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Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up
  • Climbing Technology Click Up

Click Up

Rating

My vote: None ( 5.1 avg )

Description

This small tool, so innovative and ingenious, marks a new era in the vast world of belay devices. The Click Up operates without the need to act on levers and moving parts. In the event of a climber fall, the rope is blocked by the HMS belay biner. For lowering, the game is even easier: a slight pressure on Click Up and the rope runs at the speed that we want! In the event of excessive pressure or unintentional release, the device will lock.

Retail price

US$ 69.95
Device Type

Device Type

Tube

The most commonly used belay type also called an “ATC” or “tuber.” Other than a distinction between other belay device types, “Tube” is a rarely used term, most climbers just assume you're talking about this style when they refer to your "belay device."

Tube belay device example

Figure 8

Mostly used in rescue, canyoneering, tactical, work safety, or by old school climbers and rappellers. One reason they went out of popularity with recreational climbers is because they tend to create twists in the rope.

Figure 8 belay device example

Brake Assist

These devices assist in stopping the rope when a climber falls or hangs on the rope.

Brake Assist belay device example

Often referred to as “auto-blocking” but that’s not the official terminology because no belay device should be assumed to work automatically by itself, even if it feels like it does (or does most the time).

Plate

When simplicity is a must, or you started climbing before Tubers were the norm. Bonus: They tend to be very light weight.

Plate belay device example

Descender

For rappelling, not for belaying a lead climber or top-roping.

Descender example
Brake Assist - Tube
Weight (g)

Weight (g)

In grams, the weight, as stated by the manufacturer/brand.

115 g
Belay Brake Assist

Belay Brake Assist

This is when the belay device significantly reduces the amount of holding power the belayer must exert to stop a fall and hold a climber.

This is also called "assisted-braking" as the device must hold a significant amount of the climber’s weight; this term does not include friction-adding "teeth" found on some tube style belay devices.

Confusingly referred to as “auto-blocking” or “auto-locking” these terms wrongly imply the device will always, automatically, stop a fall or hold a climber even if the belayer/rappeller is hands-free. These devices are not meant to be used without a hand on the braking side of the rope; the belayers/rapppeller brake hand should always be on the brake rope.

Worth Considering

Most of the mechanical brake assist devices only hold a single strand of rope and are not capable of double-strand rappelling (the most common method of rappel).

Yes
Rope Options 1 rope only
Guide Mode

Guide Mode

This is when you belay directly off the anchor instead of your harness. Guide mode is helpful if you climb outdoors a lot because it reduces the holding power required from the belayer. When your partner falls or rests, the weight of the climber is held mostly by the anchor and the belay device.

Tubers and Plates

When belaying in "guide mode," the tubers and plates turn auto-blocking. During a fall, the climbing rope pinches the slack rope, completely stopping the movement of either rope. A common guide mode setup shown below.

A double rope tubular device guide mode example

Mechanical Brake Assist Devices

There is no difference in the functionality of the device. A brake-hand should always be on the rope to ensure the climber is caught in the case of a fall. A common guide mode setup shown below.

A single rope mechanical brake assist guide mode example

Where guide mode is used

  • multi-pitch sport or trad climbs
  • single-pitch where you need to bring up a follower (say for a walk-off)

Learn More

http://www.climbing.com/skill/essential-skills-auto-blocking-belay-devices/

No guide mode
Teeth

Teeth

Teeth are only seen on tube devices. They add friction that helps grip the rope for more belaying control.

This is helpful for belaying heavier climbers. Teeth are becoming standard on new tube devices.

The belay device teeth are shown in the red circle

Worth Considering

Teeth do wear out. You can limit wear by rappelling on the side without teeth (if you don’t need the extra friction). Once they’re worn, you’ll still have a usable belay device, just less friction.

No
Rope Range (mm)

Rope Range (mm)

The range of rope diameters, in millimeters, that the manufacturer/brand specifies can safely be used.

This is the best case scenario and does not necessarily take into consideration that certified ropes have a tolerance of +/- .3 mm.

Recently, manufacturers have started to add an "optimized" rope range -- this is the range that will result in the nicest handling of the belay device.

8.6 mm  - 10.5 mm ­­­
Certification

Certifications

The main climbing gear certifications are CE and UIAA--and normally the UIAA creates the rules that the CE body also supports. When possible, we try to list all the certifications the product carries.

To sell a climbing product in Europe, the device must be CE certified. There are no official requirements to sell climbing gear in the US. The UIAA certification is a voluntary process.

Learn More

Rock and Ice Certifications Guide
EN, UIAA
AVG RATING
6
( 6 avg )
Rating
6
( 6 avg )

Simple and safe

Pros
Faster familiarization than a Grigri.
Never have to hold the device open in order to give slack fast.
Uncomplicated design.
Cons
This review is for the original clickup which one can still purchase. I have heard that the clickup + is tempermental compared to the original
Used mainly for single pitch sport climbing and gymn climbing
Familiarity
I’ve used it a ton
Disclaimer
UAII Certified. This review is for the original clickup which is still available as of 11/1/2020. I've just purchased another.

The more I use it, the better I like it. After holding a leader fall, unlock the device by simply pushing up.  To lower a climber, simply rock the device forward and lower as you would from a tuber.

The more I use it, the better I like it. After holding a leader fall, unlock the device by simply pushing up.  To lower a climber, simply rock the device forward and lower as you would from a tuber.

UK Climbing Gear Review no rating given just a review

A brilliant piece of kit that renewed my faith in the ability of climbing companies to continually innovate. Of special note is the ease of usability for quick feed to leaders while retaining safety. Great for inexperienced belayers and teams with a mis-matched weight. Simple to use correctly and very hard to use incorrectly for belaying but shouldn't be used for abseiling. Overall though, a fantastic assisted-braking belay device and it comes in at a very good price of £45.

Climbing Gear Review

Coming from the Italian company Climbing Technology, the ClickUp has a minimal following in the U.S. climbing community, but it proved successful in our field tests. In many ways, it behaves like a tube-style device: You load the rope in a similar way, and you lock off with your brake hand just as you would with an ATC. However, in a fall, your belay biner “clicks up” inside the device to apply more braking force, so you can hold a falling or hanging climber with minimal effort. When it’s time to lower, you press out on the device’s body and pay out slack with your brake hand. We found the ClickUp locks quickest when you’re belaying a heavier climber or a leader fall; it sometimes didn’t lock right away with a toproping “take,” a lightweight climber, or lots of rope drag. But as long as you brake as you would with a tube-style device, it manages falls just fine—even if you mistakenly load the rope backwards in the device, as one of our editors did. (Doh!) Our testers gave the ClickUp a 6 on the “automatic” scale, a relatively dynamic belay that could be helpful if a climber prefers softer catches and the belayer prefers more control. We also found the ClickUp works best at the lower end of the device’s 9mm to 10.5mm range; with thicker ropes, some testers found it tough to pull slack fast enough. At just 4.3 oz., this is one of the lightest assisted-braking devices, and it comes at reasonable price.

Features and Basic Instruction of Click Up
All the Features of Click Up Belay Device
Click Up Belay Device

Video starts talking about Click Up at 1:01

Click Up Vs GriGri 2
Click Up Belay Device

Audio is noisy but worth watching.

How to Choose your First Belay Device