Anyone have a recommendation for the best steel biner that will fit a grigri. I'm looking to do some toprope soloing and want to have steel just in case the dreaded cross load happens. Yeah I'll be using a backup biner/knot.

Here's a quote from the gear head forum:
So I've been lead belaying with an ATC for over a year and just starting using a grigri a couple months ago after a good lesson. I'm wondering what this dreaded cross load is so I am sure to never do it. I just hook my grigri into the locking biner onto my belay loop - I suspect there must be some alternate rigging for self-belaying (isn't that what's mentioned in the quote?).

Thanks for any help in understanding this.

When I use an ATC I lock the biner into both the loops the belay loop comes from to position it better.

I assumed the locking part would take of the rest, but you are wise to suggest always considering cross loading.

So it seems you're implying the rigging of the self-belaying with the grigri isn't what the original quote was about - just general cross loading issues?

So I tried using the grigri with the small end of the biner facing away from me, and to be honest, the device jerked around awkwardly. It seems more likely to get caught in a way to cross-load. It stayed one the long axis much better with the large end of the biner facing away.

If you want to put an end to the cross-loading issue for good, put your grigri on a DMM(?) Belay Master.

-Jay

Okay - so I'm using the Petzl Attache - and it seems fine with the small end toward me. I don't really notice crossloading ever happening while in the gym (I'v eonly been outside 6 times).

I checked out the DMM site & it had a good picture of the Belay Master in use and it would definitly prevent any problems. Here's what I want to know - there is so much amazing gear out there - where would you put this on your priority list? I have never seen one used (which doesn't mean much - I've only been outside with 4 different groups).

It's not hugely expensive ($20), but is it prudent (like a helmet), fluffy but nice, or really something everyone should have that uses a grigri? I'd appreciate some perspective here. Thanks

...I don't know why someone would TR solo in the first place, much less do so if he were so worried about crossloading his self-belay carabiner...

question about beiners and the grigri. i have heard (or so it seems) alot of people who use a steel beiner with a grigri. is there some safety concern with the type of beinar or can i use any old locking beinar?

question about beiners and the grigri. i have heard (or so it seems) alot of people who use a steel beiner with a grigri. is there some safety concern with the type of beinar or can i use any old locking beinar?

So I think you've finally cleared it all up in my head - the idea here is not that grigri's frequently get cross-loaded when belaying (although this could happen) if you're set up in the belay loop with a good locking biner, it's that if you self-belay with one, the rigging results in more frequent cross loading. Aha. Thanks

Glad I could help, but don't trust anything you read on the net. :wink:

Do a search, somewhere on here there's a post by someone who was self belaying with a Gri-Gri, who broke his biner in a fall (the biner that attached his Gri-Gri to his harness). I don't think it was a gate failure either, as I remember it he broke the spine of the biner, and it was a fat "belay" biner(?). Thankfully he had tied into a backup knot and he was OK.

Do a search, somewhere on here there's a post by someone who was self belaying with a Gri-Gri, who broke his biner in a fall (the biner that attached his Gri-Gri to his harness). I don't think it was a gate failure either, as I remember it he broke the spine of the biner, and it was a fat "belay" biner(?). Thankfully he had tied into a backup knot and he was OK.

You've got to be joking. You really can't break the spine of a biner unless your trying to use it like a lever in a crack. The gate will always go first, and on TR, I don't even think it's possible to generate enough force to break the things crossloaded. I'd like to see some pics on that one.

If you play with the GriGri on the spine of the belay master it is very easy to get the GriGri to torque itself against the biner, this could result in breaking the biner or the GriGri. I don’t know if this is what happened to Tom or if his was simply cross loaded.

I use it with the GriGri through the narrow end of the belay master. Doing this requires that you remove the plastic piece to get the GriGri to the narrow end, and then replace the plastic piece.

This way there is very little room for the GriGri to move on the biner. There is a lot of room for movement at the belay loop end of the biner, but this doesn’t matter because the pull on the GriGri will always put the belay loop where it needs to be, avoiding cross loading. Torque on the biner and GriGri is also avoided because there is no way for the GriGri to get around the bend of the biner.

SANDSTONE- you need to do some research. using a screw link gets you absolutely nothing over using a biner except for more work. first, the max load is 25kn on the major axis and 10kn on the minor-SO CROSS LOADING IS STILL A PROBLEM.

RESEARCH YOUR GEAR BEFORE YOU RECOMEND OTHERS TO USE THEM IN UNSAFE PRACTICES NOT ORIGINALLY INTENTED BY THE MANUFACTURER

petzl recomends tossing a screw link if its used to catch a fall! what company recomends getting rid of a biner once it catches a fall?

the max load is 25kn on the major axis and 10kn on the minor-SO CROSS LOADING IS STILL A PROBLEM.

RESEARCH YOUR GEAR BEFORE YOU RECOMEND OTHERS TO USE THEM IN UNSAFE PRACTICES NOT ORIGINALLY INTENTED BY THE MANUFACTURER