Trango Cinch

[climberkid15]

So I was looking at some different belay devices and talking to a few people about them and some people has some rave reviews over the Cinch and i was wondering if any one has used one. I not very confident when it comes to using something mechanical (as in complicated moving parts that i don't understand yet) i just always think something is going to lock up or break and end up getting my stuck or not stopping my fall or some one elses for that matter. If any of you uses the Cinch i would love to get a little review from you.

Thanks

[greenerimpact]

Hey Climberkid15,
I'm glad you mentioned that you find moving parts on belay devices...a bit, well complicated. So do I.

I'm into my second decade of climbing, and have seen lots of gear be re-worked, redesigned, etc., but one thing that is for sure when it comes to climbing (and ultimately your safety), is to keep it simple. If it confuses you, don't use it. If you can't use this thing with your eyes closed, or in a time of being physically or mentally fatigued (where you may accidentally have the rope running through the wrong way), or have too small a rope diameter for it to work properly, guess what happens to your leader if he/she falls.....
Yup. Like a meteor hitting the earth.....and it's not pretty.

1 1/2 years ago, my good friend was working a 12c in Colorado, and his belayer was using a Cinch (or something similar). Everyone watching him working the crux knew he was about to fall....except his slacker belayer. Not only was the belayer not in his game, and not ready for the fall, he had somehow jammed the device opened. When he did fall (like will happen when you are pushing the grades) people were in agasp as rope kept wizzing by, through the device....and not locking. My friend cratered to the ground, from 80 feet up.... flat on his back, just missing a tree stump. He broke 6 vertibra, all his front teeth out, and almost died. He was helicoptered out to the local ER, and spent 3 months in recovery wearing a body cast. He was damn lucky to be alive, but that is not how he felt about his belayer. He wanted to kill him, and never even got an appology or a "hey I really should have been more aware of how to use my belay device".

I haven't used one of these, and I guarentee that Trango swears it is the newest coolest thing ever, and everyone who is anyone should own one. I used to use a Petzl GriGri all the time sport climbing, until one day I realized that I had it set up wrong, while my leader was halfway up a route. Fortunately he was able to clip into a bolt while I re-set it properly....but I never used it again.

I am all about the good old fashion ATC. You always can tell if you have it set up right, with no doubts. Learn how to use this, and you will always be a solid belayer. Get the "jaws" if you need extra gripping power, but stay far away from any belay device that is complicated.

Climb safe brother.
M-Dub

[Quick Draw McGraw]

i like the petzl gri-gri the best buts its kinda heavy

[sarahjane]

I agree with greenerimpact; stay away from complicated devices.
I swear by my Reverso 3. It doesn't have any moving parts, like an ATC. What makes it different that I like are the friction grooves (good for belaying people heavier than you) and that you can use it to belay off an anchor instead of your harness.

[Paul]

I always live by KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.

I have thought about the GriGri from time to time, but I don't like moving parts that can jam as mentioned above. I learned on the ATC from a friend, then picked up an ATC Guide for the extra bite, the auto-bloc feature, as well as the attachment point to use it off harness. Even though I haven't used it to it's full potential, it is a piece of mind for me knowing that I have those extra options when needed.

[Quick Draw McGraw]

i like my atc guide but it doesnt seam to slide ropes easy when useing it in guide mode, dont know about the reverso 3 yet

[Paul]

I was talking to Rich, "wallrat," he was showing me the Trango Cinch and he explained that if it gets side-loaded, it can pull apart. No thanks.