To get the leverage to lower a second with either I run a sling (girthed through the R3, permanent cord in the ATC) from the device, up to a biner in the master point and back down to my harness. To lower just sit back and the redirect will lever the device into lower (KEEP A HAND ON THE BRAKE!!) to lock 'em back up just sit forward again (and remember to unhitch this setup once the 2nd is good).
R3 is pretty cool - I like the spun 90 degeree hanger hole. Waaaaaaay lighter than ATC. Still sucks with a fat rope... super duper with 9.4 - 10.
Kong makes the "Ghost". Autoblocking but w/ no release hole. Anyone used one?
How thick was the rope? The eyelet of the Reverso 3 is significantly wider than the Guide's. I found that you need the right biner for proper operation. Specifically, a large keylock HMS is what works best with the Reverso 3 for me.
I have found rope thickness not to matter. The worst was a 10.0 mm rope that was worn and floppy. I have a new and slick 10.2 that works better and a 9.9 that is somewhere in between.
Proper operation for me had nothting to do with the right biner since it fit the ATC Guide release hole very well. The concept overall just didn't work out for me. Maybe I am weak but I need to use the girth hitched sling method.
I have found rope thickness not to matter. The worst was a 10.0 mm rope that was worn and floppy. I have a new and slick 10.2 that works better and a 9.9 that is somewhere in between.
In that range of diameters, I agree that other factors may count more. I've been quite happy with ropes in the 8-9.4 mm range, and unhappy with anything above 10.2. I've had the same experience with the GiGi plate in the past.