GriGri Alternatives for Left Handed People

Hello everyone,

I tried to use a GriGri to lead belay, and it's very difficult to feed slack, blocking the cam, and operate it using best practices since I'm left handed.

 I was wondering if anyone have any experiences with any assisted breaking devices that would be good for lead belaying? I was looking in invest in one of the following options: Beal Birdie, Trango Vergo, and WildCountry Revo. If anyone have any experiences with any of them, let me know what you think, or any other info you think would be good to know. Thanks!

I'm strongly left handed, but it really didn't take that long to adapt to righthanded belaying with the Gri-Gri. How long did you give it? More than a session or two? There are assisted devices that are non-handed. The Black Diamond ATC Pilot, the Edelrid Jul(s), the Mammut Smart all fit the bill.

The Vergo would not work left-handed. Not sure about the others you listed. I'm right-handed and prefer my Mammut Smart more than anything else though (other than a tube), and that is completely ambidextrous. Just use a big, round-stock carabiner. 

have you tried here?

I’m a left hander using a gri-gri.

I don’t think it took me that much effort to figure out. You just need to practice with a patient friend a bit on warm- up climbs for a couple pitches before you are ready to feed efficiently.

I like the gri gri better than the other assisted braking devices, but they all work. The only reason I would consider buying a different device would be to use the assisted braking devices for half ropes. (Smart, jul)

I have no problem with the newer gris left handed, at least on non-gym ropes, you just have to be a little more active feeding slack instead of holding the cam like they recommend.

Other options to consider would be the click up/alpine up, smart, and pilot. Sadly the active abds all seem to be built for right handers.

I'm left handed and use a grigri with no issues. I actually think I'd prefer right hand even if there was an alternative. 

I have a Black Diamond Pilot and Edelrid Mega Jul.  I found the the Pilot easier to use but the Mega Jul  has more breaking force with thinner rope.

Of the symmetrical devices, I like the BD Pilot, but there's many of them that other folks mentioned.

If you want to keep the grigri and really can't get the hang of doing it right-handed, Petzl has a left-handed technique.  

I love the Jul2 device (though I use a grigri2 now). Be sure to get it with the carabiner they recommend, but it’s symmetrical and belays very nicely when you get used to it. 

When it comes to belaying/rappelling one should be proficient with either hand. 

It just takes some getting used to. 7th person commenting about being a lefty and using a grigri 

Side note: my first lawn care job at 17, I told the guy that I’d done it for years. Showed up to his house and he asked me to use his equipment as an interview. I told the guy that I couldn’t because I use left handed weed eaters. He proceeded to let me know that doesn’t exist, but he likes my spunk, so he gave me the job anyways.

Also a lefty and I just got used to it! LEFTIES REPRESENT!!!!

Lefties have answered the S$!# out of the question! Yee-Hah!

Lefties in grigri cult: Ignore actual question with advice to just try harder, then pat themselves on the back... ha! Y'all should get a room and hang out. 

John N wrote:

Hello everyone,

I tried to use a GriGri to lead belay, and it's very difficult to feed slack, blocking the cam, and operate it using best practices since I'm left handed.

 I was wondering if anyone have any experiences with any assisted breaking devices that would be good for lead belaying? I was looking in invest in one of the following options: Beal Birdie, Trango Vergo, and WildCountry Revo. If anyone have any experiences with any of them, let me know what you think, or any other info you think would be good to know. Thanks

As a fellow lefty along with all the others, I would seriously just take some time with the Gri and practice using it right handed. Your brain and muscle coordination will adapt and it will stop feeling weird. Personally, I now belay right handed with all devices because that is what feels normal now. To answer your question though - the only device you list which would work ambi is the Revo. I wouldn't exactly recommend it, though. 

Any of the tube style ABDs will work.  I prefer the Smart, single slot for single pitch and Alpine for multi- and rappeling.  I like the feel and action of the Pilot, but it get too warm if you are doing a lot of work with it.  Lots of folks like the Jul varieties, but I don't care for it.

There is one. It’s called the gri-gri.

Is it really that hard to use your non-dominant hand on the break strand/ thumb on the cam???

I'm a southpaw and learned right-handed Gri-ing.

The Revo is great as long as your partner doesn't hangdog. Very innovative device, feeds slack like a bamf. I used it for multipitch LRS mostly.

ATC Pilot is decent, cheap but sticky to throw slack. Smart is comparable. Using phat ropes might make those worth having compared to the Gri. 

 I have a friend who swears by the Alpine Up. I'm looking to buy a MegaJul (to save four ounces off the Gri, not for hand dominancy).

When you factor in how much easier it is to belay the second on long routes with a Gri (even compared to a Gigi with roundstock) and how it helps prevents guide's elbow from doing the same, it's hard to beat. There's a reason industry standards are industry standards.

One more lefty grigri user and to add to the dogpile will say just practice with it. Any new device is going to feel weird to use to begin with no matter what handedness and it's totally worth your time to get comfortable with the one most folks have and use. It's 90% the same as using a tube style anyway (most of the time I can feed sufficient slack for leaders without needing to disengage the brake cam, just feeding like you would a tube style device). 

Also, it's super annoying to need specific equipment for a common task in the event you forget yours and need to borrow or, more commonly, want to just share a single grigri between climbers like say, on a multipitch. 

GriGri - one of my climbing friends is a lefty, she uses GriGri with left hand - not the same way as a righty would use it. Unfortunately, I can't tell you how she does it  - never managed to figure it out ;)

Disclaimer - I am righty.  I always belay with Vergo with left hand/arm feeding slack. Given this discussion, I was curious to experiment trying to use Vergo in a similar manner, but flipped to the left - with right hand/arm feeding slack. That requires to flip the device upside down - ( left hand index finger goes onto landing pad, thumb is resting in the metal groove), and pull slack with right. Worked like charm, but I already knew how to setup Vergo and use it.  But, I think that Vergo would be the easiest device for a lefty to learn to use in the "right handed" manner - feeding rope for leading is way more ergonomic than GriGri.