Petzl Neox review

Review by our Go Vertical Athlete John Thornton

There have been many new devices to hit the market this year, but I was very excited to get my hands
on the Petzl NEOX before a quick climbing trip to Céüse, France.

What is it?
The NEOX is a cam-assisted belay device – similar to another much loved, celebrated product from
Petzl. The NEOX features an integrated wheel for smooth, quick slack payout and an ergonomic
handle for controlled descent. It’s compatible with single ropes from 8.5 to 11 mm and is designed
with ease of use and lead belaying in mind.

My Impressions
Warming up in the Berlin sector of Céüse, I got the chance to use the NEOX for the very first time.
Upon giving the NEOX a quick test, I immediately noticed how quickly, and easily, the rope fed
through the device. Whilst it shares certain safety features of Petzl’s classic belay device, such as the
cam mechanism which aids braking during falls, it’s worth noting that you should always have one
hand on the braking rope.

Thanks to the integrated wheel, the NEOX is superb at feeding out rope – there’s no need to grip the
device whilst giving slack and instead, the Tube method of belaying should be used. I recommend
watching Petzl’s video for proper instruction on its use.

It took a few minutes to remind myself of the new (actually old) way of feeding rope through the
device. As soon as I did, I quickly realised how much easier this made lead belaying. The NEOX
shares the same aesthetics and handling that we’ve all love from Petzl, but really stands out in it’s
ability to give rope quickly. With this in mind, the mechanics of the NEOX make it harder to lock whilst
giving out rope – so there’s no excuses for short-roping your climbing partner! This makes it easier for
the belayer, but how about the climber?

Well in the case of a fall, those same mechanics will decreases the rate at which the device clamps
the rope. Not by a huge amount, but it does give the climber a softer catch. Being myself a lighter
climber than most my belayers – was a welcome benefit of the NEOX.

Functionality
There seems to be a competition among certain rope manufacturers of having the thinnest ropes. This
made me slightly worried that all new, modern belay devices would begin to only function with this
trend. I managed to test the NEOX with ropes from 8.6mm to 9.5mm and are happy to say that I
found it best with ropes 9mm or thicker.

To sum it up…
The NEOX was created with the experienced lead belayer in mind, and I think Petzl have done a great
job. Whilst it shares similarities with Petzl devices that over the years, have become part of every
climbers belay repertoire, the NEOX takes it a step further. For those with experience, both as climber
and belayer, who require rope quickly in those difficult red-points, this device really will serve you well.

Neox

Da macht das Sichern fast noch mehr Spaß als das Klettern! Das NEOX ist ein Sicherungsgerät mit Blockierunterstützung zum Klettern in der Halle und am Fels. Es ist ideal zum Klettern im Vorstieg, da ein integriertes Rad für gleichmäßigen Seildurchlauf und schnelles Seilausgeben sorgt. Der ergonomische Hebel ermöglicht eine komfortable Steuerung der Abseilfahrt. Es ist für die Verwendung an Einfachseilen mit einem Durchmesser von 8,5 bis 11 mm bestimmt.

140.00 CHF inkl. MwSt.

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