Kong X REVIEW

The Kong X is a huge, auto-locking carabiner that I recently got.  It is actually really big, which is the first thing you would notice about it.  The auto locking feature is pretty cool.  I don't think it's the best possible carabiner for the Grigri because of its size, but it works.  With an atc, however, this thing is awesome!  It is super easy to handle, and you don't have to worry about locking the carabiner.  A very good carabiner, but it costs about the same as the Attache carabiner by Petzl.  If you use a Grigri, then I would still go for the Attach, but if you use an atc, then this is your carabiner, that is, if you are ok with the auto-lock.

Grigri 2 REVIEW

The Grigri 2 has been a much loved assisted-braking belay device for many years.  I now have one, and i think it lives up to what everyone else is saying about it.  The assisted braking feature works extremely well, especially for lead climbing, and it is much smaller and lighter than the Grigri 1, which also was a huge hit.  One thing about the Grigri is that it can take a while to get used to.  When lead belaying, you can feed out rope really fast without the brake kicking in and stoping you.  You have to hold down the middle part to make sure it doesn't stop you.  The other thing is that because the carabiner has to rub up against the rope, I would suggest to use a smaller carabiner, or else it will be really hard to feed out rope, or take it in.  Other than those two minor things, I like the Grigri a lot.

ATC-Guide belay device

This is the ATC-Guide Belay/Rappel device.  It is Black Diamond's most versatile belay device, and they have improved it.  It is now much lighter, thanks to the windows they put in it, and it won the Klettern Magazine recommended award for 2011.  But other than that, its not much different from the old one.

The Grigri 2

The Grigri 1 was one of the best belay devices ever created.  it was easy to use, and its assisted braking was a great advancement in the world of belay devices.  The Grigri 2 is even better.  It's been out for a while now, but I figured I would still post about it.  My coach has one, and I am about to get one.  It is much smaller and easier to handle.  Because it is smaller, it is also 20% lighter than the old Grigri.  And as an added bonus, the handle that lets the climber down is much more steady and more controllable.  It is definitely worth the $94 it costs.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the Grigri 2 allows you to use down to a 8.9mm rope, which is a much smaller mm than the old Grigri could take.