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Reviews for GTC Average Rating = 4.25/5 Average Rating : 4.25 out of 5

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PIU 3 out of 5 stars

Review by: geminising, 2007-09-02


Not good for my new Beal 10.5 flyer even with my DMM belay master biner. Too little fricition with new rope, but work well with the old ropes.

Best auto-blocker I've used yet 5 out of 5 stars

Review by: Valarc, 2007-07-10


I've been trying out a lot of different auto-blockers, and having trouble finding one that has rope handling characteristics that appeal to me. I found the reverso to be lacking in friction, and the ATC guide to have far too much friction, to the point that it binds up on thick ropes. The simond toucan had similar problems, with the rope getting wedged and making it difficult to deal with slack.

The cassin GTC (known as the Piu in europe) is the solution to these problems. Rope handling feels similar to a standard ATC, and the lockoff is a bit more secure than an ATC. This is a really great all-around device. I haven't tried it on thin twin ropes, so have no idea how secure the lock-off would be in this situation.

The GTC/piu is difficult to find in the US, but if you order overseas from a place like barrabes.com, the shipping isn't terribly expensive. Still, paying the conversion from euros to dollars plus shipping turns this into a quite expensive belay device. In my opinion, it's well worth it. This is as close to a do-everything belay device that I've found. I wish cassin had more of a US presence, because this device deserves to be on the shelf at every climbing store in the country.

Review 5 out of 5 stars

Review by: moeman, 2004-08-30


This is currently the only belay device I use-- there's no reason to use anything else. It feeds easily while belaying the leader and locks off solidly. Rapelling with it is very smooth- no bouncing here. It is lightweight, yet very solid and durable. The walls of the device are very thick, so it will take a long time for them to wear through. The rope bearing surface is wide and rounded, making it easy on your rope, unlike an ATC and other which create a sharp bend. In my opinion, it is better than the other auot-block devices on the market. It is much simpler to set up (as an autoblock) than a B-52, and it does not have the notorius "sharp edge" that the reverso has. Quite simply, a solid, versatile device that excels at everything from belaying the leader, bringing up the second in autoblock mode, to rapelling smoothly. Perhaps the best all-around belay device on the market.

Note: In order for this device to operate smoothly, you will need to use a round-stock biner, such as an Attache. I have tried using it with an OP Jake, and have found that it makes the GTC bind and lock up more frequently, and makes it nearly impossible to pull through a thicker rope in autoblock mode. Just use an Attache and these problems are solved.

Review 4 out of 5 stars

Review by: shakylegs, 2004-05-25


For double ropes (8 mm) the feeding was incredibly smooth. Both for belaying a first and bringing up the second. Setting up the GTC to bring up the second is more straightforward than for a Reverso.
Because the material is thicker, the friction edge wears down less quickly--and the GTC doesn't sound as tinny--as the Reverso.
For rappelling, I used two locking carabiners to compensate for the thin ropes. Regardless, the rappel was smooth, with none of that bouncing that always seems to add oomph to any descent.

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