easy to use

Good little ATC, and the option to increase rope drag with the ribbed part is a perk, though sometimes it makes for a slow lower.

I looked around when I was buying an auto locking ATC. I liked the grigri but struggled to get it to lower well with the thicker gym ropes. I guess I was just spoiled because everything else I tried was worse than the grigri. This little guy is great for everything, and I recommend it to most newer climbers. More experienced climbers will probably be just fine with a regular ATC, but most experienced climbers probably know that already. Don't let the ease of use spoil your good ATC form, but this guy makes everything else seem like much more hard work.

My first gear fall was onto one of these bad boys, and, as I am here writing this review, it CLEARLY did its job.

What I love about all the Metolius Ultralight power-cams (and why I choose to rack mostly Metolius rather than the more widely used Black Diamond) is that the action is snappy and easy to do one handed while ALSO being extremely lightweight. I can twist my wrist with the bigger sizes and know exactly where the cam is going. I can hang a whole pile of them off my harness and not be as weighed down as many of my climbing pals. While some might feel the pull-back is stiff (and IS compared to the BD cams), it gives me the sense that the Cam wants to return to the open position, which ultimately is where it will be performing its life-saving duties.

Performance-wise, Metolius Ultralight Power Cams are the way to go for me.