Beal  Birdie Belay Device

I had been using the Gri Gri for years and then picked up a Beal Birdie. The difference in the way it feeds when lead belaying is so noticeable right away. Also it does not have an enclosure at the bottom so snow and ice do not ball up inside the device. This is my new go to device. I am a mountain guide and when I have clients belay me it is a constant battle of what device to have them use. This one takes the cake because it feeds like an ATC without having to hold down the brake and then it locks up like a Gri Gri.

I have used this device for top rope, indoor, and outdoor lead climbing as well as rappelling. Highly recommend and hope REI carries it in more colors for my second one. PROS: - cheaper than the competition such as the Grigri - all-metal construction, making it more durable and reliable as well - simple mechanism prevents the rope from twisting internally - smooth lowering - easy to give slack without touching the device <-- this is the biggest perk CONS: - slightly heavier than the Grigri - trickier to give a lot of slack all at once **Note: There was a recall of the Birdie in 2021, which might explain some of the negative reviews saying that their handle came off. No injuries were reported (so the mechanism failed safely).

This is a great device. Works like a grigri with the assisted braking and gives slack like an atc device. I felt very safe and in control when using the beal birdie. Solid construction and feels good in your hand. I recommend watching some videos on how to properly use for best result.

I bought this to use rappelling because the assisted breaking made me feel better. I used it for about 2 months and had a minor accident where my rope jammed in the device. While trying to make it release so I could continue lowering the handle mechanism broke and it will no longer engage the cam at all. Was nice while it lasted, now it's a shiny paper weight. I tried to email the company twice about the issue and haven't had any reply whatsoever. Would not recommend this device.

This device is excellent in my opinion. I’ve been using it for close to a year now and have seen almost zero flaws in its design. As someone mentioned in another review, I would recommend watching a tutorial about proper usage. It throws out slack like an ATC when leading, but is also quick to grip when catching a fall. I’ve found Gri Gri devices seem to lock up too quickly for my preferences, and reserve them for top roping or belaying my partner from above. This device does both very well. The other thing about it I’m fond of is its construction. It is all metal, no plastic. The size and overall profile are very compact, roughly half the depth of similar devices. It also doesn’t put a twist in your rope because it’s designed to feed the rope straight through when lowering. My only complaint is that there is a slight learning curve to use it effectively. When I first started using it the rope would occasionally slip left or right off the shallow grove on the brake hand side. I hope they come out with a 2.0 version that helps a little with that. 10/10 would recommend

See picture of product—can I trust this manufacturing process?

After using many different belay devises with out a doubt the birdie is the best one I have ever used. Its easy to rig, and unlike many belay devices the Birdie is easy to give slack. What impressed me the most was even while giving slack if your hand slips the auto break works quickly and effectively. The brake release handle is well positioned allows the belayer to smoothly lower the climer.

My Birdie has rusted in a couple places! This is obviously not safe. You get what you pay for. The Grigri does not rust. Furthermore, Beal has done nothing to make this right.

There are a few problems I have with this device, initially I was excited about the full metal handle, but after using it for a few months, the handle is the source of many of my complaints. It is extremely uncomfortable, and it becomes super noticeable when lowering your partner or rappelling anything over 50'. I also believed that this handle would be more robust than plastic competitors, but the hardware holding the handle together completely broke on me after using this in a pulley system with moderate load on it. I do like that it take on a more tube style and doesn't fully enclose the rope, but I find that even experienced climbers needing to triple check that the rope is loaded correctly because optically it is just confusing. It will hold a fall and you can rap on it, i just believe there are much better options out there.

This is advertised many places as being a grigri equivalent. I was initially excited about the all metal construction and solid feel of the device. However, the birdie has a few shortcomings in comparison to the grigri. The first is that lowering a climber is more difficult to control. The engagement point comes on abruptly and with difficulty. Because the climber's speed of descent is controlled by the engagement of this handle, lowering at a proper speed is difficult. This could probably be adjusted with practice, although it will still be more difficult than lowering with a grigri. Secondly, the idea of not twisting the rope is nice, but nothing holds the rope in the front of the device, so the rope falls off the side and gets twisted anyways. The real reason for the 2 star review is because the birdie that I received had multiple cracks around some of the rivets on the device. This is a known manufacturing defect with certain units built during specific time periods. Beal is claiming it to be fixed. Instead of going through a warranty process, I returned mine to REI and bought a grigri instead. I wasn't comfortable belaying my family & friends with a device that shows cracking. I am very happy with the grigri.