Petzl NEOX - Experience the Difference

33 years after revolutionizing how climbers belay each other with the launch of the GRIGRI, Petzl is taking it to the next level with the NEOX—a cam-assisted blocking belay device that features an internal wheel that makes it easier to pay out slack. Join us for a deep dive into the NEOX and what makes it tick.

00:06 - Intro
00:54 - The Pedigree
03:03 - Comparisons
05:42 - How it Works
06:40 - Ideal Uses
08:51 - The Gold Standard

©Petzl, 2024
Video shot and edited by Benjamin Eaton

[mariuszklin]

When I did my lead course few years ago my instructor among many other devices still had Grigri 1. It was clearly well used but still perfectly safe. Credit to Petzl for building gear that lasts this long. It doesn’t happen very often nowadays. I’m sure Neox will be the same

[AmaniRafiki]

Thanks, great video and the Grigri has clearly established itself as THE belay device on the market for a good reason: Compared to an ATC or other older devices/ methods of belaying it provides a lot more safety, assuming you know how to use it properly.
The big question with the Neox is: Does it provide the same reliabilty in terms of engaging in a fall scenario as the Grigri (+) when the belayer violates the brake hand principle?
Clearly no good belayer should do that, but I see many people belaying not keeping their hand on the brake side of the rope at all times.
It’s nice to feed out slack more quickly, but if this means less safety for me personally it’s not going to be worth it, as I can feed out all the slack needed easily with the Grigri already.

[climbingfanatic]

Assisted braking devices are nice in that they make belaying more comfortable. But for me, and I think many other people, the main value is the added safety. I almost always belay with an assisted braking device and prefer it if i'm being belayed by one. Yes, a good belayer should always be holding the brake strand. But we don't live in an ideal world, so that doesn't always happen. There's a chance that the belayer won't be properly holding the brake strand due to incompetence, laziness, or they could become incapacitated (rockfall/icefall). If that happens, it's nice to have a belay device that has a higher chance that the device will lockup on it's own in the event of a fall. It seems like the neox makes the belaying experience slightly better at the cost of decreasing the chances that it prevents injury/death.

[jskemp]

*”it is not a device for self belay”*

Clearly you get asked this a lot, it was my first question, and the first thing many of my friends had to ask. The fact that you made a point of saying this means you are aware that is what we want.

So my question, if you are aware that many people want a self belay device, then why haven’t you made one? A device intended for lead rope solo, or one designed for top rope solo.