The Trango Cinch is an innovative palm-sized belay device that is easy to use. It is made of stainless steel and anodized aluminum, and is designed to hold any dynamic rope with diameters ranging from 9.4 mm to 11 mm.
The Cinch consists of a colored aluminum called the base plate, at the back of which is the lever plate. There are two holes on the base plate, the carabiner hole and the pivot hole. The latter goes all the way through both the base and lever plates. The lever plate includes flanges intended to hold the rope. A polycarbonate release lever is on the base plate, while a release tab is incorporated with the lever plate.
The Cinch is opened by rotating the base plate. Once opened, the rope from the climber is positioned within the lever plate using certain markings as guide for its proper placement. The cinch is then closed and attached to the belay loop of the belayer’s harness with a carabiner.
With this in place, the climber can be assured of a safe climb. If he or she falls, or simply wants to sit and rest, the Cinch will automatically lock the rope. It will, however, allow some of the rope to slip to reduce the shock of the fall. Before resuming the climb, you will need to reposition the Cinch in such a way that its top is pointing away from the climber. It is in this position that it will be able to feed rope.
To lower the climber, all you need to do is rotate the release lever but be sure to control the rope with your brake hand to avoid any abrupt drops.