products/zaed-stainless-steel

I lost my ohm and haven't felt like buying another but this one is unfortunately just as expensive so idk if I want to bother, but it's cool to see another option

Mine arrived.  I used it.  From my first experience, to put it bluntly, it seems pretty shit.

Now, in full disclosure my belayer and I are outside the recommended weight range of "setting 2" by a couple of kgs.  Whereas the Ohm (which I'm sure I'm still outside the range of) "works", and I sure get a hard catch regardless, with the zaed my belayer couldn't actually tell that it was having an impact at all.

Going back to the raed website, I see they've changed it.  The PDF manual (v1.5) says that level 3 is for overhanging terrain.  The main website now says that it's "also for" greater weight differences.  I'm sure it didn't say that before, but now in good conscience I need to go test it again in level 3 and see how it behaves.

So, that's first impressions.  I'll try again with level 3 and see if it helps.

Edit to add: indeed, there is now a mention on the website that they went back and tested the device in level 3 on vertical terrain based on other feedback.  Another update to follow once I've gone back to test at level 3.  I'm hopeful, but the total lack of friction at level 2 makes it a real struggle to suspend my disbelief.

Dave Bakerwrote:

Mine arrived.  I used it.  From my first experience, to put it bluntly, it seems pretty shit.

Now, in full disclosure my belayer and I are outside the recommended weight range of "setting 2" by a couple of kgs.  Whereas the Ohm (which I'm sure I'm still outside the range of) "works", and I sure get a hard catch regardless, with the zaed my belayer couldn't actually tell that it was having an impact at all.

Going back to the raed website, I see they've changed it.  The PDF manual (v1.5) says that level 3 is for overhanging terrain.  The main website now says that it's "also for" greater weight differences.  I'm sure it didn't say that before, but now in good conscience I need to go test it again in level 3 and see how it behaves.

So, that's first impressions.  I'll try again with level 3 and see if it helps.  I sure liked my "soft catch" I can get that without a device in the system.

Thanks for the review.  Please let me know.  Mines on the way, I've never felt that the OHM was that hard of a catch.  When the Ohm II comes out if you want to buy my 1 at a discount let me know.  Or I'll trade this if you want! 

Just got the Zaed. 

As for paying out smooth the Zaed looks more promising than the Ohm 1, which catches rope quite (too) often. 

Also the titanium Zaed is significant lighter than the Ohm 1. 

Maybe it is because that I am not a native speaker but the instruction, user manual is at least confusing for me. The climber is down and the belayer is on top in the pictures. 

(I noticed I have the same sort problem with the Mudo instruction where the devise is turned up side down, in the manual). Took me a while to get it right. Looks to me a missed chance.

With the Zaed the use is more self-explaining.