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Reviews for Cinch Belay Device
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Average Rating : 4.24 out of 5
Item Details | Reviews
Review
Review by: jac420, 2005-02-06
i havent lead belay on it, and im not sure you even could, it locks off way easier than a grigri, but its next to impossible to feed rope through, top roping using this is great for smaller people but when i belayed one of my bigger friends about a 200 pounder i found it really hard to pull the handle back and lower them easy, also the handle really hurt my hand when you did pull it back, i will sacrafice the weight difference b/t the grigri and the cinch and choose the grigri, functionability of grigri i preffered way more than the cinch, i really did not like the cinch, and wont purchase one
Review
Review by: barefooter, 2005-01-25
I recently borrowed this from a friend at the climbing shop. I personally loved it. I've only used a grigri a couple of times and have never even considered buying a grigri due to the excess weight and size. With the Cinch however it's compact size and light weight make it worth it to me to carry around, not to mention 20 bucks less than the grigri. I would agree with j_ung about the at first ultra sensitive lever but I'll tell you what, the whole reason I borrowed it was to teach my girlfiend a.k.a. first time belayer to belay me and after about 15 minutes of close to the ground work on top rope she had it down and we had a great day. I also ordered one later that day.
Review
Review by: j_ung, 2004-12-11
[size=12][b]Full Disclosure: The company that manufactured this equipment provided it free of charge to RC.com and RC.com then provided it as compensation to the reviewer for his or her review. This company does not currently advertise on RC.com.[/b]
One of the first pieces of equipment I ever reviewed for RC.com was Trango’s Cinch. In terms of writing gear reviews, I was greener than Ralph Nader’s baby’s poop. So, like most people who hear of the Cinch, hold it in hand and actually use one, I took the easiest tack and compared it to the Gri-gri. I still feel like this is a viable way to review the Cinch, since everybody who climbs more than stairs has by now used a Gri-gri. I’m sure Trango has been a little bummed about the Cinch’s inability thus far to step out from the Gri-gri’s shadow, but there you have it.
Now, however, there’s a new and improved Cinch and I have something else to compare [i]it[/i] to: the old Cinch. My review of the original Cinch is in red. My comments about the new Cinch are in black.
[color=red][b]Lock off:[/b] The Cinch locks faster and harder than the Gri-gri, making for an even less-dynamic catch. In time, I might learn to like this. Right now, I find it to be the Cinch's biggest liability. Oops! Did I say the L-word? [/color]
Damn, I feel like such an asshole for that remark. Sorry, Malcolm! To make up for it, here’s a pretty picture of my new Cinch in action.
[img]http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//742/74282.jpg[/img]
But unfortunately, the hard lock is still the thing I like least about the Cinch. I especially notice it as a belayer; the Cinch really likes to yank me around. A gym partner of mine was working a crux just over the second bolt, and he took fall after fall. After about the fifth fall with so little rope out (and all of it stretched), I had to bring him down. Thanks to the Cinch’s lack of an internal spring, it locks up so suddenly and so tightly… it’s merciless.
What the Cinch does have going for it in this department, and which I neglected to mention in my first review, is that Trango designed it to work on a wider range of ropes than the Gri-gri. I feel more confident using my Cinch with my 9.4mm rope than with any other belay device. And of course, the other bright side is that I rarely have to time my jump anymore; it tends to just happen.
[color=red][b]Release: [/b]Once loaded, the Cinch is -- at first -- a little difficult to release. You'll be inclined to yard on the lever hard the first few times you use it. Make damn sure that your brake hand is firmly established, because when this baby opens, it REALLY opens. If you load a Gri-gri backwards (moron!), it's still a highly-functional non-auto-locking device. Not so the Cinch; there will be precious little friction.
[b]Lower:[/b] It takes a little getting used to (see Release above), but once you learn to control tension in the lever, it's nice and smooth. One of the first things you'll notice about the Cinch is that the lever is on the right. Left-handed belayers will love love love this feature. Don't worry righties, it's pretty easy to reach across the back of the device and lower in the manner to which you're accustomed. (Now you know how we feel!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: We all know that slapping a Gri-gri in the hands of someone who can't otherwise belay well is a recipe for disaster. Well, the Cinch is even more so. If you're thinking of getting one so your kid can catch you when when you grease off your project, think again. You. Will. Die. (Mostly likely when he or she attempts to lower you for the first time.) [/color]
Big change here! The new Cinch features a longer lever, which makes the release smoother and lowering easier to control. When belaying with thin ropes, take Trango’s advice: clip a biner to your leg loop and redirect the brake through it. This simple addition to the system solves any control problem that lowering might present. And even without it, releasing and lowering are much easier to master than with the old Cinch.
What hasn’t changed in this regard is that it’s still an exceptionally poor idea to hand a Cinch to a n00b and then climb on with all caution of a drunken rodeo clown. Cinches (and Gri-gris) are [i]advanced[/i] belay devices for [i]advanced[/i] belayers.
[color=red][b]Feed:[/b] It's much easier to feed rope correctly with the Cinch than it is to feed rope correctly with the Gri-gri. With the latter, you need large hands to keep a brake on the rope and feed at the same time, but with the Cinch, a simple twist to the left will put your brake hand in just the right place. As with the release (see above) once you have it open to feed, you can throw rope like Randy Johnson hucks fast balls; there is almost no resistance. [/color]
No change here. The new Cinch crushes the Gri-gri in this department.
[color=red]All in all, the Cinch is quite a good option for those who don't already have a Gri-gri. Like with any belay device -- especially those with moving parts -- expect it to take some time to really learn how to use it properly. [/color]
And I’ve learned that using it properly might not include using it for roped soloing. AMGA guide Mark Beverly recently performed several dynamic drop tests on Cinches and other belay devices, and Cinches displayed surprising results. They broke.
However, and this is a big HOWEVER, I have some reservations about the way in which Beverly tested his Cinches. He attached one Cinch to the ground and one to an 80kg test load. He then full-on, UIAA-high-factor dropped that sucker and observed the aforementioned results. The problem is that Beverly also tied stopper knots right up next to both Cinches to completely eliminate the chance of rope slipping through the devices from either end. The Cinch, it turns out, is designed to allow slippage at 7kN. Deprived of its design-given right to relieve a few thousand Sir Isaacs, the test left 7kN in the dust and the Cinch attached to the load end of the system broke.
While it’s worth noting that every device Beverly tested was subjected to the exact same rigors and that only the Cinch broke under them, there is some debate over whether or not it’s fair to test a device in a way that specifically prohibits its intended function.
It is also worth noting that a stopper knot right next to the device and a device attached to a falling load – not a belayer – most closely resembles what one might rig for roped soling, hence my previous point. If you decide not to heed my and Trango's advice and you do use a Cinch for roped soloing, you must refrain from tying stopper knots within a few feet of the device. It must be allowed to relieve tension as designed.
[color=red]Special note: Gri-gris have become standard equipment for course setters in gyms and don't expect the Cinch to supplant them. The Cinch brutalizes you with an anchor-hating fall-and-stop, fall-and-stop rappel during which it is exceptionally difficult to control tension in the lever. That might be different with a lot more practice, but if you already set routes with a perfectly good Gri-gri, why bother?[/color]
I’ve also been using my new Cinch exclusively for any and all routesetting that forces me off a ladder and for fixed rope photography. The longer lever shines like a brand new biner in both applications and my Cinch has supplanted my beat-up old Gri-gri, which now lives in a bin in my closet.
Where does all this leave us? It leaves me with a device that I can recommend without reservation for well-protected trad climbing, sport climbing and top roping. If you’re a casual cragger or a gym climber, then with a little QT, there’s a good chance you’ll end up liking it more than a Gri-gri. You’ll definitely end up liking it more than the old Cinch. Likewise, if your gig is high-end sport routes and you like riding the wave of thin cords to hit the market in the last few years, here’s your new belay device. I’ll let you make your own decision about aid climbing and roped soloing.
All in all, the new Cinch is substantially better than the old Cinch, and I think, perhaps, the Gri-gri’s long shadow just got a little shorter.
[/size]
One of the first pieces of equipment I ever reviewed for RC.com was Trango’s Cinch. In terms of writing gear reviews, I was greener than Ralph Nader’s baby’s poop. So, like most people who hear of the Cinch, hold it in hand and actually use one, I took the easiest tack and compared it to the Gri-gri. I still feel like this is a viable way to review the Cinch, since everybody who climbs more than stairs has by now used a Gri-gri. I’m sure Trango has been a little bummed about the Cinch’s inability thus far to step out from the Gri-gri’s shadow, but there you have it.
Now, however, there’s a new and improved Cinch and I have something else to compare [i]it[/i] to: the old Cinch. My review of the original Cinch is in red. My comments about the new Cinch are in black.
[color=red][b]Lock off:[/b] The Cinch locks faster and harder than the Gri-gri, making for an even less-dynamic catch. In time, I might learn to like this. Right now, I find it to be the Cinch's biggest liability. Oops! Did I say the L-word? [/color]
Damn, I feel like such an asshole for that remark. Sorry, Malcolm! To make up for it, here’s a pretty picture of my new Cinch in action.
[img]http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//742/74282.jpg[/img]
But unfortunately, the hard lock is still the thing I like least about the Cinch. I especially notice it as a belayer; the Cinch really likes to yank me around. A gym partner of mine was working a crux just over the second bolt, and he took fall after fall. After about the fifth fall with so little rope out (and all of it stretched), I had to bring him down. Thanks to the Cinch’s lack of an internal spring, it locks up so suddenly and so tightly… it’s merciless.
What the Cinch does have going for it in this department, and which I neglected to mention in my first review, is that Trango designed it to work on a wider range of ropes than the Gri-gri. I feel more confident using my Cinch with my 9.4mm rope than with any other belay device. And of course, the other bright side is that I rarely have to time my jump anymore; it tends to just happen.
[color=red][b]Release: [/b]Once loaded, the Cinch is -- at first -- a little difficult to release. You'll be inclined to yard on the lever hard the first few times you use it. Make damn sure that your brake hand is firmly established, because when this baby opens, it REALLY opens. If you load a Gri-gri backwards (moron!), it's still a highly-functional non-auto-locking device. Not so the Cinch; there will be precious little friction.
[b]Lower:[/b] It takes a little getting used to (see Release above), but once you learn to control tension in the lever, it's nice and smooth. One of the first things you'll notice about the Cinch is that the lever is on the right. Left-handed belayers will love love love this feature. Don't worry righties, it's pretty easy to reach across the back of the device and lower in the manner to which you're accustomed. (Now you know how we feel!)
IMPORTANT NOTE: We all know that slapping a Gri-gri in the hands of someone who can't otherwise belay well is a recipe for disaster. Well, the Cinch is even more so. If you're thinking of getting one so your kid can catch you when when you grease off your project, think again. You. Will. Die. (Mostly likely when he or she attempts to lower you for the first time.) [/color]
Big change here! The new Cinch features a longer lever, which makes the release smoother and lowering easier to control. When belaying with thin ropes, take Trango’s advice: clip a biner to your leg loop and redirect the brake through it. This simple addition to the system solves any control problem that lowering might present. And even without it, releasing and lowering are much easier to master than with the old Cinch.
What hasn’t changed in this regard is that it’s still an exceptionally poor idea to hand a Cinch to a n00b and then climb on with all caution of a drunken rodeo clown. Cinches (and Gri-gris) are [i]advanced[/i] belay devices for [i]advanced[/i] belayers.
[color=red][b]Feed:[/b] It's much easier to feed rope correctly with the Cinch than it is to feed rope correctly with the Gri-gri. With the latter, you need large hands to keep a brake on the rope and feed at the same time, but with the Cinch, a simple twist to the left will put your brake hand in just the right place. As with the release (see above) once you have it open to feed, you can throw rope like Randy Johnson hucks fast balls; there is almost no resistance. [/color]
No change here. The new Cinch crushes the Gri-gri in this department.
[color=red]All in all, the Cinch is quite a good option for those who don't already have a Gri-gri. Like with any belay device -- especially those with moving parts -- expect it to take some time to really learn how to use it properly. [/color]
And I’ve learned that using it properly might not include using it for roped soloing. AMGA guide Mark Beverly recently performed several dynamic drop tests on Cinches and other belay devices, and Cinches displayed surprising results. They broke.
However, and this is a big HOWEVER, I have some reservations about the way in which Beverly tested his Cinches. He attached one Cinch to the ground and one to an 80kg test load. He then full-on, UIAA-high-factor dropped that sucker and observed the aforementioned results. The problem is that Beverly also tied stopper knots right up next to both Cinches to completely eliminate the chance of rope slipping through the devices from either end. The Cinch, it turns out, is designed to allow slippage at 7kN. Deprived of its design-given right to relieve a few thousand Sir Isaacs, the test left 7kN in the dust and the Cinch attached to the load end of the system broke.
While it’s worth noting that every device Beverly tested was subjected to the exact same rigors and that only the Cinch broke under them, there is some debate over whether or not it’s fair to test a device in a way that specifically prohibits its intended function.
It is also worth noting that a stopper knot right next to the device and a device attached to a falling load – not a belayer – most closely resembles what one might rig for roped soling, hence my previous point. If you decide not to heed my and Trango's advice and you do use a Cinch for roped soloing, you must refrain from tying stopper knots within a few feet of the device. It must be allowed to relieve tension as designed.
[color=red]Special note: Gri-gris have become standard equipment for course setters in gyms and don't expect the Cinch to supplant them. The Cinch brutalizes you with an anchor-hating fall-and-stop, fall-and-stop rappel during which it is exceptionally difficult to control tension in the lever. That might be different with a lot more practice, but if you already set routes with a perfectly good Gri-gri, why bother?[/color]
I’ve also been using my new Cinch exclusively for any and all routesetting that forces me off a ladder and for fixed rope photography. The longer lever shines like a brand new biner in both applications and my Cinch has supplanted my beat-up old Gri-gri, which now lives in a bin in my closet.
Where does all this leave us? It leaves me with a device that I can recommend without reservation for well-protected trad climbing, sport climbing and top roping. If you’re a casual cragger or a gym climber, then with a little QT, there’s a good chance you’ll end up liking it more than a Gri-gri. You’ll definitely end up liking it more than the old Cinch. Likewise, if your gig is high-end sport routes and you like riding the wave of thin cords to hit the market in the last few years, here’s your new belay device. I’ll let you make your own decision about aid climbing and roped soloing.
All in all, the new Cinch is substantially better than the old Cinch, and I think, perhaps, the Gri-gri’s long shadow just got a little shorter.
[/size]
Review
Review by: drubt, 2004-07-29
I like the Cinch a lot. It is lighter and more compact than a grigri and cheaper too. it's very simple and easy to load as well. I think i like the grigri better for lead belaying, but as far as using to top rop newbies or projects it was a nice addition to my rack.
