Black Diamond ATC Guide Review |
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Overall avg rating 4.0 of 5 based on 9 reviews. Most recent review: March 7, 2013
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Street Price:
Varies from $21 - $30 | Compare prices at 8 resellers
Pros: Great guides device, durable friction grooves
Cons: Heavy, bulky, hard to feed thick ropes in guides mode
Best Uses: multi pitch climbing
Recommendations: 100% of reviewers (8/8) recommend this product
Manufacturer:
Black Diamond
| Review by: Chris Van Leuven, Chris McNamara ⋅ December 27, 2009 |
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Overview
The Black Diamond ATC Guide is a tough rappel/guides belay device. It is more affordable than the Petzl Reverso 3 and more durable, but not as smooth in some situations.
The ATC Guide is the toughest and heaviest auto-blocking device tested. We know many guides in Yosemite and elsewhere that use the ATC Guide year after year. It belays a leader well and locks off especially well with smaller ropes when in guides mode. It is $7 less than the Petzl Reverso 3, but does not handle the rope as smoothly in fatter-rope situations. If you are looking for the most durable auto-blocking device, this is it. Otherwise, we recommend the Reverso 3 for ropes under 10mm and the Mad Lock for ropes 10mm or greater. If you do not multi-pitch climb and belay off the anchor much, we recommend the Black Diamond ATC XP or the Wild Country VC Pro 2. Read our complete Best Belay Device Review to see how this belay device compared to others.
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OutdoorGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review
Likes
The ATC Guide works great when paying rope out to a leader, locks quickly in guides mode and is very durable. When lowering climbers or rappelling with a 9.4mm rope, we felt we had more friction control than the Madlock, but less than the Reverso 3.
Dislikes
The ATC Guide was 10 percent harder on our elbows than the Reverso 3 when belaying in guides mode with 10mm ropes. Since belaying off the anchor is the main reason to get this device, we found this a pretty big drawback. The ATC Guide is also heaver than the Reverso 3. Not by a ton, but we definitely noticed it.
When the rope is 10mm or bigger, The ATC Guide has noticeably high friction when belaying off the anchor. The Mad Lock, Cinch or Petzl GriGri were smoother, but only work with one rope.
Best Application
Running up Nutcracker or Serenity Crack with a team of two or three? Heading up a classic Sierra alpine route? Free climbing on demanding multi-pitch routes? The ATC Guide works well in all these applications.
Value
For $28 you get a tough guides belay device that is $7 less than the Petzl Reverso 3 and $8 more than the Mad Lock. This is a great buy if longevity and versatility are your highest concerns when purchasing an auto-blocking device.
Videos from Black Diamond
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Chris Van Leuven, Chris McNamara
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OutdoorGearLab Member Reviews
Most recent review: March 7, 2013
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C Blank · Climber · San Francisco, CA
If you could have just one belay device, this would be the one.
The weight and burliness makes it much better in my mind over the reverso. the idea of having to get a new belay device every year is not something worth a few oz's saved.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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Rokjox · Climber · Boys I'dunno
I made a comparison of available belay gadgets when it became clear that my spring Stitch plate was worn out, after about 20 years of use.
The ATC Guide is what I chose, and I am a HAPPY camper. It rappels double ropes of various sizes, belays two ropes at once, locks off reliably and if I really need to save a few grams of weight out of my swag, I will drink another swig from my canteen.
The thing doesn't heat up a lot when being used hard (rappelling anyone?) and that is because its a little beefy and the metal dissipates the heat stress a little better. Better than feeding that heat back into the rope, eh? Beats heck out of a Grigri for size and weight, and did I say you can rappel a double OR single rope of most ANY reasonable size?
Oh, and then there is the low friction setup, where you can belay your little kids and women as easy as that 200 lb ex-paratrooper on the high friction side.
It is a little tight with 10 mil and larger ropes, but I can handle that. If you have weak, small hand it MIGHT be a problem, but what climber has weak hands? And it looks like it will last another twenty years. Its darn simple to teach how to use it too, unlike a Grigri that drops people when a Noob first uses it … Gri's suck for simplicity and ease of teaching your mechanically unsophisticated wife and girlfriends. If you can get a 'Guide on your rope, its hard to screw it up unless you tangle it.
God Bless Chounard. I run with his stuff all my life, and nothing his outfit made has ever failed me. Who cares what it costs? ((And what's a Gri cost??? Eh???)
But what do I know?
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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sure its heavier than a rev 3 … but its also beefier and works on larger rope … in other words thick gym ropes as well
bomber
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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This is one of the better belay devices that I've had the opportunity to use. It is "Idiot-Proof." Works very well with 10 mm ropes, but is "sticky" with heavier ones.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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MAbuse · Climber · Kuala Lumpur
The smooth profiles on the Guide means it will never get stuck on your other gear like the Mad Rock Mad Lock or Trango B52 and will be right where and when you need it every time.
Sadly because of it's shortcomings with large diameter rope it's unlikely that the ATC Guide can subsist as the only Belay Device in your rack, unless you enjoy getting pumped while still at ground level or getting yelled at by your leader as the Guide chokes on that twisted old 10.5 you can't pay out fast enough. It's also the incredible hulk of slot style devices. Huge and heavy.
That said, the Guide is excellent in every other respect. Always a good fallback to have around.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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I started with hip belays, then figure 8, Lowe Tube (I think it was called), ATC and now ATC Guide.
I've used it with ropes from 10.2mm down to 8.8mm, in dry, wet and icy conditions. I agree it's stiff in autoblock mode with a dry 10.2 mm rope on top rope belay. It works very well on wet/icy ropes, even down to 8.8mm.
This is the only belay device I use and for all around it works very well. I like it's simplicity and ability to provide plenty of friction when needed. Works very well as a rappel device- simple to rig, good friction control - probably the best I've used for rappel.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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idaho · Climber · Mt Baldy
When I started climbing, I was taught to use a hip belay to keep my climber safe. It was usually really painful when the climber fell and so I had to understand the mechanics of body position, force and angle of fall line, and most of all, the importance of paying attention.
I used the original ATC for 18 years for all kinds of climbing, including big walls (very bad idea) and ice climbing (also not ideal). For the past 10 years i've used a Gri Gri, a Cinch, a Sum, a Tuber, a Munter Hitch, and more lately the ATC Guide.
Because I enjoy the all varieties of climbing such as multi- and single pitch trad, sport climbing, and gym climbing, I've decided that the ATC Guide is the most versatile and useful belay device on the market. I don't care that it ways slightly more than other manual devices. It still suits my multi-purposes perfectly.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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I do a fair bit of guiding through the year, and the editor's review is pretty right on. The Guide is a bit heavier, and sticky with larger ropes. If you are guiding all day long, you'll feel the difference by the end of the day. For longer multi-pitch days, I usually take my Reverso.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
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 The ATC Guide is a durable, affordable auto-block device. Credit: Black Diamond website
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