Retire or file off the sharp stuff

Dropped my Reverso guide off a route this past weekend. It took a ride of around 150-200' if that makes any difference in the decision. Doesn't look too bad other than a few scratches that created a couple sharp places on it. Keep using it, retire it, or keep for back up? Thanks for your input

smooth out the nicks with file/sand paper and use it

or buy another one. either option is safe

I suppose someone could say that there could be "microcracks" not visible to the naked eye, only detectable through NDT. Which is a good excuse to buy the Reverso 4. However, I'd just file off the burrs and use it.

Right on. I picked up a replacement, but will probably file her down and keep it on the rack for a back up. Thanks for the input. My concern was the possibility of micro cracks after a long fall like that. I heard it bounce 4 or 5 times, so I figured I would ask the advice of everyone here and see what the consensus of the group was. What grit of sandpaper would one recommend?

Throw it in your gym bag if you aren't sure. Plus it's always nice to have another device laying around.

Yea, just file it down. Sell the new one. Besides as long as you don't rappel, you have zero risk to yourself.

Dropped mine couple years ago 700ft, filed down and have been using it since, put a ton of mileage belaying and rapping.

Andre Dupas wrote:Yea, just file it down. Sell the new one. Besides as long as you don't rappel, you have zero risk to yourself.

Got a slightly used one with no scratches for cheap. I do rappel down on them after routes. Plus my second might be kind of pissed if it failed on her, being that she lives with me. Going to file it and sand it and ask her is she trusts it. I feel ok about it. I have 2 other ATC devices as well if necessary. It's just nice to have the option to hang it on the anchor on multi pitch. Plus I just got it about 6 weeks ago. Kind of a pisser, but that's the breaks of climbing sometimes I guess

Mike Smyth wrote:Right on. I picked up a replacement, but will probably file her down and keep it on the rack for a back up. Thanks for the input. My concern was the possibility of micro cracks after a long fall like that. I heard it bounce 4 or 5 times, so I figured I would ask the advice of everyone here and see what the consensus of the group was. What grit of sandpaper would one recommend?

I dropped my ENTIRE RACK a long time ago (!!) and thoroughly researched "micro cracks". My conclusion was if you can't see a crack/deformity with the naked eye, it's not there and it's totally trustworthy. I meticulously inspected all my gear, continued using it, and have most likely fallen on every piece (multiple times) with no failures.

Don't take my word for it though.. look into the matter thoroughly and make your decision based on that.

It definitely does not make sense to me to keep an untrustworthy piece of gear on your rack though. Either retire it or use it.

Scotch Brite pads work pretty good as well, removes less material and leaves a really smooth surface.

Reverso

Not Reverso Guide

aluminum does not micro fracture. My reverso hasn't looked that good for at least 3 years.

itll be fine

Mike Smyth wrote: Got a slightly used one with no scratches for cheap. I do rappel down on them after routes. Plus my second might be kind of pissed if it failed on her, being that she lives with me. Going to file it and sand it and ask her is she trusts it. I feel ok about it. I have 2 other ATC devices as well if necessary. It's just nice to have the option to hang it on the anchor on multi pitch. Plus I just got it about 6 weeks ago. Kind of a pisser, but that's the breaks of climbing sometimes I guess

there's a term for this problem. it's called hoarding. let it go.

if you ever find yourself wishing you still had that 4th belay device because you dropped the other three and you don't have the gear necessary to build a biner brake, i'll hire a helicopter to come get you.

Keenan Waeschle wrote:aluminum does not micro fracture. My reverso hasn't looked that good for at least 3 years.

+1 Use it. Aluminum doesn't crack without a very good reason. (Flexing, stretching, torsional bullshit that doesn't happen to a belay device.)

Crag Dweller wrote: there's a term for this problem. it's called hoarding. let it go. if you ever find yourself wishing you still had that 4th belay device because you dropped the other three and you don't have the gear necessary to build a biner brake, i'll hire a helicopter to come get you.

LMAO. I originally had an ATC and bought a second as backup. Got a good deal on the reverso, so I gave one of the ATC's to my partner for a back up. Not hoarding, but thanks for the laugh. A helicopter ride might be pretty cool though.

Josh Kornish wrote:Reverso Not Reverso Guide

It's a hunk of metal with some dings in it, but thanks for the qualification. Thanks to everyone for the input though. It helps to be able to get everyone's insight to make a more informed decision on whether or not to keep it on the rack

not necessarily trust. Gather the group consensus, possibly test the piece close to the ground, inspect, and make an informed decision. It may just end up in a dumpster, but it helps to hear comments from others who may have more experience in this realm.

I once dropped an old-style ATC a few hundred feet. This was in the early 1990's and I saw it hit a rock at the bottom and bounce about 20 feet back up and 50 feet into the woods.
I fetched it and it had a big scar on it. The net was full of advice on what to do when I asked for data. Of course, none of the advice contained data.
So I decided to gather data. I set the ATC back onto a boulder and grabbed a cinder-block sized rock that I could barely control over my head and whacked that thing down as if with a 50lb hammer When I was done it looked like it had been cast on a gravel road prior to being runover by a dozen semi-trucks. You could barely get a 9mm accessory cord threaded in it.
I sent it to BD, who being so amused and also curious, agreed to test it.

It failed within the normal distribution.
That is one data point. Just one... but more than I saw anyone else offer you.

Tony B wrote:I once dropped an old-style ATC a few hundred feet. This was in the early 1990's and I saw it hit a rock at the bottom and bounce about 20 feet back up and 50 feet into the woods. I fetched it and it had a big scar on it. The net was full of advice on what to do when I asked for data. Of course, none of the advice contained data. So I decided to gather data. I set the ATC back onto a boulder and grabbed a cinder-block sized rock that I could barely control over my head and whacked that thing down as if with a 50lb hammer When I was done it looked like it had been cast on a gravel road prior to being runover by a dozen semi-trucks. You could barely get a 9mm accessory cord threaded in it. I sent it to BD, who being so amused and also curious, agreed to test it. It failed within the normal distribution. That is one data point. Just one... but more than I saw anyone else offer you.

Nice. Good thought. It may just end up being an anger management piece.

This thread caught my interest, so I asked my son for some professional advice. He climbs, but more importantly he's a materials science engineer. He wouldn't worry about it, unless there was a visible crack that propagated with fatigue cycles. Crack propagation would be visible well before failure.