Is the trango vergo a good device for top rope soloing?

Looking for a new lead belaying device and getting into Trs. Seems like a 2 in one because I am looking to keep it cheap. I am currently using an atc for lead belaying so an abd would be nice

Doubt it, most ABDs suck. here’s evidence : https://sicgrips.blogspot.com/2020/08/vergo-for-top-rope-soloing.html?m=1

Just buy Kirkpatricks book, get a rocker type primary and backup with MT.

Tbh don’t join the Facebook TRS group till you’ve read the book, then you can truly understand how batshit crazy some of the setups are.

I've used it and it works fine. Just follow the setup described in the link Joseph posted above. Doesn't feed quite as well as two microtraxions, but has the advantage of being set up to rap at any time. 

I commented in your other thread but I'll chime in here too. I've also used the vergo as a trs device on a 9mm static with roll n lock backup. Works great and the SICgrips blog post is a great source of info. It doesn't feed as smooth as a PCD and you need to weight the rope but for project oriented TRS, the ability to lower yourself at will is invaluable imo.

I use the Vergo with a Roll-n-Lock and it works great. Vergo tracks with minimum amount of weight and Roll-n-Lock doesn’t need any more than a few feet of rope below it. As stated above the transition to rappell is seamless. At any point during the climb, lock off the vergo, disengage the Roll-n-Lock cam and rap. I switched away from micro traction because of its tendency to re-engage the cam if it gets bumped during the rappell. Note: I often use two ropes which may be enhancing both devices ability to track up the rope since they don’t interact with each other. 

Nice to see that my blog is actually read and helpful! Also, interesting to hear of the slight variations in setup. I.e. double strand and 9mm static. I've mainly used it with a 9.2 - 9.4 dynamic. I'm still waiting to hear if it works on sub - 9 ropes and how the feed and catch/lockup are. 

I also second reading Andy's book.

The vergo is a great device. It works well for TRS, it feeds slack extremely well (as well as the Neox) it works better than a grigri for belaying from the top (no backfeeding), and it is super nice for single strand rappels.

The downsides: it’s a little more jerky than a grigri when it comes to lowering the climber. The way you hold the device is also super different so your climbing partners may not want to use it. 

I love the vergo and think it’s a great purchase.

Israel R wrote:

I commented in your other thread but I'll chime in here too. I've also used the vergo as a trs device on a 9mm static with roll n lock backup. Works great and the SICgrips blog post is a great source of info. It doesn't feed as smooth as a PCD and you need to weight the rope but for project oriented TRS, the ability to lower yourself at will is invaluable imo.

Agree. I've used the same setup and have the same conclusion. 

If you're just doing a bunch of laps and want the smoothest feeding setup, the Vergo isn't it, and 2 microtraxions is a better choice. But for projecting a route, constantly going up and down and repositioning to work sections, the Vergo + RollnLock is nice. It's not perfect, but it meets the needs of the projecting application well enough.

It seems that the Taz may be an even better choice for that projecting application, but it's quite expensive, whereas you can get a secondhand Vergo here on MP for like $50. The Taz may be worth the investment for some. I got my Vergo and starting using the Vergo + RollnLock system before the Taz was available, and I've been happy enough with the Vergo for projecting applications, so I've never bothered switching.

My first set up was a Vergo and Micro.  It got the job done but now I use Tazlov and it's far superior in terms of feeding rope.  I still use the Vergo for single pitch belaying and actually prefer it over a Grigri.

I got the Vergo originally for this purpose but I wasn't really ever TRS'ing moves that I wanted to repeat over and over again, so these days if I TRS I'm generally on two Spocs. I second all the Vergo love though, it's better than GriGri for everything except for rappelling and LRS.

Can’t comment on the Vergo, but have the Taz. When held upright for TRS, the ropes path through the Taz is virtually straight, makes for super slick feeding. The roll n loc I back it up with has slightly more drag.

Yes, I’ve used the verge to top rope solo in the case of a stuck rope on the follow. It works fine with a little more weight at the bottom than would be needed for a PCD. It can also be used for LRS and depending on your LRS tastes may be better than the gg