Previous
Premier Sponsor:
| Manufacturer: | Mammut | ||
This item may be available at:
|
|||
Description
The Smart safety device has been specially designed to meet the needs of the constantly growing group of indoor and sports climbers. It dynamically brakes the climber in an accidental fall, and locks even at low levels of force exerted by the user. In situations where the user has a sudden shock, the function corresponds to the reflex movements of the human body. Suitable for all current HMS carabiners and simple ropes from 8.9-10.5 mm in diameter.
7 Reviews
Write your own Review
Read all 7 reviews
SMARTer than a Gri-gri
Review by: mtkinji, 2010-02-01
The Smart belay device does exactly what it has been designed to do, and it does it better than any other device on the market.
A few reasons the Smart is Smarter:
Most people will deactivate the auto locking function when paying out slack from a Gri-Gri. This is bad, but Gri-Gri users have found that it's the easiest way to make sure you don't short rope a leader.
So what if that leader falls? - even an experienced climber may forget to let go causing the device to remain unlocked = climber fall. Hence many gyms have gone away from using Gri-Gris for the safety feature. The Gri-Gri is still great, and I have one, but I prefer to use a non-mechanical belay device.
The Smart on the other hand REQUIRES conscious belaying. A user can't just assume the device will do its job and absent-mindedly watch the birds fly by. The belayer is actively paying out slack, taking it in, or otherwise performing their job. Paying out slack is 10x easier than the Gri-Gri, and therefore safer. The #1 reason I would use a Smart over a gri-gri is that you don't have to deactivate the auto-locking function to pay out slack. This is where the Gri-Gri fails.
Oh, and the Smart is LIGHT - MUCH lighter than the auto-locking devices. Not only is it lighter, but it is simpler. This means there will never be a mechanical failure, there will never be a need to clean the gunk out of moving parts. Lastly, the Smart works down to an 8.9 rope - the Gri-Gri is only rated to 9.6.
Why then does the Gri-Gri dominate the market for belay devices? Five letters. PETZL. It's a matter of recognition. The Gri-Gri has been around so long, and Petzl is such a great company that people have taken it for the standard. Well now there's a new standard for safe belaying - The Smart belay device by Mammut.
A few reasons the Smart is Smarter:
Most people will deactivate the auto locking function when paying out slack from a Gri-Gri. This is bad, but Gri-Gri users have found that it's the easiest way to make sure you don't short rope a leader.
So what if that leader falls? - even an experienced climber may forget to let go causing the device to remain unlocked = climber fall. Hence many gyms have gone away from using Gri-Gris for the safety feature. The Gri-Gri is still great, and I have one, but I prefer to use a non-mechanical belay device.
The Smart on the other hand REQUIRES conscious belaying. A user can't just assume the device will do its job and absent-mindedly watch the birds fly by. The belayer is actively paying out slack, taking it in, or otherwise performing their job. Paying out slack is 10x easier than the Gri-Gri, and therefore safer. The #1 reason I would use a Smart over a gri-gri is that you don't have to deactivate the auto-locking function to pay out slack. This is where the Gri-Gri fails.
Oh, and the Smart is LIGHT - MUCH lighter than the auto-locking devices. Not only is it lighter, but it is simpler. This means there will never be a mechanical failure, there will never be a need to clean the gunk out of moving parts. Lastly, the Smart works down to an 8.9 rope - the Gri-Gri is only rated to 9.6.
Why then does the Gri-Gri dominate the market for belay devices? Five letters. PETZL. It's a matter of recognition. The Gri-Gri has been around so long, and Petzl is such a great company that people have taken it for the standard. Well now there's a new standard for safe belaying - The Smart belay device by Mammut.
Mammut Smart
Review by: FabienenCordoba, 2009-09-28
I am very satisfied. I found it easier to feed rope to the climber than using the Gri-gri (which is heavier and more expensive). I have not stopped any leader falls with it but it holds the climber's weight when locked into position. It takes some getting used to (nothing similar to the Gri-gri).
Extremely pleased with this little jewel:
Review by: Aunor, 2009-07-20
Extremely pleased with this little jewel: simple, works, light, and cheap. Anyone that doesn’t like this is going to be the sort that doesn’t like green eggs and ham.
Mammut is smart!
Review by: retro, 2009-07-08
I bought this device to basically replace my Gri Gri after a partner dropped my last season. 20+ years and it finally happened, but it was enough of a scare to make me second guess the safety of the Gri Gri. I still use and enjoy the benefits of the Gri Gri, but I wanted to find something that might be a bit safer and a bit more user friendly...and along came the smart device.
What I appreciate most about this little device is the ease of use, how quickly it pays out rope to the leader, and how quickly it locks up on a fall. They do not claim that this is an auto locking device, but anyone that has used this little gem knows that it locks as quickly and as tightly as a Gri Gri. I really didn't want to like this device and some ot the reviews that I had read were hot and cold, but once I tried it for myself, I now leave the Gri Gri at home and use this device soley for sport climbing and single pitch trad routes or top-ropping.
The advantages that this unit offers are as follows:
1. easy rope handling and pay out to lead climbers
2. very light weight and easy to rack
3. locks up immediately when arresting a fall
4. must have two hands on the rope and device when lowering (great safety feature!)
5. Great device for one pitch, sport climbing and top-roping
6. ergonimic design fits comfortably in the users hand
7. easy to learn to use after a few tries
Some of the drawbacks I found are:
1. Cannot be used on multi-pitch climbing
2. It will react differently with different shaped biners (you must experiment to get the best results..I like it with the Petzl William)
3. It is a belay device and should not be used to rap with
Overall I think Mammut hit a homerun with this device. Once you get used to how it works and performs I think you will agree that it is one of the most responsive and safe devices on the market (particularly for less experienced climbers).
I give the smart a 4 out of 5 simply because its uses are very specific. Try one out and see what you think, I am confident it will find its way in you quiver in short time!
What I appreciate most about this little device is the ease of use, how quickly it pays out rope to the leader, and how quickly it locks up on a fall. They do not claim that this is an auto locking device, but anyone that has used this little gem knows that it locks as quickly and as tightly as a Gri Gri. I really didn't want to like this device and some ot the reviews that I had read were hot and cold, but once I tried it for myself, I now leave the Gri Gri at home and use this device soley for sport climbing and single pitch trad routes or top-ropping.
The advantages that this unit offers are as follows:
1. easy rope handling and pay out to lead climbers
2. very light weight and easy to rack
3. locks up immediately when arresting a fall
4. must have two hands on the rope and device when lowering (great safety feature!)
5. Great device for one pitch, sport climbing and top-roping
6. ergonimic design fits comfortably in the users hand
7. easy to learn to use after a few tries
Some of the drawbacks I found are:
1. Cannot be used on multi-pitch climbing
2. It will react differently with different shaped biners (you must experiment to get the best results..I like it with the Petzl William)
3. It is a belay device and should not be used to rap with
Overall I think Mammut hit a homerun with this device. Once you get used to how it works and performs I think you will agree that it is one of the most responsive and safe devices on the market (particularly for less experienced climbers).
I give the smart a 4 out of 5 simply because its uses are very specific. Try one out and see what you think, I am confident it will find its way in you quiver in short time!
Smart
Review by: crabnebula, 2009-06-21
The Smart is a great device that is very similar to the Wild Country SRC but maybe easier to use. I am happy with the unit but I would include in teaching people, that (as a reminder) it is NOT auto locking, it is a harness only device, and that clipping in a second carabiner to the "open space" behind the load bearing carabiner, takes away the space that if used incorrectly can open the Smart for a fast and spontaneous release....the second carabiner keeps high friction as well as "e" limit nates the possibility to accidently drop someone a little....nonetheless, it is a tool that I use when guiding to be sure that on hard routes the belayer will catch me if I fall and I am unsure of their true belaying skills...as the Smart feeds rope easier than the Gri Gri.
Be safe!
Be safe!
