Yes, a locking assist belay device is safe to use if done correctly.  Splitter Climbing Gear would like our belayers using them instead of Standard Devices. Why?

But, they are not safe if you use them like 99% of climbers currently do.  This is no exaggeration, at the Boulder Rock Club in our hometown they average about eight people dropped a year.  Extrapolate this out and there must be hundreds of climbers a year that get dropped with locking assist devices.  These are advanced climbers and belayers who are sometimes hurting their best friend.  Most of the drops are under 30 feet because higher than that the belayer usually has time to realize and stop overriding the mechanics that enable it to lock.  See how they lock.

When a belay accident occurs with a locking assist device the belayer tends to blame the device, but we all need to learn that these devices work if belayers don’t override the locking mechanisms and the right rope is used.  Find the right rope.

One of the main reasons this website exists is because we want climbers to use these devices correctly.  Seth Murray and Mark LeBeau were the main developers of the Trango Cinch.  During the last seven years of its development they learned facts and techniques about locking assist belay devices that are not common trade knowledge and are critical to using them safely.

Splitter Climbing Gear features and recommends two locking assist belay devices. The Trango Cinch and the Petzl GRIGRI, both seen on the right. Splitter Climbing Gear chose these two devices because they are the two best locking assist belay devices and we have belayed thousands of miles of rope with each.

Locking assist belay devices are very controversial because many climbers have been dropped and will continue to be dropped if belayers continue using improper technique.  Trango and Petzl have not yet endorsed the opinions described here by Splitter Climbing Gear.