Petzl Neox

By Tom Hoyle

When I first started rock climbing more than twenty years ago, I learned to belay and abseil with a tube-style/ATC device, as is still common. As I got more into sport climbing, I quickly learned that being belayed by someone with an ATC was a drag, as was belaying others with one. I asked my sister for a Petzl Grigri as a birthday present and never looked back. The original Grigri emerged in 1991 and was near ubiquitous at sport crags around the world—its auto-locking feature gave leaders peace of mind and their belayers a more easeful time as the leader hangdogged their way to the top of a project. The Grigri was so successful and widely-adopted that if anyone at the crag used another device they'd catch all sorts of side eye from other climbers.

Of course, using the Grigri wasn't foolproof. Accidents did happen through user-error and Petzl were forced to update their official instructions on how to use the device several times. My attitude to this is that if any other device had achieved the equivalent near-universal adoption, then there would be a whole lot of anecdotal evidence of that device being mis-used by people too.

Nevertheless, other companies produced their own auto-locking models, some of which were lighter or overcame the limitations of the Grigri, such as being able to abseil on double ropes. As competition emerged and ropes got skinnier, Petzl eventually updated the Grigri to the Grigri 2 in 2011, ending the 20 year reign of the original. This new model was smaller in the hand and lighter than the original, while also being able to operate correctly with ropes down to 8.9mm in diameter, as these became commonly used by sport climbers. The original version was only recommended for ropes between 10–11mm. Many people, myself included, disliked the slight change in camming action in the updated model. Combined with a shorter lever used to control the operation of the cam during lowering or abseiling (on a single line), this model never quite satisfied in the same way as the original. While I didn't buy one and instead stockpiled examples of the original model, the Grigri 2 was still widely adopted and likely the most popular belay device for sport climbing all around the world. It even came in choices of colour.

As sport climbing increased in popularity and rope climbing gyms became filled with Noobistanis, a more foolproof design was required and in 2017 there came the Grigri+. This device featured an auto-safety feature whereby it would stop lowering if the lowering arm was pulled too hard, stopping accidents where the noobs just yanked on the arm and then held it down in panic as their climbing partner plummeted to the ground. As far as I can tell, this particular model was universally hated by people who were already accustomed to using one of the previous models, as the auto safety feature seemed to have a hair trigger and not allow lowering of another climber at any speed beyond a tedious dribble of rope through the device.

Criticisms of the Grigri 2 and 'plus' model were taken on board and in 2019 Petzl released a new version of the Grigri—simply called 'Grigri'. I approved of this naming as it did address the problems with the updated models and in my mind was a worthy successor to the original. I bought one. This had a smoother lowering action and worked with ropes between 8.5–11mm. Job done.

Why the history lesson? Well, for the first time since 1991, Petzl have released an auto-locking sport climbing belay device that doesn't have 'Grigri' in its title—the Petzl Neox. This doesn't mean it is for a different purpose, or is a different category of product, the use of a new name suggests that Petzl thinks this new device eclipses the original—though they still offer the Grigri and Grigri+ for sale. Having now tested one for several months I'm happy to report that the Neox does everything the Grigri does so well and it does one key thing considerably better—making it the first belay device for lead sport climbing that I'd recommend to people. Let's dig into the details.

While the Grigri locks the rope by use of a cam the rope feeds around, the Neox replaces this cam with a wheel that spins, like in a pulley. The main difficulty of belaying a lead climber with any of the Grigri models is that when feeding out rope for the leader to clip protection or make a move, the cam can engage and jam the rope. This has given rise to the terms 'getting short-roped' or 'hosed on a clip' and a plethora of instructional videos on how to belay without this occurring. Even when the cam doesn't engage unexpectedly, the mere act of pulling the rope around the cam can be difficult due to the friction created by fat or fluffy ropes. And the harder you pull, the more likely the cam is to engage … Feeding rope with the Neox is like pulling rope through a pulley, the rotation of the wheel massively reduces the friction of the system and makes giving slack to the leader a breeze. The device still has the locking feature of the Grigri, with an upwards force, the wheel axle moves along a path and is stopped from spinning, creating a camming action on the rope and locking it just as a Grigri does. 

So you get the auto-locking of the Grigri but without the snags of trying to feed rope fast, what's not to like? Honestly, there's not much else to talk about. The Neox is an inconsequential 60g heavier. Otherwise, the Neox looks like a Grigri, catches and holds like a Grigri, but feeds rope like a Wild Country Revo. It is just a better design and I'd recommend anyone considering a Grigri purchase to buy a Neox instead. 

Is it that much better that you should ditch your Grigri and buy a Neox immediately, if you're already a happy Grigri user? Not necessarily, though if you share your device with people who  struggle to feed rope with a Grigri then do yourself a favour and get the Neox. If you are fortunate enough to only climb with expert Grigri users and have no problems getting the slack you need when leading, then stick with using your Grigri until it wears out. Having said that, while both devices are rated for use with the same rope widths, with the Neox I've been able to again use a somewhat dated 10.5mm rope that is on the stiffer side. This rope got relegated to the cupboard when people started refusing to belay me on it, as they struggled to pull it through a Grigri. With the Neox it is useable again. 

For those already used to a Grigri, the Neox does make a few more noises and these can be disconcerting at first. There is a clicking sound produced by the extra moving parts as the wheel stops and starts spinning due to the axle travelling along the path of movement and the engagement of the camming action can be a little on-off or vague. This is most noticeable when the rope is engaging and disengaging under load, such as taking up rope created by a leader 'bouncing' back up to a bolt after falling, or when belaying someone on top rope who has weight on the rope. But these aren't really faults of the device and unless you are intimately used to how a Grigri behaves under these circumstances, you won't notice anything awry.

As a bonus, the reduced friction in feeding rope through the Neox versus a Grigri means that when using one as part of a jumaring system with one jumar, an etrier and the Neox, it is more efficient and easier to make upwards progress. 

Petzl have taken a long time to make a genuine improvement to the Grigri, but I'm happy to say the Neox is that. It is more than just an update to keep with the trend of skinnier ropes, it just makes belaying—and by association lead climbing—a less-stressful and snag-free experience without sacrificing any safety.