DMM Grip - 7 Years in the Making

Although it may not look like it, DMM’s Grip performs like a regular tubular device. A single-stranded, magnetic and spring-loaded tubular device that is.

Being a single strand device means the Grip will excel at belays while gym climbing and cragging where the climber is lowered after climbing a route, and does not need to rappel. Although it is technically possible to rappel with a single strand tuber, it does add a significant technical challenge, that would also defeat the simplicity of the design.

Although the Grip may look complicated, the design is actually quite cleverly simple given the benefits it offers.

How it works

The Grip pays out and takes in rope quickly and smoothly. The device doesn’t lock up when rapidly paying out a lot of slack, a problem that plagues many brake-assist devices.

During a fall, the device splits in half and adds extra holding power as the stainless steel contact points pinch the rope against the belay carabiner. Catching a fall requires minimal effort from the belayer. The added holding power also reduces the chances of large amounts of rope sliding through the device before arresting a fall.

When the rope is unweighted, the spring starts to close the Grip until the magnets get close enough to pull the device fully closed.

It’s worth noting that this is not an automatically locking belay device, it is an assisted braking device. The belayer must always keep their hand on the brake side of the rope. The Grip will not lock if there is no tension on the brake side.

 

Geeking out on technical specs

The Grip accepts an enormous range of rope sizes, from 7.6mm to 11mm. It’s worth noting that there are not yet any 7.6 mm singles; the skinniest single rope is Beal’s Opera 8.5 mm. So the usable range is really 8.5 mm to 11 mm, representing the fat and fuzzy monsters found at the gym.

The Grip is significantly lighter than other mechanical brake-assist devices and comes in just a few grams heavier than the Mammut Smart (a device with no moving parts). Here’s a quick review of how it sits compared to popular single strand brake-assist devices:

• Mammut Smart, 82 g
• DMM Grip, 86 g
• Edelrid Jul 2, 87 g
• Climbing Technology Click Up, 109 g
• Petzl GriGri 2, 170 g

 

Compare every brake-assist belay device available at:
WeighMyRack.com/belay

 

How it came to be

Tony Christianson (the guy behind the development of the double-axle cam) filed the patent for a “Split tube belay device” on Valentine’s Day in 2007. DMM has been working with Tony since then to develop the device into a functional, certified piece of kit.

Originally, and perhaps in the future, the intention was to create a double strand device. The development became more challenging than originally anticipated and the project was scaled back to the single strand device.

Bottom line

The Grip is made in Llanberis, Wales at DMM’s state of the art metal forging facility. It’s geared for climbers looking for some extra braking assistance while still keeping all the skills of belaying with a tubular device. It would also be a great device for gym climbers and craggers who have partners with a larger weight gap.

When is it coming?

Production is a little behind the original Spring 2015 estimate because priority was given to the DMM Pivot which just hit the market. At the earliest, expect the Grip to come available in July 2015.