Beal Air Force 1 Belay Device

The manual braking device that covers the whole single-rope range Beal Air Force 1 belay device: one slot, every single rope The Air Force 1 is Beal's manual braking device for single ropes from 8.5 to 10.5 mm. That range is the point: it takes the skinny ropes people climb on today and the fatter gym ropes, without swapping devices. Its grooved V-slot works both ways. Rope runs freely when you need to pay out slack fast. On a fall it brakes firmly and progressively, soaking up part of the energy instead of sending it straight back into the climber. That slot is also wide and smooth, and over time that matters: less friction when the rope runs at an angle, and less wear on the rope. A belay device that's easy on the rope — which makes sense, coming from a ropemaker. This is a manual braking device, and that has to be said plainly: the braking is on you. The brake strand stays in your hand for the whole belay, and you stop a fall by pulling it down below the device. The Air Force 1 gives you no assisted braking and never replaces the braking hand. It's certified EN 15151-2:2012 — mountaineering and climbing equipment, braking devices, part 2: manual braking devices. Beal rates it for belaying and rappelling, in climbing and in mountaineering. In the gym on a 10 mm, at the crag on something skinny: same device. To belay one or two seconds straight off the anchor on a multi-pitch, Beal makes the Air Force 3 and its guide mode. Two jobs, two devices. Every unit carries an individual number for traceability — useful for tracking a gym's rack of gear, and for knowing the history of a device that's yours. 43 g, all aluminum: it works for someone learning to belay and for a climber who lives on skinny ropes. Made by Beal, a French manufacturer based in Isère, France, since 1951. Why choose the Beal Air Force 1? Every single rope from 8.5 to 10.5 mm: skinny crag ropes through to fatter gym ropes Grooved V-slot: pays out slack easily, brakes firmly and progressively Wide, smooth slot: less friction at an angle, less wear on the rope Belaying and rappelling, in climbing and in mountaineering Manual braking: the brake strand stays in your hand — certified EN 15151-2:2012 43 g · aluminum · one slot Individual number on every device for traceability Beal, French manufacturer since 1951 Availability and delivery time We order this one from Beal once your order comes in. Count on 5 to 10 business days in most cases, depending on what the manufacturer has on hand. Outfitting a gym, a club or a community program? Email us at information@shopclimbing.com and we'll confirm the exact lead time and availability before your order goes through.