Choosing Your First Belay Device: Tube, Assisted Tube or a GRIGRI-Style Cam Device, Reading the Rope Range, and 14 Current Devices Compared

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The shop has two ropes, 9.8 mm and 8.9 mm, at about the same price. Thinner is lighter, you think, so the thin one. The staff ask: "What belay device will you use with it?" You don't know.

A belay device clips to your harness belay loop, the rope runs through it, and when the climber falls, it and your brake hand stop them. Buy it right after your harness, because you need it as soon as you belay a friend in the gym, and it decides how thick or thin a rope you can buy later. This post answers one question: which one to buy. It doesn't teach belaying; that's in gym top-rope belaying, gym lead climbing and outdoor belaying. By the end you should know which family you need and be able to pick one or two devices from the tables below.

Two families: manual and assisted braking

Belay devices fall into two broad families:

• Manual: friction comes from the rope bending through the device; braking depends entirely on your brake hand. Most are a small tube, hence "tube device".
• Assisted braking: pinches the rope by itself in a fall. As gym top-rope belaying explains, it assists rather than brakes automatically, and your brake hand stays on the rope.

Assisted braking splits again, by how the device works:

• Cam devices: like the GRIGRI, a cam clamps the rope. The GRIGRI manual lists it as EN 15151-1.
• Assisted tubes: like the ATC Pilot or Edelrid Jul², tube-shaped with no moving parts; in a fall the rope is pinched between device and carabiner, and whether it locks depends on how the device and your brake hand are positioned. The Jul² and Giga Jul pages both list EN 15151-2; that standard is titled "manual braking devices", and ordinary tubes fall under it too.

The UIAA's first braking-device standard (UIAA 129), published in 2009, covers four kinds: manual, locking-assisted, abseil devices, and abseil devices with a panic function. The European standard is EN 15151. Petzl's GRIGRI manual, for example, says "EN 15151-1 type 6: devices for belaying and rappelling without a panic blocking element." Which type a given device is, its manual will tell you.

What "depends on position" means is clear in this two-minute video from Edelrid's own Knowledge Base channel. From 0:36 is the correct base position: rope threaded the right way, carabiner locked, the brake-hand thumb through the thumb rest and the fingers holding the brake strand, the device held high with the thumb rest facing down. Loaded like that it locks, and in the demo fall not a centimetre of rope runs through. From 1:25 is the wrong position: thumb rest facing up, which holds the device open, and in the fall the rope runs through with almost no braking force. That's what "assisted, not automatic" means. This is the maker's own channel, it covers assisted tubes with a thumb rest, and it doesn't name a model; for your own device's base position, read its manual.

Whichever family you buy, the brake hand stays on the rope. You'll see this line again. An assisted-braking device gives you an extra chance when you're distracted or your grip slips; it doesn't let you let go, and the manufacturers' manuals all say so.

Something you can do tonight: next time you're at the gym, look at the rental desk's belay devices and tell which are tubes, assisted tubes and cam devices.

Four criteria

1. Start with where you'll belay

Which family your first device should be depends on where you'll climb over the next year.

The German Alpine Club (DAV)'s indoor climbing basics booklet, English edition of July 2024, keeps it short: it recommends assisted-braking devices, which it calls semi-automatic belay devices.

Price-comparison site WeighMyRack's buying video points the same way: if you'll mostly climb in the gym and single-pitch sport, buy an assisted tube first. The reasons are that it costs about half as much as a cam device and the technique is easy to learn. UK mountain instructor JB Mountain Skills answers differently: UK beginners should start with a tube that has guide mode, because UK trad mostly uses half ropes and the device needs to take two strands. They don't conflict; the difference is what you'll climb:

• Gym and sport only: buy assisted braking first.
• Definitely heading for multi-pitch or trad: you'll also need a two-strand tube with guide mode. Buy it first, or buy both.

Something you can do tonight: write down where you'll climb most in the next year. Only the gym, or crags as well? Will you be climbing multi-pitch with someone?

2. Compatibility: rope diameter must fall within the device's range

Diameter is how thick the rope is; single ropes sit around 9–10 mm. Thinner is lighter, thicker is more durable, and how to choose is in post 8: Rope. Here you only need one thing: a belay device is designed for a range of diameters.

Compatibility is item two in the UIAA's 2026 buying advice, with this example: a belay device designed for 9–10 mm rope may not function properly with a thicker 11 mm rope.

The compatible diameters are in the device's manual. The GRIGRI manual says:

• Compatible with 8.5 to 11 mm EN 892 single ropes.
• Works optimally from 8.9 to 10.5 mm.
• 10.5 to 11 mm: with thick or well-used ropes, giving slack takes more effort.
• 8.5 to 8.9 mm: thin ropes are harder to grip and harder to control when lowering, rappelling or holding a fall, and need more vigilance and experience.

The manual adds two warnings:

• Diameters have a tolerance. Commercial nominal diameters can vary by up to ±0.2 mm, so combinations near the limits need extra care.
• Some ropes are slippery. Sheath-treated ropes, new ropes, and icy, wet or muddy ropes can reduce the GRIGRI's blocking. Whenever you use an unfamiliar rope, get used to the device's feel with it again.

Ranges differ by device, and the tables below list them. The limit people hit most is the top end: the ATC Pilot, Smart 2.0 and Pinch stop at 10.5 mm, and the Giga Jul at 10 mm. Gym house ropes are often worn, fuzzy and thick, so ask the diameter before bringing your own device.

Back to the two ropes in the shop: find out what diameters your belay device suits first, then choose between 9.8 and 8.9.

Something you can do tonight: find your belay device's manual (paper or on the maker's site) and note its compatible and optimal diameter ranges. Then check that the rope you use most falls inside them.

3. Feeding slack: which technique did you learn?

Belaying a leader means paying out slack constantly. Different devices use different feeding techniques, and mixing them up is how accidents happen:

• Tubes and assisted tubes: fed much like a standard tube. Black Diamond's ATC Pilot page also says it threads similarly to other tubular devices.
• GRIGRI: feeding slack fast means holding the cam down with a finger. In his 2025 analysis of a GRIGRI accident, Hard Is Easy points out that Petzl requires at least three fingers on the rope at all times when you press the cam to feed; in that accident the belayer pressed the cam to feed and the rope slipped out of his hand.
• NEOX, Pinch, Vergo: designed so you can feed slack without holding the cam. Japanese mountain physician Take-channel's comparison video points out that the NEOX manual has dropped the cam-holding feeding method.

Any of these can be learned. What matters is learning from the manual for the device you own, and not carrying the GRIGRI technique over to another device, or the other way round.

Something you can do tonight: ask your instructor or gym which feeding technique they teach and on which device.

4. Carabiners and accessories: follow the maker

The device clips to your harness belay loop with a locking carabiner, usually a Type H (HMS). The DAV's indoor climbing basics booklet also says to match the carabiner to the device maker's recommendation. That matters even more for assisted tubes, which lock by pinching the rope against the carabiner:

• Mammut Smart 2.0: Mammut recommends the Smart HMS carabiner.
• Climbing Technology Click Up+: needs CT's specified carabiner.
• Edelrid Pinch: can clip straight to the belay loop without a carabiner. Hard Is Easy warns that on a very thin belay loop it's possible to clip it wrong, so always partner-check before climbing.

How to choose carabiners is in the next post, Carabiners.

Something you can do tonight: open the maker's page for the device you're considering, find the "compatible carabiner" line, and note the model.

14 current belay devices compared

Only devices still sold on the maker's website on 2026-10-24, in tables by the three types above. Prices are the maker's US list price (USD) that day; where the maker lists none, a retailer is named. Diameter and weight are from the maker's page. "Who it suits / downsides" is drawn from specs and reviews, with the source in the cell; most text reviews come from OutdoorGearLab's 2025 list and Climbing.com's 2025 assisted-braking list.

Manual (tube)

Assisted tube (EN 15151-2, the same standard as ordinary tubes)

Cam device (EN 15151-1)

One thing to watch when reading reviews: there are two GRIGRI+ versions. Petzl's current GRIGRI+ is built for learning to top-rope belay, and UK retailer Outside's 2026 video presents it as new. The GRIGRI+ that OutdoorGearLab named "Best for New Climbers" in 2025 may be the previous version, so don't assume that review tested the one in the shop; go by Petzl's current page for specs.

In Taiwan, Petzl Taiwan's site lists the GRIGRI and GRIGRI+, and the retailer 登山補給站 has pages for the ATC-XP, ATC-Guide and GRIGRI. We found no confirmed Taiwanese retailer for the others.

Three devices left out of the tables:

• Wild Country Revo: USD 199.95, too expensive for a first device, and the maker's page lists no rope range or weight.
• Edelrid Mega Jul: no maker price; Edelrid's own Giga Jul does more, and recent reviews and discussion have mostly moved to it.
• Climbing Technology Alpine Up: no maker price, and it's aimed at experienced multi-pitch climbers, not a first device.

Test and review videos

Eight videos from 2024 on that discuss specific models or criteria, each checked against its captions or transcript. Retailer or manufacturer ties are noted with each.

This 2025 Hard Is Easy video isn't a review; it's a frame-by-frame analysis of a GRIGRI accident in which a professional climber at a training camp was dropped from the top of the wall and broke her legs and spine. From 1:22 he first lays out Petzl's recommended feeding: you can press the cam to feed fast, but at least three fingers must stay on the rope at all times. From 5:32 is the moment it happened: near the second-to-last quickdraw she took a practice fall, the rope came tight and the GRIGRI started to engage, the coach belaying her assumed she was climbing on and pressed the cam to feed slack, and the rope popped out of his left hand; less than a second later she hit the ground. His conclusion is that following Petzl's recommendations avoids accidents like this. The description lists no sponsor, only a link asking viewers to support the channel.

WeighMyRack answers "what should my first belay device be?" From 0:20: for mostly gym and single-pitch sport, an assisted tube like the Pilot, Smart 2.0 or Jul², because it costs about half as much as a cam device and feeding and lowering are easier to learn. From 4:10, multi-pitch: you need two strands and guide mode. From 5:32 he says he no longer recommends a plain tube without guide mode. WeighMyRack is a price-comparison site, and the description links to its own comparison pages.

JB Mountain Skills gives a different answer in 2026. From 0:25 he says it depends where you climb: for someone in Spain who'll only sport climb, he'd suggest the GRIGRI family; in the UK, beginners soon meet half ropes and trad, so they need two strands. From 3:09 he says he wouldn't recommend the Giga Jul as a first device, because it's expensive and its switch can confuse; from 3:29 his answer is a tube with guide mode, such as the ATC-Guide. The description doesn't disclose where his gear comes from.

Charlie Centa's video is about one design trap on the Giga Jul. From 2:34 he says he bought one in 2024 while on his climbing guide course, and a few weeks later made the mistake JB Mountain Skills had warned about: belaying a second in guide mode, he clipped the carabiner into the cable next to the guide-mode hole, and that cable isn't designed or rated to hold a person. From 4:27 he recreates it in the gym with a force gauge: the cable holds his roughly 90 kg and the rope still locks; bouncing on it, with readings up to 160 kg, and then near factor-one drops don't break it either. It held, but he still wanted to make sure he never clips it again: from 10:43 he wraps the cable in bright electrical tape and adds a habit of checking again before every load. He says he bought the device himself, and the description lists no sponsor.

Hard Is Easy's long-term review after five months with the NEOX. From 2:27 he says the rope runs very smoothly, and if you already feed slack tube-style, "go buy this". From 7:42 is the no-hand test: the NEOX slips more easily than the GRIGRI. From 10:29 he finds that under enough load the NEOX's wheel locks, so taking in is no different from a GRIGRI. At 0:23 he says Petzl supplied the test unit and let him say whatever he wanted, and the video isn't sponsored by Petzl; it carries a Brilliant sponsorship at the end.

Hard Is Easy's long-term Pinch review opens by saying the Pinch is probably the best GRIGRI alternative among cam devices right now. From 9:43 he compares the three cam devices fed tube-style: all three work well on thin ropes; around 9.5 mm the GRIGRI starts locking up too much, the Pinch copes, and the NEOX is smoothest. From 19:06 is the no-hand test: GRIGRI safest, Pinch next, NEOX most likely to slip. The source of the Pinch isn't disclosed; the video has a Brilliant sponsorship.

UK retailer Outside introduces the new GRIGRI+. From 0:40 he sorts Petzl's three devices: NEOX for lead, GRIGRI as the all-rounder, GRIGRI+ for learning to top-rope belay. From 2:24, top-rope mode: the cam stays in its assisted position, reassuring for an inexperienced belayer. From 5:08, the anti-panic handle: pull too hard while lowering and it locks again. This is a retailer's channel.

Japanese mountain and emergency physician Take-channel compares the NEOX and GRIGRI, in Japanese. From 0:41 he says there's no sponsor, and recommends the NEOX for beginners and people moving from a tube. From 4:53 he notes the NEOX manual dropped the cam-holding feeding method. From 9:49 he tests "fully letting go" on a gym top rope, and the NEOX repeatedly failed to lock. From 12:41 he says that, for safety, an assisted-braking device makes sense as a first device.

Among Chinese-language videos, we found none from 2024 on about choosing a belay device.

Choosing by situation

Gym only

• Buy assisted braking first. On a budget, an assisted tube: ATC Pilot or Smart 2.0, or the Jul², rated to 11 mm, if your gym's ropes are thick.
• If you top-rope belay a lot in the gym, or belay friends much heavier than you, look at the GRIGRI+.
• Whatever you buy, the brake hand never leaves the rope. Learning to belay: gym top-rope belaying.

Gym plus outdoor sport lead

• The GRIGRI is the reference cam device; if you'd rather not learn to hold the cam, look at the NEOX, Pinch or Vergo.
• On a budget, an assisted tube handles lead belaying too; just check the rope diameter is in range.
• Practise lead feeding to your device's manual: see gym lead climbing and outdoor belaying.

Heading for multi-pitch or trad

• You need a two-strand tube with guide mode: ATC-Guide or Reverso, or the Pivot if you often lower a second from above.
• For one device covering assisted sport belaying and multi-pitch, look at the Giga Jul, but it's expensive, has a switch, and tops out at 10 mm.
• How a multi-pitch system fits together: multi-pitch basics; whether to back up a rappel with a prusik: lower or rappel.

Inspection and retirement

Taking the GRIGRI manual as the example, inspection comes down to three things:

• Check where the rope rubs: before each use, check the body for deformation, cracks, marks, wear or corrosion, check the condition of the cam and friction plate, and make sure no sand or other debris is in the mechanism.
• Check the direction every time you load the rope: threaded backwards, neither the blocking function nor the descent control works. Markings on the device help you get it right, and the manual asks for a function test before each use. In a 2024 video, Mike Vert shows from 0:45 what a fall does to a GRIGRI threaded backwards: it doesn't pinch the rope at all. Partner-check before climbing and tug the climber's strand to confirm it locks.
• Check the markings: the body shows the compatible rope diameter, year of manufacture and standards. The manual lists an illegible marking, or not knowing a device's full history, as a reason to retire it; don't belay with a device of unknown origin that has no marking.

For the full inspection and retirement rules, see the last post in this series, inspecting and retiring climbing gear.

Practice: four scenarios

Answers are under each question. Think first, then look.

1. Your belay device's manual says "for 9–10 mm ropes", and a friend lends you an 11 mm rope.

2. You've just bought a brand-new, sheath-treated 8.7 mm rope and plan to belay a friend on lead with a GRIGRI.

3. A friend says his ATC Pilot "locks by itself", so he often belays with his phone in one hand and the other resting loosely on the rope.

4. You only climb in the gym, but in six months you want to try multi-pitch with friends. The shop recommends a GRIGRI.

Next

A belay device hangs from your harness on a locking carabiner. The next post covers carabiners: how Type H for belaying differs from Type T for quickdraws, and how to read the markings. That's post 5: Carabiners.

Further viewing: gear-testing and instruction channels

Several videos in this post come from Hard Is Easy. It's a good place to keep digging; keep its limits in mind.

• Hard Is Easy: run solo by a climber who signs as Ben, a former software developer. After watching a hard catch slam a climber into the rock in Tonsai, Thailand, he designed his first experiment; the channel now focuses on experiments and physics explanations about belaying, ropes, carabiners and belay devices, with several recent episodes filmed in Mammut's lab. Limits: most experiments are his own design, not EN/UIAA standard tests.

References

Maker product pages and prices (checked 2026-10-24) are linked in the tables above.

• Indoor Climbing Basics (DAV, English edition, July 2024)
• Safety standard for braking devices published (UIAA, 2009-09-19)
• UIAA Advice: Ten things to consider when buying climbing gear (UIAA, February 2026)
• GRIGRI Technical Notice (Petzl)
• Best Climbing Belay Device (OutdoorGearLab, 2025-05-05)
• What's the Best Belay Device With Assisted-Braking for You? (Climbing.com, 2025-08-15)
• Edelrid Pinch - Better Than the GriGri? Review (UKClimbing, 2025-04-21)
• How to handle semi automatic belay devices with a thumb rest (EDELRID Knowledge Base, 2025-03-13)
• Coach Nearly Kills Pro Climber – GriGri Incident Analysis (Hard Is Easy, 2025-03-02)
• How to choose a belay device for climbing (WeighMyRack, 2024-04-11)
• What Belay Device Should You Buy First..? (JB Mountain Skills, 2026-06-09)
• Don't do THIS with the Giga Jul (Charlie Centa, 2026-03-31)
• Rock Climbing Belay Devices. Gri Gri vs. ATC (Mike Vert, 2024-09-29)
• Why NEOX is not a GriGri (Hard Is Easy, 2024-06-15)
• Edelrid Pinch - "Strange" Experiments and Long Term Review (Hard Is Easy, 2025-04-13)
• Petzl GriGri+ VS The Original GriGri (Outside.co.uk, 2026-03-30)
• NEOX VS GRIGRI: differences and cautions (Take-channel, 2024-07-07, in Japanese)
• Gym top-rope belaying
• Gym lead climbing
• Outdoor belaying