The 7 Best Plate Belay devices (2023 reviews)

We consider a plate belay device to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

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Our Top Picks:

Best overall: Buy: Petzl Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best For Aerial silks With A really Great mbr: Buy: Proclimb stainless steel READ REVIEW

Best Belay Device: Buy: Petzӏ Plate Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best For Mountaineering: Buy: Petzl Plate Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best For topside Belay: Buy: Conterra Plate Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best For search And Rescue professionals: Buy: EMEKIAN Plate Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best For rappelling: Buy: Proclimb Plate Belay Device READ REVIEW

Best overall: Petzl Belay Device

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The petzl belay device is long-lasting, rigid and fits well with your regular usage like a dream. The PETZL Grigri Plus Belay Device is available in three colors. It has a switch to change from lead climbing to top rope function. It can be used for both gym and crag climbing.

It comes with an anti-panic handle that makes it particularly suited for learning, the grigri + is a cam-assisted blocking device for climbing in the gym or outside. It helps you come to a stop after falling. Unless you get your hand movement down perfectly, the locking mechanism will engage when feeding out the rope rapidly. It allows the user to choose between two belay modes. It allows you to install the rope correctly.

• Compatible with 8.5 to 11 mm dynamic single ropes
• Good brand reputation

Best For Aerial silks With A really Great mbr: Proclimb stainless steel

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The proclimb stainless steel's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. It is great for all ropes single or double. It allows smooth adjustments while descending and hands free stop when tied in as a brake lever. The ears prevent the rope from sliding and locking up, which makes it a much safer and versatile device.

It is made with a smooth finish, recommend. It is suitable for professional use. It is perfect for arborists, mountain climbing, rock climbing, ice climbing, rappelling and many more useful work applications. The big slot can adjust your ascent speed, and the bottom one can connect a climbing carabiner or other equipment.

• Works great and easy to handle
• Large and heavy but good for rigging from the ground
• Stamped for actual weight rating, weather resistant, great for all ropes single or double
• Very well made does not wear like the aluminum versions

Best Belay Device: Petzӏ Plate Belay Device

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Not everyone likes to purchase device for their daily usage, but the petzӏ plate belay device would be an anomoly. Compact and lightweight, it can be used with single ropes (8.5 to 11 mm in diameter) and optimized for 8.9 to 10.5 mm diameters. It improves comfort while belaying, holding a climber or catching a fall. The design of the handled camming mechanism enables exceptional descent control. It is a belay device with assisted braking for indoors and outdoors.

• Great durability for intensive use, thanks to the stainless steel wear plate
• New and hot release

Best For Mountaineering: Petzl Plate Belay Device

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Not everyone likes to purchase device for their daily purpose, but the petzl plate belay device would be an anomoly. The Petzl control rope has an un-spliced end with a huge chunk of heat shrink on it that will not fit through the Zigzag, and on the other end of the rope is a spliced eye, which also does not fit into the Zigzag. It can be used on either double ropes or a single rope, providing great versatility. It has a flexible positioning ring that helps keep the connector oriented along its major axis. It is mounted on sealed ball bearings to allow the slack to be taken up easily.

It provides precision and fluidity when moving around. It is a time saver when descending. It allows the user to move around efficiently in a tree using classic prusik pulley system technique. The device locks automatically on the rope once the friction chain extends.

• Auxiliary attachment hole for adding a zillon lanyard or connecting
• Separated and curved side plates for better wear resistance
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For topside Belay: Conterra Plate Belay Device

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Compared with other device in this category, the conterra plate belay device has a convenient design. It comes with two models available (scarab ti not discussed here), and the scarab is the perfect choice for both fire/rescue and back country rescue environments. It works well even for small diameter ropes. It's simple to use, smooth as butter, doesn't add twists to the rope like some devices can, and it's very intuitive to add and remove friction from the line as needed. It's super easy to go hands free if you need to.

It's tested with a mile of rope pulled through the device and the temperature of the device was less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not so bulky as any of the racks and works fine with heavy loads. It can be used with single or double ropes.

• Rope can be attached without unclipping
• New and hot release

Best For search And Rescue professionals: EMEKIAN Plate Belay Device

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If you often find yourself scrambling for appropriate and satisfactory device, emekian plate belay device should be your first option for buying. EMEKIAN stands for quality, durability, and enjoyment of life. It has a high strength and lightweight design (only 120g423oz), tensile strength at break. It is allows for smooth rope action when descending or tethering, providing excellent control over the rope. The middle part of the descender is thicker than the two ends, which can effectively reduce the heat of the descender while enhancing the wear resistance of the descender, reducing the wear of the rope, thus prolonging the service life of the rope.

The surface of the climbing protector is anodized coloring, which has a beautiful luster and high recognition for outdoor use, and works very well when downhill, making it ideal for climbers or search and rescue professionals. It is ideal for climbers or search and rescue professionals.

• Lot of satisfied buyers
• Good brand reputation

Best For rappelling: Proclimb Plate Belay Device

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This belay device can hold up to 7700 lbs of force. It is made with anodized aluminum alloy. It allows for smooth rope action while descending or belaying. It is designed to attach additional equipment such as carabiners for extra support, making it a versatile device.

• Industry-leading quality, durable, lightweight, and strong
• One of the new comers and featured product