Petzl Neox

The Petzl Neox is an assisted blocking belay device for the climbing wall and the crag. Ideal for belaying lead climbers on sport routes, it has an integrated wheel that allows you to smoothly and quickly pay out slack to the climber and its ergonomic handle provides comfortable descent control. It can be used with single ropes from 8.5mm to 11mm.

• For belaying both lead and top rope climbers.
• Optimised for lead climbing, it has an integrated wheel that allows you to smoothly and quickly pay out slack to the climber.
• Cam-assisted blocking for a more comfortable belay: when the climber falls or weights the system, the rope tightens, the wheel stops spinning, and the cam pivots to pinch and block the rope.
• Easy to install the rope with diagram engraved on the device.
• Feeding slack and catching falls are accomplished using techniques standard to all Petzl belay devices, always keeping a hand on the brake side of the rope.
• Cam-assisted blocking offers leeway for the brake-side hand position, regardless of the angle between the climber side and brake side of the rope.
• Compatible with 8.5mm to 11mm dynamic single ropes and optimized for those 8.9mm to 10.5mm.
• Ergonomic handle allows you to easily unblock the rope and lower someone.
• 3:1 mechanical advantage from the handle and camming mechanism helps reduce the amount of effort needed to smoothly control the rate of descent, regardless of rope diameter.
• Eco-design: all plastic components, including the handle, are made with recycled nylon.

Materials: Aluminium side plates, stainless steel friction plate, cam, and wheel, recycled nylon handle.
Rope compatibility: 8.5mm to 11mm single rope.
Certifications: CE EN 15151-1, UKCA, UIAA

Weight: c 235g.

You might be wondering why Petzl have produced the Neox when they already have the GriGri.

Well, the GriGri is great for most users, especially for Brits who maybe spend a week or two sport climbing per year and the rest of the time are trad climbing on double ropes. Though not sold as a self locking device by Petzl, the GriGri effectively is, and this makes it safe to use by fairly inexperienced belayers as if "in doubt" it locks up. However this extra safety feature is a pain for regular sport climbers who are pushing the grades. When they need slack to clip a bolt, they want yards of it and quickly, so the last thing they need is a belay device that locks off suddenly - hence the Neox, which is aimed at experienced Sport and Competition climbers. This however does mean that the Neox is definitely not self locking in the same way that the GriGri is, and that a hand should be kept on the braking side rope at all times. Also, unlike the GriGri, the Neox is not suitable for indirect belaying, where the device is clipped to a bolt, rather than to your harness, something that is often done if the lead climber weighs a lot more than the belayer.

So, do consider the Neo if you are pushing the sport grades and you and your climbing partner are well used to using assisted braking belay devices.

But, do consider the GriGri if you are only an occasional sport climber and/or you are being belayed by an inexperienced second.