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Be curious to learn how the alpine up performs with small ropes...

What does this do that the SMART alpine doesn't do? Curious...

The click up has the HUGE advantage of not requiring one to have the hand on the handle for feeding like the smart

With the smart you can stupidly hold the device open while yr climber is falling ... Theres been drops due to this

The grigri fast feed method also has this issue where you can defeat the cam

The click up does not as far as i can tell

;)

I bought the AlpineUp expecting to only use it for belaying my skinny doubles, but it quickly wound up being the device I use most often. Really, my only complaint is that it's heavy and bulky, but it makes up for its weight by being great to use.

The click up/alpine handle almost exactly like an ATC, and no special "unlocking" gestures are needed to pump slack out fast to the leader. However, as with all "assisted braking" devices, it is possible, mostly when one is just learning to use the device, to accidentally lock it up while pumping slack. In this case, the device is unlocked with a quick shove away from the body with the heels of both hands. While doing this, the rope is held in the ordinary braking position, so there isn't even a momentary exposure to a non-braking configuration. But I should repeat that typically one belays in exactly the same way as with an ATC.

The Ups come with a carabiner recommended by the manufacturer for the device. The Smart does not, and it is clear from lots of internet posting that the choice of carabiner may influence performance significantly.

I've used both the Alpine Up and the Alpine Smart for half ropes and, for me, there is no contest---the Up handles better and more easily (and so I sold my Smart). For single ropes, with their simpler handling demands, I think the differences are much less pronounced and will for most people boil down to personal preferences, remembering that the Smart is lighter and cheaper.

I don't have enough personal experience to offer a genuinely informed opinion, but I've been told by more than one person who has tried both devices that the Smart requires less effort to manage when used for upper belays in guide mode.

None of the "assisted braking" devices work well with thicker and/or fuzzier ropes, becoming hard to feed and locking up when they shouldn't.

Also up for consideration is the Edelrid Megajul, which is by far the lightest and most compact of the "assisted braking" devices and has gotten rave reviews, although most of the ones I've seen are not comparative reviews and do not address the question of which "assisted braking" device performs best. And there are now new single-rope gadgets about to appear on the shelves from Camp and DMM, making the decision for those who haven't already shelled out for one of these devices even more difficult.

Agreed, this is my favorite belay device that I own. Started with the click-up and got the alpine-up shortly after. I think we prefer the click-up a little more because its smaller and less clunky, but rapping and/or cleaning a route with the alpine is really really nice once you get the hang of it.