I used my friends Revo in Jtree this Christmas for a few days and was instantly sold. I've been climbing since the waist belay in 1977. I've used all the belay devices that have been invented since then, from the Stitch plate, a variety of ATC's to the Cinch and GriGri 1, 2 and Plus. The beauty of the Revo is that it feeds rope better than anything else out there, bar none. I did not think anything could ever improve on my GriGri Plus. But even a GriGri has to be managed. You have to keep a thumb on the GriGri cam to prevent short roping your leader. With the Revo, there is nothing to manage, and there is no way to thread it wrong. You throw rope as fast as you need to with no resistance. I liken it to the seatbelt in a car. A car seat belt flows freely in and out. The cam in a seatbelt only grabs when it gets pulled really hard and fast...like the Revo. You handle it exactly like a standard ATC. If you have good belay skills, you are unlikely to ever have the Revo engage. You can catch falls and lower using your normal good brake hand movements. But if the unexpected happens, like, say you are messing about with a rope tangle and have a sloppy brake hand for a moment. You perhaps have a couple of feet of slack rope between your brake hand and the Revo, and your lead climber falls. In that circumstance, you might not have time to drop your brake hand into the brake position...well, the Revo has your back. My only reservation is that it's big. I led some 5.9 offwidths in Jtree to belay from the top, carrying my Revo. It's got those protruding steel clicky things at the top...and it tends to drag on the rock...in a chimney. It also looks like it might be a bit more fragile if you took a lead fall with it on your harness....but I guess if that is a huge concern, leave it on the ground and lead with your ATC, which you need to rappel anyway. After two weeks of trad climbing at Jtree and a bunch of falls, we all loved the Revo. I'm going to sell my GriGri's
I too started climbing when hip belays were still considered safe technique and leg loops were optional gear. I never fully adopted the Gri-Gri for the reason of the extra management for lead belaying you mentioned. I do think they are a fantastic tool for a lot of things though. The Revo captures my interest as a possible lead soloing device.
@patriot prater I've used the MegaJul for failproof belaying and rapping, but it's quite grabby, takes a lot of getting used to. BD ATC guide is my standard belay device for multipitch. Occasionally I'll bring a GriGri mulitpitching since it's hard work to belay my second with my 10.2 rope up through the BD guide in auto lock mode. Revo isn't ideal if your second is going to be hanging on follow. I use the Revo all the time for single pitch belaying, unless my partner is going to do a lot of hangdogging, then a GriGri can be less work. Revo can be forced to lockup for hangdogging...it does work fine. GriGri just does it automatically. Regarding rappeling and fail safe...I rap on my ATC guide with a prusik backup. I have the guide extended on my daisy chain, prusic goes to my belay loop. It's a well proven multipitch rappelling system, look it up. If I was just starting out, I'd use a BD ATC guide exclusively and get the Revo or GriGri later after you've climbed for a year. Definitely learn the Munter hitch in case you drop your belay device!
I know this is an old review, but still thought i might leave a comment. I own a bunch of belay devices, Grigri+ and Revo amoung them. And i find the Revo the easiest and smoothest to use when belaying a lead climber. For toprope belaying, i actually prefer my good old ATC, simply because i can lower the climber faster. The revo is silky smooth when feeding rope. What i would want to point out, and that might not come across well in this video, is that the Revo isn't meant to be a auto-breaking belay device, it's an assisted breaking device that only jumps in if the belayer isn't doing their job well enough. When i use it, 99% of the time the revo doesn't lock up, because I'm doing what I'm supposed to do when catching a fall, or otherwise simply belaying. But when I'm not completely focused, and a bit slow, it will engage every time. You should never adapt your belaying to depend/rely on the safety mechanisms of any belay device, no matter how safe the device is. The locking mechanism for the revo activates at falls of 4m/s which is to say not as fast as a grigri, thus giving the feeling of needing more rope for it to catch, however still with no issues in a free fall. I guess you could have an issue if you were sliding down an inclined wall or rock, but again, if the belayer is present and actually doing what he is supposed to, there is no issue, and as stated before, the lock won't even engage. There is a technique for activating the break/lock manually if the climber needs a break or is projecting something, takes some practice, but once you get used to it, there's no problem locking it, allbeit they might get just a little lower. So that negative as mentioned, is something you can actually deal with :) When it sometimes locks up on you when feeding rope, and the rope is slack, you can also disengage the lock without having to manually press down the locking switch, simply do a quick in and out motion with the rope (pulling in rope again and giving it out) and it will disengage. It rarely happens to me, when it does it's because I'm not paying attention and suddenly need to pull out alot of rope fast, engaging the locking mechanism. And when that happens, I've become so accustomed to the motion that i unlock it within a split second, the climber often doesn't even notice. I've never had the latch open up on me, but if it does, as you say, it's secured with the carabiner, so there's no chance of the rope falling out. In addition, the device still functions normally, and still locks if needed, allbeit with a little more friction in the system as it seems? I belay alot, actually belay more than i climb (due to injuries that restrict my climbing), and the revo is my favorite belay device for lead. Works well, giving out slack is a dream, and it doesn't do anything to really help you unless it really needs to (i.e. you're not paying attention) it's a good assistant, that lends a helping hand only when you really need it. Anyways, good review :) Sorry for the long comment.
This video (and the comments as well) show a common misconception. The revo is not just a bidirectional Grigri. You can use it as a "lock if the climber falls" device but this would be a real waste of money. The reason I instantly loved it is that it feels like a tube when belaying. My biggest problem with the Grigri (and all those other semi-automatic and auto-tuber style devices) is that it locks hard when the climber falls. To give a soft catch for a lighter climber such as my girlfriend I always had to actively jump and time it right. The latter part gets difficult on surprising falls. With the revo it is easy because I just keep the break hand without slack and as the climber falls it gets pulled towards the device just like with a tuber. I can either belay fully dynamic with the device or use this to get a lot more time to make the body belay soft. Just like you would do with a tube but without the risk that the climber will fall to certain death if you mess it up. For me it is the device for single pitch sports climbing.
I think this is something that will work well for solo climbing, as there are no more dedicated solo products on the market (that I know of). But there also isn't a huge market for solo devices either.
I'm confused by the point you made at 4:30 where you pulled the device apart. How would the device create more friction in the system by coming undone slightly? Is the point that the device puts pressure onto the carabiner in an unusual way? Also the second time you pulled the device apart you didn't have a carabiner attached through the hole at the bottom like you would when belaying, so I don't see why that is a point of concern (unless you're saying that the added stress on the carabiner is likely to break the carabiner?).
Hey David. Sorry for such a late response. The geometry where rope exits changes slightly and seems to create extra drag. Also for some reason the locking device tends to engage a little more when the device is "open-ajar". This engagement sensitivity is more apparent when lowering a climber. I don't think this to be a major safety concern; as you point out the carabiner would lock the device together. That being said the revo's main draw is it's claimed usability/user experience. The claimed benefit is smoother rope movement. If climbers need to deal with extra drag or the locking device engaging in unwanted situations potential buyers may consider an alternative device.
I thought it would be the future of belay for sport climbing, but as it does not lock when it should or require much more rope to do so, lock when it should not, unlock itself... I will stick with my grigri (or click up)
Hey Geoffroy, I would hesitate to say that it locks up when it should. The point at which the device locks is up for debate. GriGri's lock up very quickly, but some climbers/belayers have complained about that and prefer a softer engagement similar to the Revo. In a nutshell it comes down to understanding your belay device, using it properly, and your personal preferences. That being said, I no longer use my Revo.
the little button on mine has about a half centimeter of play where i can push it in and out. Is yours like that? also the bottom two parts where the bean clips in are not even. almost like it opened up during testing and bent it a tiny bit. im guessing thats what the scratches are by the bottom of the device where the bean clips in. i may be returning mine and waiting for the 3ed or 4th gen. the fact that it can open even though the bean is there to stop it I dont like. Awesome idea but I feel some no brainer things were overlooked. why couldn't they just have made a better clip to open and close it? I hate to be mean but now I know why it got delayed to market. Bad craftsmanship! they would have been better off getting rid of the button all together and making it built to have a little play.
Hey George! Sorry for the late reply. For some reason I never got a notification of your question. I'm not sure I'm understanding what you're describing. But when my Revo is closed and the latch is engaged there is very little play. But when the latch fails and the loops at the bottom are pressing on my carabiner, there is about a half a centimeter of travel between that point and fully closed. Hope this helps.
already returned it. my buddy almost decked it because it takes to long to catch. got a grigri like i should have done from the get go.tthe revo has like 0 friction when lowering and the thing will burn your hands out. relying the revo to work on anything under 20 to 25 feet of space is sketch city. i will not doubt evey one will be recalled soon. I used it fo 3 sessions and switched bac to my atc each one
Hey George, thanks for the update. Sorry the Revo didn’t work out for you. The grigri has stood the test of time. With proper technique is super safe and reliable. I’m sure you’ll get tons of use out of it
Meh, seems like it's another botched attempt to making a holy grail. It sounds like it would be great for trad climbing, and the best part is, it works for lefties. Grigri doesn't... Has anyone compared the smart vs the click up?
bru, ur not even using a locking carabiner. not that it really affects anything, but just for others to think about when this dude comes in here feeding us information about this when he doesn't even use a locking carabiner when belaying
Hey MusicMan, I always use a locking carabiner when attaching a belay device to my harness. It affects the safety of your belay system and factors into the overall risk assumed when climbing. In this video I'm using the Grivel Tau locking carabiner. Here's a link if you would like more information about the item: www.backcountry.com/grivel-tau-wire-lock-carabiner
I used my friends Revo in Jtree this Christmas for a few days and was instantly sold. I've been climbing since the waist belay in 1977. I've used all the belay devices that have been invented since then, from the Stitch plate, a variety of ATC's to the Cinch and GriGri 1, 2 and Plus. The beauty of the Revo is that it feeds rope better than anything else out there, bar none. I did not think anything could ever improve on my GriGri Plus. But even a GriGri has to be managed. You have to keep a thumb on the GriGri cam to prevent short roping your leader. With the Revo, there is nothing to manage, and there is no way to thread it wrong. You throw rope as fast as you need to with no resistance. I liken it to the seatbelt in a car. A car seat belt flows freely in and out. The cam in a seatbelt only grabs when it gets pulled really hard and fast...like the Revo. You handle it exactly like a standard ATC. If you have good belay skills, you are unlikely to ever have the Revo engage. You can catch falls and lower using your normal good brake hand movements. But if the unexpected happens, like, say you are messing about with a rope tangle and have a sloppy brake hand for a moment. You perhaps have a couple of feet of slack rope between your brake hand and the Revo, and your lead climber falls. In that circumstance, you might not have time to drop your brake hand into the brake position...well, the Revo has your back. My only reservation is that it's big. I led some 5.9 offwidths in Jtree to belay from the top, carrying my Revo. It's got those protruding steel clicky things at the top...and it tends to drag on the rock...in a chimney. It also looks like it might be a bit more fragile if you took a lead fall with it on your harness....but I guess if that is a huge concern, leave it on the ground and lead with your ATC, which you need to rappel anyway. After two weeks of trad climbing at Jtree and a bunch of falls, we all loved the Revo. I'm going to sell my GriGri's
I too started climbing when hip belays were still considered safe technique and leg loops were optional gear. I never fully adopted the Gri-Gri for the reason of the extra management for lead belaying you mentioned. I do think they are a fantastic tool for a lot of things though. The Revo captures my interest as a possible lead soloing device.
@patriot prater I've used the MegaJul for failproof belaying and rapping, but it's quite grabby, takes a lot of getting used to. BD ATC guide is my standard belay device for multipitch. Occasionally I'll bring a GriGri mulitpitching since it's hard work to belay my second with my 10.2 rope up through the BD guide in auto lock mode. Revo isn't ideal if your second is going to be hanging on follow. I use the Revo all the time for single pitch belaying, unless my partner is going to do a lot of hangdogging, then a GriGri can be less work. Revo can be forced to lockup for hangdogging...it does work fine. GriGri just does it automatically. Regarding rappeling and fail safe...I rap on my ATC guide with a prusik backup. I have the guide extended on my daisy chain, prusic goes to my belay loop. It's a well proven multipitch rappelling system, look it up. If I was just starting out, I'd use a BD ATC guide exclusively and get the Revo or GriGri later after you've climbed for a year. Definitely learn the Munter hitch in case you drop your belay device!
I know this is an old review, but still thought i might leave a comment. I own a bunch of belay devices, Grigri+ and Revo amoung them. And i find the Revo the easiest and smoothest to use when belaying a lead climber. For toprope belaying, i actually prefer my good old ATC, simply because i can lower the climber faster.
The revo is silky smooth when feeding rope. What i would want to point out, and that might not come across well in this video, is that the Revo isn't meant to be a auto-breaking belay device, it's an assisted breaking device that only jumps in if the belayer isn't doing their job well enough. When i use it, 99% of the time the revo doesn't lock up, because I'm doing what I'm supposed to do when catching a fall, or otherwise simply belaying. But when I'm not completely focused, and a bit slow, it will engage every time. You should never adapt your belaying to depend/rely on the safety mechanisms of any belay device, no matter how safe the device is. The locking mechanism for the revo activates at falls of 4m/s which is to say not as fast as a grigri, thus giving the feeling of needing more rope for it to catch, however still with no issues in a free fall. I guess you could have an issue if you were sliding down an inclined wall or rock, but again, if the belayer is present and actually doing what he is supposed to, there is no issue, and as stated before, the lock won't even engage.
There is a technique for activating the break/lock manually if the climber needs a break or is projecting something, takes some practice, but once you get used to it, there's no problem locking it, allbeit they might get just a little lower. So that negative as mentioned, is something you can actually deal with :)
When it sometimes locks up on you when feeding rope, and the rope is slack, you can also disengage the lock without having to manually press down the locking switch, simply do a quick in and out motion with the rope (pulling in rope again and giving it out) and it will disengage. It rarely happens to me, when it does it's because I'm not paying attention and suddenly need to pull out alot of rope fast, engaging the locking mechanism. And when that happens, I've become so accustomed to the motion that i unlock it within a split second, the climber often doesn't even notice.
I've never had the latch open up on me, but if it does, as you say, it's secured with the carabiner, so there's no chance of the rope falling out. In addition, the device still functions normally, and still locks if needed, allbeit with a little more friction in the system as it seems?
I belay alot, actually belay more than i climb (due to injuries that restrict my climbing), and the revo is my favorite belay device for lead. Works well, giving out slack is a dream, and it doesn't do anything to really help you unless it really needs to (i.e. you're not paying attention) it's a good assistant, that lends a helping hand only when you really need it.
Anyways, good review :) Sorry for the long comment.
Would you recommend it for top rope
This video (and the comments as well) show a common misconception. The revo is not just a bidirectional Grigri. You can use it as a "lock if the climber falls" device but this would be a real waste of money. The reason I instantly loved it is that it feels like a tube when belaying. My biggest problem with the Grigri (and all those other semi-automatic and auto-tuber style devices) is that it locks hard when the climber falls. To give a soft catch for a lighter climber such as my girlfriend I always had to actively jump and time it right. The latter part gets difficult on surprising falls. With the revo it is easy because I just keep the break hand without slack and as the climber falls it gets pulled towards the device just like with a tuber. I can either belay fully dynamic with the device or use this to get a lot more time to make the body belay soft. Just like you would do with a tube but without the risk that the climber will fall to certain death if you mess it up. For me it is the device for single pitch sports climbing.
The fact that it doesn't lock up immediately would be a reason for me to choose it over the grigri. It means you can belay more dynamically.
I think this is something that will work well for solo climbing, as there are no more dedicated solo products on the market (that I know of). But there also isn't a huge market for solo devices either.
Hey James, yes there are some people already using it for rope soloing. There are a couple of comments of personal experiences on Mountain Project.
I was wondering how it worked in real life. Would it make "projecting" easier on the belayer? The answer is clearly not so that cleared that up.
I'm confused by the point you made at 4:30 where you pulled the device apart. How would the device create more friction in the system by coming undone slightly? Is the point that the device puts pressure onto the carabiner in an unusual way? Also the second time you pulled the device apart you didn't have a carabiner attached through the hole at the bottom like you would when belaying, so I don't see why that is a point of concern (unless you're saying that the added stress on the carabiner is likely to break the carabiner?).
Hey David. Sorry for such a late response. The geometry where rope exits changes slightly and seems to create extra drag. Also for some reason the locking device tends to engage a little more when the device is "open-ajar". This engagement sensitivity is more apparent when lowering a climber. I don't think this to be a major safety concern; as you point out the carabiner would lock the device together. That being said the revo's main draw is it's claimed usability/user experience. The claimed benefit is smoother rope movement. If climbers need to deal with extra drag or the locking device engaging in unwanted situations potential buyers may consider an alternative device.
Great review. Thanks
I have one and it has no competition for single pitch climbs...
You can clip out the break if u want a rest...
I thought it would be the future of belay for sport climbing, but as it does not lock when it should or require much more rope to do so, lock when it should not, unlock itself... I will stick with my grigri (or click up)
Hey Geoffroy, I would hesitate to say that it locks up when it should. The point at which the device locks is up for debate. GriGri's lock up very quickly, but some climbers/belayers have complained about that and prefer a softer engagement similar to the Revo. In a nutshell it comes down to understanding your belay device, using it properly, and your personal preferences. That being said, I no longer use my Revo.
Thanks for the video. :D
I was interested until the whole unlocking on it's own part, that's an instant no in my book
the little button on mine has about a half centimeter of play where i can push it in and out. Is yours like that? also the bottom two parts where the bean clips in are not even. almost like it opened up during testing and bent it a tiny bit. im guessing thats what the scratches are by the bottom of the device where the bean clips in. i may be returning mine and waiting for the 3ed or 4th gen. the fact that it can open even though the bean is there to stop it I dont like. Awesome idea but I feel some no brainer things were overlooked. why couldn't they just have made a better clip to open and close it? I hate to be mean but now I know why it got delayed to market. Bad craftsmanship! they would have been better off getting rid of the button all together and making it built to have a little play.
Hey George! Sorry for the late reply. For some reason I never got a notification of your question. I'm not sure I'm understanding what you're describing. But when my Revo is closed and the latch is engaged there is very little play. But when the latch fails and the loops at the bottom are pressing on my carabiner, there is about a half a centimeter of travel between that point and fully closed. Hope this helps.
already returned it. my buddy almost decked it because it takes to long to catch. got a grigri like i should have done from the get go.tthe revo has like 0 friction when lowering and the thing will burn your hands out. relying the revo to work on anything under 20 to 25 feet of space is sketch city. i will not doubt evey one will be recalled soon. I used it fo 3 sessions and switched bac to my atc each one
Hey George, thanks for the update. Sorry the Revo didn’t work out for you. The grigri has stood the test of time. With proper technique is super safe and reliable. I’m sure you’ll get tons of use out of it
Tommy and Alex use grigri’s, I will get a grigri
Hey Cliffs Climber!
Oh heeey!
Meh, seems like it's another botched attempt to making a holy grail. It sounds like it would be great for trad climbing, and the best part is, it works for lefties. Grigri doesn't...
Has anyone compared the smart vs the click up?
check the instructions on utube..
Complicated? Compared to a Revo? Cmon...
bru, ur not even using a locking carabiner. not that it really affects anything, but just for others to think about when this dude comes in here feeding us information about this when he doesn't even use a locking carabiner when belaying
Hey MusicMan, I always use a locking carabiner when attaching a belay device to my harness. It affects the safety of your belay system and factors into the overall risk assumed when climbing. In this video I'm using the Grivel Tau locking carabiner. Here's a link if you would like more information about the item: www.backcountry.com/grivel-tau-wire-lock-carabiner