# GriGri & 13mm



## SINGLE-JACK (Nov 23, 2009)

The Petzl GRIGRI is rated for use on 10-11mm rope. Anyone have experience, pro or con, with using a GRIGRI on 13mm (1/2") rope?


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## deevo (Nov 23, 2009)

SINGLE-JACK said:


> The Petzl GRIGRI is rated for use on 10-11mm rope. Anyone have experience, pro or con, with using a GRIGRI on 13mm (1/2") rope?



If your going to go any larger, then you should go with the I'D. I got that straight from a Petzl rep on a course I was on. I have a gri-gri and a small I'D. I use 11mm blaze and the fly.


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## Job Corps Tree (Nov 24, 2009)

*gre-gre & 13mm*

I have had a gre-gre for about 10 years and it works fine with 1/2 new england Hy Vee and safety blue, we use it for belay in our Spikes training , less mistakes than with a figure 8. some of our job corps students are not to tightly wraped


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## Plasmech (Nov 24, 2009)

How is descending on a Gri Gri? I've heard it can be rather jerky (?)


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## moss (Nov 24, 2009)

SINGLE-JACK said:


> The Petzl GRIGRI is rated for use on 10-11mm rope. Anyone have experience, pro or con, with using a GRIGRI on 13mm (1/2") rope?



Anything over 11mm is like stuffing a sausage into the Grigri. Even New England Ropes Fly (allegedly 11mm) has to squeeze though a Grigri. Tachyon (Lava) is a tight squeeze though a Grigri, it works but is not great. I'm talking about SRT descent not for lanyard use.
-moss


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## moss (Nov 24, 2009)

Plasmech said:


> How is descending on a Gri Gri? I've heard it can be rather jerky (?)



There's a learning curve, out of the box it's jerky, if you work at you find the sweet spot.
-moss


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## SINGLE-JACK (Nov 25, 2009)

moss said:


> Anything over 11mm is like stuffing a sausage into the Grigri. Even New England Ropes Fly (allegedly 11mm) has to squeeze though a Grigri. Tachyon (Lava) is a tight squeeze though a Grigri, it works but is not great. I'm talking about SRT descent not for lanyard use.
> -moss



Yeah, I was fairly sure what kind of answer I would get. I really like the GriGri concept but got big hands and all my ropes are 13mm. I checked out the large "I'd" - it's huge and cost twice as much. The spiderjack is three times as much. Then there's the unicender at $450. 

Still looking for best single mechanical device that will do it all - ascend, descend, & limb walk - probably doesn't exist yet.


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## moss (Nov 25, 2009)

SINGLE-JACK said:


> Yeah, I was fairly sure what kind of answer I would get. I really like the GriGri concept but got big hands and all my ropes are 13mm. I checked out the large "I'd" - it's huge and cost twice as much. The spiderjack is three times as much. Then there's the unicender at $450.
> 
> Still looking for best single mechanical device that will do it all - ascend, descend, & limb walk - probably doesn't exist yet.



Probably the Unicender is it but the price stops me too. Ya the I'd is a huge chunk of gear. Maybe a rack would be the ticket. it's kind of big too but there are some smaller versions. Everyone who uses them loves them and you can go down fast on them unlike the Grigri or I'D.
-moss


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## canopyboy (Nov 25, 2009)

I haven't run anything bigger than Tachyon or Fly through mine, but those seem tight. Definitely can be a bit jerky, like Moss said you need to find the sweet spot. New ropes seem to be a bit more finicky to find that sweet spot on. My old Tachyon actually seems to run the smoothest, even compared to my 3/8 HTP. The sucker does get hot enough to glaze the rope slightly, on what I consider moderate descents over short distances (less than 50'). I've been considering a rack, but I'd have to switch over before descending unlike the RADS system. And of course buy another piece of equipment.....

:biggrinbounce2:


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## SINGLE-JACK (Nov 30, 2009)

moss said:


> Anything over 11mm is like stuffing a sausage into the Grigri. Even New England Ropes Fly (allegedly 11mm) has to squeeze though a Grigri. Tachyon (Lava) is a tight squeeze though a Grigri, it works but is not great. I'm talking about SRT descent not for lanyard use.
> -moss





Job Corps Tree said:


> I have had a gre-gre for about 10 years and it works fine with 1/2 new england Hy Vee and safety blue, we use it for belay in our Spikes training , less mistakes than with a figure 8. some of our job corps students are not to tightly wraped



Well ... I managed to borrow a GRIGRI ... tried it (unloaded) with Yale XTC Fire (12-13mm), Yale XTC 12 (12mm) and Sterling HTP (7/16 - 11mm). Sherrill lists the Fire at 13mm but Yale lists it at 12mm. 

Anyway, they all fed through the GRIGRI quite nicely. Since it's raining and the GRIGRI is not mine, I did not climb with it but the 12mm's actually seemed a little better than the 11mm.


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## lostcoastland (Dec 12, 2009)

my 1/2 inch arborplex got flattened out in my gri gri, also sap would lock it up...after i switched to 3/8 " Sterling Snakebite from Sherril...it's smooth....


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## dantiff2 (Jan 7, 2010)

I was considering a rope walking technique DdRT with the Tibloc then found out it too is only rated up to 11mm line......Why? The cam concept should work on any line. Why not make ascenders like these fit 1/2" line?

Dan


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## davej (Jan 8, 2010)

When I first heard that Petzl was introducing the "RIG" I thought it might be a GriGri for 13mm -- but no. The "Rig" is just their "professional series" GriGri and only rated up to 11.5mm (0.5mm more than GriGri).


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## treemandan (Jan 8, 2010)

The Gri-Gri? That's that little blue thingy with the red handle and some wheely things inside? I knew a guy who would stuff his 16 strand in there and hang off it. He said " It just fits".
Now I was over at the Plasman's place the other day and I think he was showing me that ID thing. HOLY CRAP! Its plastic, that's gonna break. You can expect to do real work with that thing. Hey, it might work just fine doing what it does and it does but that thing ain't gonna take no abuse. I find it kinda scary, I mean these are things that you are supposed to be able to climb MT Everest with right?


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## moss (Jan 9, 2010)

treemandan said:


> The Gri-Gri? That's that little blue thingy with the red handle and some wheely things inside? I knew a guy who would stuff his 16 strand in there and hang off it. He said " It just fits".
> Now I was over at the Plasman's place the other day and I think he was showing me that ID thing. HOLY CRAP! Its plastic, that's gonna break. You can expect to do real work with that thing. Hey, it might work just fine doing what it does and it does but that thing ain't gonna take no abuse. I find it kinda scary, I mean these are things that you are supposed to be able to climb MT Everest with right?



I was just climbing SRT last night on Tachyon and it worked with the Grigri for rappel but it's kind of tight. Not surprised, it's thicker then Petzl's max rope spec of 11mm for the Grigri.

I don't like the I'D because it's too big but all the parts engaging the rope are metal. The little plastic "safety" that allows you to take the biner off the I'D without disengaging the rope must be what you're referring to. I've never heard a report of that breaking. If it did you'd stay on the rope anyway. It's a good piece of gear.
-moss


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## treemandan (Jan 9, 2010)

moss said:


> I was just climbing SRT last night on Tachyon and it worked with the Grigri for rappel but it's kind of tight. Not surprised, it's thicker then Petzl's max rope spec of 11mm for the Grigri.
> 
> I don't like the I'D because it's too big but all the parts engaging the rope are metal. The little plastic "safety" that allows you to take the biner off the I'D without disengaging the rope must be what you're referring to. I've never heard a report of that breaking. If it did you'd stay on the rope anyway. It's a good piece of gear.
> -moss



I would exactly call that stuff metal but I understand what you are saying. Yes, the handle, it looks like it would get snapped off pretty quick and with the cold weather it gets more " iffy". Also it looks like you have a big clock hanging from yer neck like that rapper dude.


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## moss (Jan 9, 2010)

treemandan said:


> Also it looks like you have a big clock hanging from yer neck like that rapper dude.



Funny! You should tell that to Petzl, maybe they can leverage the I'D into a new market.
-moss


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## Plasmech (Jan 9, 2010)

I absolutely *despise* that whole rapper crowd and every person/place/thing that comes along with it. Just thought I'd share that.


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## Jules Bartow (Apr 22, 2016)

Petzl Large Industrial Descender (I'D) used in cell tower industry where it's not called rappelling --it's called "Controlled Descent" using 1/2 (13mm) line. Slack tending while ascending and limb walking is definitely not what it's designed for. Great for rescue or hauling gear up using a progress capture. Panic feature a PITA if you're trying to descend quickly, because you can't. Nor can you load line upside down either --idiot proof.


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