Taz Lov3

I know I'm late to the party, but another shout out for this for TRS.

If you TRS regularly it really is worth the money.

I back it up with a microtrax on a srewgate draw from my belay loop. And use a sling as a chest harness to keep the Lov upright. 

Top out, lock the trax out, pull the handle, down you go. Remember to re engage trax! Repeat. 

I rap with my right hand on handle although I'm right handed.

Warning not tried it on slabs or a roof, just vert. Close to using an autobelay at the gym.

Once you go Taz you never go back. Waited years before getting one because of how expensive it is. Wish I had bought it years ago. Best TRS device on the market by a country mile. 

+100, done a bunch of laps on my Taz Lov2, such a great device and makes TR soloing fluid and not a cluster of gear/setup/steps, just up and down.

The only thing keeping me from buying is the bulkiness… it’s really hard to beat duel microtraxes on that front

J E wrote:

The only thing keeping me from buying is the bulkiness… it’s really hard to beat duel microtraxes on that front

I use a nylon sling as a chest harness to hold it upright. I find it pretty unnoticeable when I’m climbing.

Steven R wrote:

I use a nylon sling as a chest harness to hold it upright. I find it pretty unnoticeable when I’m climbing.

Are you climbing at your limit? I can imagine it being a nuisance if you really need to be tight into the wall, but maybe  that’s not the case

J E wrote:

Are you climbing at your limit? I can imagine it being a nuisance if you really need to be tight into the wall, but maybe  that’s not the case

Not particularly, but I find it feeds nicely and I don’t notice the weight, so shrug? To each their own

J E wrote:

Are you climbing at your limit? I can imagine it being a nuisance if you really need to be tight into the wall, but maybe  that’s not the case

I'm projecting something at my limit (13a, so hard-ish but not anything notable) on a Taz Lov 3 right now and the bulkiness of the device isn't noticeable / doesn't get in the way for me with a chest harness. There's just enough friction on the rope that the device is supported by the rope, not the harness.

My only complaints are (1) when you come off, you fall about a foot because the device needs to rotate to catch; nothing bad but you don't stay right in place like with an ascender and it takes a bit of getting used to to be convinced that it's actually going to catch (2) I find that lowering is a little jumpy vs lowering on a grigri, though that might just be because I'm new to the device. That notwithstanding, it's definitely a game changer to be able to try a sequence, lower down a few inches, try it again, etc...I've been able to dial beta much faster than I would have otherwise.

The handle used to lower on the taz lov is more touchy than a grigri, but with some practice can get  good at finessing it to lower smoothly and controllably.

I basically only TRS at my limit as if it's much easier than I just LRS it. The Taz Lov is my preferred at my limit TRS device. I don't fall a foot, not sure what's going on there, it's more like a couple inches for me. 

Wonder if there's anyone near you that would let you borrow theirs for a session? Once you try one you're almost certainly buying one. 

Ricky Harline wrote:

I basically only TRS at my limit as if it's much easier than I just LRS it. The Taz Lov is my preferred at my limit TRS device. I don't fall a foot, not sure what's going on there, it's more like a couple inches for me. 

Wonder if there's anyone near you that would let you borrow theirs for a session? Once you try one you're almost certainly buying one. 

Well, I’ll be in your area mid august haha

though I’m pretty okay with just having a vergo to throw on for lowering on TRS

J E wrote:

Well, I’ll be in your area mid august haha

though I’m pretty okay with just having a vergo to throw on for lowering on TRS

Hit me up when you're out here, we can climb at my cool quartzite crag up highway 4 and you can test out TRS on the Taz and I can show you my LRS rig with the Taz if you like. 

Ricky Harline wrote:

Hit me up when you're out here, we can climb at my cool quartzite crag up highway 4 and you can test out TRS on the Taz and I can show you my LRS rig with the Taz if you like. 

Sounds good! I’ve got my eye on some likely virgin rock in emigrant as well, if you’re interested. I gotta scout it out in person first though 

I also use a taz lov3 for TRS at limit and it's been really good. In the past the only other self-feeding device I've used (that also allows lowering without fuss) is the Shunt and this feels definitely way more bomber. With the shunt I only ever felt secure when I had 2 ropes, or a really fat single, and on the lov3 I've used a 8.9mm single. My only back-up is tying an overhand knot every 15 ft or so. 

Edit: I use a steel screw locker with a keeper to keep it oriented (to avoid cross-loading), and a makeshift chest harness to keep the locker upright. I decidedly chose not to keep the device itself upright, because I think for Lov3 it's important for it to rotate freely on the locker. I'll upload a picture next time I use it if anyone is interested. 

Taz Love 3 Weakness to Be Aware Of

I was TRSing a perfectly vertical face and slipped down the rope unexpectedly for 5 feet before the devise caught.  Here is my assessment of how it happened.  I still love my Lov and have no fear of using it, I just make sure to be more careful on perfectly vertical smooth faces now.  It is worth every penny.  

When the Taz Lov 3 first came out, some folks were worried about it opening unexpectedly, as the plates aren't held together with the carabiner like they are for the Lov 2. Has that actually occurred, after a couple of years of use? Does anyone actually prefer the 2 to the 3, for this reason or another reason?

I’ve never found the TAZ to be too bulky during normal use.  With a chest strap it’s pretty well out of the way of my hips when I need them into the wall.  The only time I’ve found that it can get in the way a bit is on really awkward mantles.  And since they are awkward anyway I can’t really blame the device.  That said, on certain terrain or features I could see an argument for a device that doesn’t need to swing out to lock.

The little button on the 3 has  never been an issue for me either, although it’s always part of my system check. It would be very difficult to depress enough to open the devise during use, and the plate it fixes in place also hooks the carabiner and can only come on and off at a specific angle of rotation.

I’m really interested to see how the Taz Lov holds up to the Sulu go. Apparently it doesn’t require a backup or a break hand and it’s cheaper. 

Only issue I had is the spring inside that holds the handle in broke on both my taz lov 2 and 3. Anyone else had this issue?

Brian Martin wrote:

Only issue I had is the spring inside that holds the handle in broke on both my taz lov 2 and 3. Anyone else had this issue?

Yea, mine too.  I found out It’s such a common issue that they have a spring replacement kit that they might send you under warranty. I’d shoot them an email.

I purchased my Taz Lov3 on March 14 and then on March 15 Ryan from How Not 2 sends an email about how he fell all the way to his safety knot using the Lov. He apparently is about to release a full video on his experience.  I was little anxious to try it out yesterday after that email! No issues on the ascent or arresting any falls (I did back it up and lived to write this post!). I was surprised how hard you have to pull on the handle to rotate the device in order to lower. I'm not surprised to hear that the handle has longevity issues. I typically use the Pinch to lower and the orientation of the handle toward your body seems much more natural/controllable than the handle orientation of the Lov. I did attach an third hand prior to lowering but after 3 routes went back to my Lift because I didn't feel super comfortable lowering. Anyone else have this feeling when they first started to use the Lov? Any tips or do I just need more mileage on the device to get comfortable?