When comparing Petzl GriGri 2 vs Camp Matik, the Slant community recommends Petzl GriGri 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best belay devices for rock climbing?” Petzl GriGri 2 is ranked 1st while Camp Matik is ranked 10th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Active assisted braking
Pro Auto-locks even if brake line is not held
In case belayer is disabled, etc.
Pro Guide mode / Belay off anchor
Pro Ambidextrous
Easier to pay out slack left-handed than a GriGri
Pro Easy to pay out rope
The camming system of the Matik is designed to allow a small amount of rope to slip.
Pro Dynamic catching action
"unlike other mechanical assisted locking models, it boasts a gradual camming action that produces a dynamic catch and can reportedly reduce impact forces by as much as 40%." "This isn't particularly relevant if you are squared away with modern dynamic soft catch techniques as a lead belayer, but it is extremely relevant when you are belaying directly off an anchor. "
Pro Durable
The Matik's friction surfaces are all made of cast stainless steel.
Pro Guide mode / Belay off anchor
Pro Active assisted braking
Pro Anti-panic handle
The lowering mechanism includes an anti-panic system that automatically stops the rope if the belayer pulls the handle too hard or loses control.
Cons
Con Tuber-style belay technique doesn't work well
Impossible >9.8mm and disappointing below.
Con No double rope rappel
Con Locking cam can be defeated if the grigri is pushed against a bolt/rock/obstruction
Impossible to hold large falls even with correct technique if this occurs, as there is little to no friction when the cam is open.
Con Lowering is finicky
The lowering handle quickly transitions from "not fast enough" to "too fast", leading to using brake hand friction to slow the descent, which can cause a rope burn and involuntary release of the brake.
Con Rope can get caught behind the rotating pinch groove after catching a fall
Results in the rope being stuck.
Con False sense of security in some situations
The easiest belay device to use incorrectly. People who don’t know what they are doing use these without holding brake end of rope all the time because they falsely believe it is “auto-locking”. Some tension in the rope through the device is actually required to ensure it locks- this means never letting go of the brake strand.
Con More sensitive to rope type
"It doesn't like stiff ropes or fat ropes for this application, nor was it designed as such. I had the best luck with malleable Sterling ropes such as the Nano and Helix, and it also performed extremely well on the Mammut 8.7 and 9.2 ropes. Anything 9.8 and above, and performance starts to suffer significantly, as it's pretty hard to get rope to feed through the device smoothly."