The cinch feeds well and works like a gri-gri, but feeds smoother and works well with belaying seconds (you can't rap but that's ok) works well with sport/trad routes and is easy to teach someone how to use. Overall I prefer this over the gri gri and other devices. For 70 bucks it's well worth it.

The Cinch feeds amazingly well and catches on thin ropes way better than a gri gri. Lowering is fine once you've become accustom to it. (A bit more touchy than a Gri Gri, but not bad) I've used both devices for a number of years and the Gri Gri has lost it's place on my rack to the Cinch. I love the Cinch! If you get one read the instructions carefully so that you use the proper technique and can give the best belay. I think there used to be some instruction vids on the Trango site to help out.

There is a video on the Trango website as well as YouTube and EVERYONE that wants to use the Cinch should watch it BEFORE they use it. I see a lot of people using it incorrectly. A friend at the gym was taught incorrectly and there was a near deck at the gym. It is a great device and you will understand it better after you watch the video. As far as lowering goes it should be just as easy as any other device. The Cinch relies on angles if it is hard to lower it is a indication that you are doing it incorrectly. Once you get the angle correct be careful as it will really speed up the decent and you may need to re-direct to slow larger climbers down. This also is explained VERY well by Malcolm in the video.

i love this piece. it's great for self belaying. just put a little weight on the rope and climb. the rope pulls threw and if you fall it auto locks. great for climbing when your buddy isn't available. i didn't have any problem lowering a climber with the release.

The cinch makes it easy to feed rope to a lead climber while at the same time giving that extra security that it will lock off in case of a sudden fall. I figured out the lowering pretty quickly, but my wife does still struggle with it. Most of the time she lowers me agonizingly slowly - I prefer that to dropping though.