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The guy was not demo-ing how to belay with it. He was showing that some biners don't work with the device (another caveat).

Here are instructions on how to use the device. You do in fact hold it to feed out rope (so much smoother than a gri) and it has two pinch points, which helps the faster locking.

http://www.outside.co.uk/pdf/SUMTechnical.pdf

Meadows wrote:The guy was not demo-ing how to belay with it.

Yes, Steph, I agree. I responded to Gary, who thought that the device would likely not rectify itself with break-side tension. I like the looks of the Sum. Sometime at the crag show me yours please.

According to Petzl, it's ok to go as small as 9.7mm with a GriGri. All the labels on the pictures say 10-11mm, but when you get to the text, it says 9.7's acceptable.

http://www.petzl.com/files/all/technica ... 45100A.pdf

(See p. 4, sections 1 and 4.)

I mostly use a 9.8, and I usually use a GriGri. I've never had a problem. I know that lots of people use skinnier ropes with GriGris, but personally I'm not going to second-guess the manufacturer's instructions on this one.

Oh, and as the instructions say 10 times (usually in bold text), always hold the brake side of the rope.

caribe, I'll show you mine if you show me yours....

I'd probably follow manufacturer's recommendations. petzl's website states: "For use with single ropes between 10 and 11 mm in diameter"
It's why I bought a SUM... for my skinny rope. 9.1-10.5mm range. It's kinda like the C4 of auto-locking devices.

i heard from a amga guide and he said that the gri gri is made for ten and eleven who knows

I don't know why some people fail to understand that it is in petzl's best interest to cover their ass.

If the gri-gri has a high chance of failure on an 8.8 or something like that, then they are going to make the minimum much higher than that, hence the 10mm+ recommendation. I'd bet that half the people on these boards have used a gri-gri on something under a 10mm rope and had no issue.

I've personally used a grigri on a smaller rope than a 10, it worked just fine. But that was before I read the instructions... I'd hate to fuck someone's life up just because I thought the manufacturer was "just covering their ass." I'd like to cover my ass too, by using equipment for it's intended purposes. Do we wait till an accident happens with a 9.6 and a grigri before we change our minds?

Has anyone used the Edelrid Eddy Autolock Belay device?

http://www.campman.com/edelrid-eddy-aut ... -1001.html

One of the guys I climb with has one and it's practically idiot proof. Works much like a gri gri however if you pull the lever too far, it releases the lock and the rope is caught. This certainly reduces the risk of mistakenly holding the lever open in a panic situation. I've used his a few times and it's practically impossible to lower someone fast with this device. Open the lever too far and the lock engages.

It's expensive with a $140 price tag but it certainly has its applications.

Pawilkes, Caribe, and I (150-180lbs) have used a 9.5 on a GriGri extensively with no issues. It only slipped a little (we're talking inches, not feet) the first few pitches. I could see having some issues with a person under 130 with a brand new rope, but not if your break hand is on the rope.