speaking as a gear-dork with a stable of belay devices, the atc is my go-to device when i need something that feeds quickly and predictably. i like it for sport climbing (at least where my partner isn't working the route to death) and indian creek and single pitch cragging. ill say it again: of the devices i use regularly (B52, reverso, jaws, ATC) the ATC feeds quickest and smoothest. however, if you're multipitching, using specialiazed ropes (doubles, thin ropes, etc), working routes, etc etc then you'll start wishing for something that is specialized for your particular application.

i would prefer not rating the jaws on the 1 to 5 scale because it would get a 2 for some purposes, and a fat 5 for others. i love it for some things. hate it for others and im not alone. if you are looking for an all-round do everything belay device, consider the normal tube devices like the trango pyramid, bd atc, etc. i get a more predictable feed from them, at least the way i belay. with the jaws, i get some additional specific functionality- like ability to retain sanity on single rope raps on new ropes and twin ropes and whatnot, and to hold enormous behemoths working routes without slippage, etc. however, for normal raps with normal ropes, or for plain jane belaying, it is either too frictiony in friction-mode, or a little catchy in non-friction mode. an excellent device for its intended purpose, and with some partners on some climbs i woudlnt be without it.

i wear this baby, and it works out pretty well. i like that is has a reasonably low profile and the weight is fine. i dont like the headlamp attachment. the little steel hook-rivet which the front elastic hooks over gets bent down against the helmet shell everytime i put it in my pack. any day it is going to break off.

ive only used the 1 and 2 sizes. they undoubtedly have some serious range. i am annoyed by shop employees who constantly whine that they have the same range as camalots when the trango 2 shrinks down to a freaking BD 1. thats great range, and i think a lot of folks are just being curmudgeons.

but- i wont buy them yet. on deep and even cracks, i place a lot of my cams shallow and then push them further in. this works like magic with all the symmetric cams (ie almost everything except the max cam). however, when you do this with a max cam that is halfway expanded or bordering tipped out, it inverts two of the lobes easily, which means you have to be more conscientious about your gear placements. walking the cam when it isnt in tight can also invert it, where a normal cam would just walk in. id prefer my walked cams to be welded rather than inverted, personally. i wonder if having two different springs with different tensions to balance this out might work. ah well. id still love a set of these of my own, but not as one-cam-does-all pro. some other poster mentioned the thumb loop as slippery. i think anything with a thumb loop puts the thumb-stud cams to shame, in terms of handiness. i certainly woudln't think of these (or any other trango cams) as 'slippery'. also, the doubled sling is nice (as always). much easier to clip in and out of than the single BD sling when the cam is in a crack, gives you more options, etc.

i think these are an excellent alternative to the metolius tcus. if you are on the market for tcus these place the same as metolius, perhaps with a slightly less snappy (and confidence inspiring) spring action.