Wild Country Revo Rock Climbing Belay Device - Auto-Locking Belay Device

I got this after borrowing one from my gym for a while as a compromise with my gym because I am partially disabled in my dominant arm and they didn’t like how I have to use the Grisgris for lead climbing (I’m not breaking any rules with my grisgris method, but it’s not *their* way. Irritating, but I understand). The Revo is absolutely perfect because it is a complete and total fail safe and only really requires one hand to operate. I would strongly caution against using it for top rope climbing because it is exhausting to hold somebody up while they rest and it’s very difficult to lock the rope in place with the revel while there is tension on the rope. Regardless, this may be the single safest ballet device that exists, and I would recommend it for lead climbing, no matter what your physical restrictions or lack of restrictions would be.Please be warned that this is a velocity device and not friction. The speed of the wheel moving the rope determines if it locks and holds the climber instead of rope friction locking it like the Grisgris. The Revo will drop the climber a hair farther in a fall than the Grisgris. It’s 100% safe, but it can spook someone the first time it happens.

I have done numerous drop tests between the GriGri and the Revo. The Revo caught 100 percent of the time, at 1 meter under the suspension and 2 meters 7 foot to the side. The GriGri is very finicky and did not catch 20 percent of the time, for various reasons (too far to the side, threading, crossed ropes, unweighted dead rope end). A meter drop is going to be scary, videos of the revo supposedly failing do clearly show the guy walking down the rock and slowing down his supposed fall... I rappelled with it and the GriGri. The revo requires a lot more concentration to rappel with, so that category goes to the GriGri. The revo might work best as a thread and forget safety backup. The grigri might be funner to use, but with 20 percent real world situations where it does not self catch, the Revo would be a great backup. .. In a working situation, the GriGri has no place, but the Revo does because it just self adjusts and works, but the drop will be scary and you will need a shock absorber of some sort to target 3.5 your weight force for a 6 foot drop, and not a 25 x your weight organ splitting rupture force. Beware of the getting a concussion from a swing when falling by wearing a fall helmet. I really like the Revo and Can't see ever needing my hands when both are engaged in climbing and work. The revo is pretty idiot proof, so a dehydrated, distracted average Joe won't easily be able to screw up using it, unlike the GriGri. I recommend buying both and using both together if you are climbing for fun. Buy only the Revo if you are adding a previously impossible layer of safety.

A dream to use for your basic single ATC uses that need/want the auto-locking added. It takes a minute to get used to how you put the rope thru, but it works very well. You have to be slightly careful about a lead belay still to make sure you're not feeding rope too fast and lock it, but it's both easy to unlock (push a wing back down to unlock it) and easy to avoid.The wheel also helps smooth the rope run for cases where someone in the gym has decided on a double wrap top rope setup.I wouldn't static rappel off of this, I'd go back to my ATC for the double rope with better control on the descent speed. This is also pretty heavy, and ends up longer once you get the locking carabineer in there too.

I wish this seller would have told me this item was a return. This is the most expensive belay device you can buy, so it’s a little disheartening to splurge on something nice and have it arrive reopened and obviously used. I’ll be returning it, I’ll update the review when the new one arrives, assuming they send a brand new one 😁

I love belaying with this. Just about cannot short rope with this. Can play out miles of slack in an instant with no notice. (I can play out slack fast enough to lock it up, but I have to really try.)Fantastic for lowering light people where you'd have to manually push rope thru an assisted belay device like a Grigri. Takes a bit of practice to lower heavy people. I was quite uncomfortable the first few attempts, but quickly got the hang of it.Unless you make a mistake (or are just playing ;-) ), the assist will not engage. It feels like a really smooth tubular belay device.You may not like using this device on a long project route where your climber rests on the rope frequently. It's just like a tubular belay unless you fiddle with manually engaging the brake (which is quite difficult under load).If your climbing partner is working a long route with

LOVE this belay device. I'm not a very experienced climber, but I, and my whole family, love this device. It's very simple to use like an ATC, but has that backup safety measure just in case. It's super smooth for both top rope or lead belaying. I prefer lowering with it over a GriGri as well, and it's smoother to lower with than an ATC. It's now my preferred device.

When someone especially newer is belaying you, they often don’t have enough slack available for you to clip. With the REVO, it gives rope so easily, it’s very easy to pull up any extra rope you need. Highly recommend. Auto/safety lock works extremely fast too.