ZÆD Mini
ZÆD Pro
ZÆD Stainless Steel
ZÆD Titanium
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| ZÆD Mini | ZÆD Pro | ZÆD Stainless Steel | ZÆD Titanium |
[ Top | ZÆD Mini | ZÆD SS | ZÆD Ti | Return to Misc. Belay ]
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| Front | Rear 3/4 | Right Side |
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| Left Side | Top | Open for Rigging |
I acquired this Raed Climbing ZÆD Mini from Raed Climbing in 2025.
The ZÆD mini is 86 mm. tall, 79 mm. wide, 61 mm. thick due to the QR pin, and weighs 250 g.
The ZÆD mini consists of two C-shaped 5 mm. aluminum plates separated by 15 mm. There are two connecting bollards. The top is a 9.8 mm. stainless steel shoulder bolt. The other has a shallow V-groove that is 11.6 mm. in diameter at the plates and tapers to 8.6 mm. at the center. Three 8.4 mm. holes on the right side accept an 8 mm. quick release pin. A 110 mm-long 10.7 mm webbing sling is sewn around the top bollard. It has a loop at the distal end for clipping carabiner.
The front is printed with "ZÆD mini" and the Raed Climbing logo. The rear is printed with "1. attach to first bolt," "2. adds friction from second bolt," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "22 kN," "251012 481." "8.9 - 10.5 mm," CE0408," a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a triple weight icon. The sling has a tag with a CT logo and "Climbing Technology."
The ZÆD is an adjustable belay resistor that allows lightweight climbers to belay their heavier climbing partner while "sport" climbing (whatever that is). It supplements the friction provided by one's primary belay device. When paying out rope to a climber above, the drag provided by the ZÆD is barely noticeable. Once a fall tensions the rope, the ZÆD flips and provides additional friction beyond that provided by the primary belay device.
The ZÆD Mini uses small C-shaped aluminum plates to achieve a considerable weight reduction from the other models. The function is unaffected and I see no downside other than some increased heating, which is easy to manage.
My ZÆD Mini came with a nice carrying bag.
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[ Top | ZÆD Mini | ZÆD SS | ZÆD Ti | Return to Misc. Belay ]
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| Front | Rear 3/4 | Right Side |
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| Left Side | Top | Open for Rigging |
I acquired this Raed Climbing ZÆD Pro from Raed Climbing in 2025.
The ZÆD Pro is 93 mm. tall, 67 mm. wide, 61 mm. thick due to the QR pin, and weighs 193 g.
This ZÆD consists of two 13.55 mm. aluminum plates separated by 15 mm. There is a large anvil between the plates. The lower portion of the anvil has two grooves that leave a rounded tooth to contact the rope. A half-bollard below this has a shallow V-groove to center the rope. Three 8.4 mm. holes on the right side accept an 8 mm. quick release pin. A 110 mm-long 10.7 mm webbing sling is sewn around the top bollard. It has a loop at the distal end for clipping carabiner.
The front is printed with the Read Climbing logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon, "22 kN," "251012 448." "8.9 - 10.5 mm," CE0408," A table with three rope sizes rating the friction and softness for each QR pin position, "read climbing, Memminger Str. 50, 87439 Kempten, Germany," "raed-climbing.com," a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a triple weight icon. The rear is printed with the Raed Climbing logo.
The ZÆD is an adjustable belay resistor that allows lightweight climbers to belay their heavier climbing partner while "sport" climbing (whatever that is). It supplements the friction provided by one's primary belay device. When paying out rope to a climber above, the drag provided by the ZÆD is barely noticeable. Once a fall tensions the rope, the ZÆD flips and provides additional friction beyond that provided by the primary belay device.
The ZÆD Pro is heavier than the Mini. The large anvil provides additional weight that helps orient the device while feeding rope.
My ZÆD Pro came with a nice carrying bag.
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[ Top | ZÆD Mini | ZÆD Pro | ZÆD Ti | Return to Misc. Belay ]
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| Front | Rear 3/4 | Right Side |
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| Left Side | Top | Open for Rigging |
Stephan Chudowski of Raed Climbing donated this Raed Climbing ZÆD in 2024.
This ZÆD is 86 mm. tall, 79 mm. wide, 61 mm. thick due to the QR pin, and weighs 321 g.
This ZÆD consists of two laminated plates separated by 14 mm. Each plate is made from 3.5 mm. stainless steel on the inside with a 5 mm. clear plastic sheet on the outside. There are three connecting bollards. The top is a 12 mm. round head hex socket stainless steel shoulder bolt held by a 10 mm. stainless nut. The other two are stainless steel bolts and nuts with V-groove bollards between the plates. These bollards are 16 mm. in diameter at the plates and taper to 11.8 mm. at the center. A 110 mm-long 10.7 mm webbing sling is sewn around the top bollard. It has a hole at the distal end for a supplied Climbing Technology carabiner. Three 8.4 mm. holes on the right side accept an 8 mm. quick release pin.
The front has an insert printed with the Raed Climbing logo, "8.9:10.5 mm.," "24 kn,,"a book-with-an-"I" icon, "TŪV AUSTRIA and "TESTED inside a square, "Patented," "Made in Germany", a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a dot icon. The rear is printed with "ZÆD," a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a dot icon. The sling has a tag with a CT logo and "Climbing Technology."
The ZÆD is an assisted-braking resistor designed to increase rope friction when there is a large weight difference between belayer and lead climber. It is used for belaying a lead climber from below after the climber has clipped the ZÆD to a bolt anchor and has passed and clipped a second piece of protection. In the event of a fall, the ZÆD increases the amount of rope friction so that a lighter belayer can hold a heavier lead climber without difficulty. The three holes allow positioning the QR pin for various climber weight differences. Raed Climbing provides a chart with the ZÆD indicating which hole to use, but cautions that results will depend on rope diameter.
The ZÆD should only be used when the lower protection is a bolt and hanger. Raed Climbing warns that the ZÆD will not work safely if traditional climbing anchors (e.g., nuts, cams, or even pitons) are used.
My ZÆD came with a nice carrying bag.
The ZÆD works well, but it is heavy. This is not the sort of device that I would want to haul up a big climb, even if I could find a partner exceeding my 90 kg. For "sport" climbing at the local indoor wall, I can see how some teams would like it.
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On May 2, 2024, Stephan sent me an email with the following information:
Hey Gary, this is Stephan from raed climbing, a new climbing brand from the Allgäu Alps, Germany. You can find our website here: https://raed-climbing.com/ We brought a new belay resistor to the market, called ZÆD. If you’d like to add it to your collection, I’m happy to send one over to you.
Raed also sells some interesting slackline equipment that may interest some of you.
[ Top | ZÆD Mini | ZÆD Pro | ZÆD SS | Return to Misc. Belay ]
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| Front | Rear 3/4 | Right Side |
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| Left Side | Top | Open for Rigging |
I acquired this Raed Climbing ZÆD Titanium from Russel Mogilevsky in 2025.
This ZÆD is 86 mm. tall, 79 mm. wide, 61 mm. thick due to the QR pin, and weighs 250 g.
This ZÆD consists of two laminated plates separated by 14 mm. Each plate is made from 3 mm. Titanium alloy on the inside with a 5 mm. clear plastic sheet on the outside. There are three connecting bollards. The top is a 12 mm. round head hex socket stainless steel shoulder bolt held by a 10 mm. stainless nut. the other two are stainless steel bolts and nuts with V-groove bollards between the plates. These bollards are 16 mm. in diameter at the plates and taper to 11.8 mm. at the center. A 110 mm-long 10.7 mm webbing sling is sewn around the top bollard. It has a hole at the distal end for a supplied Climbing Technology carabiner. Three 8.4 mm. holes on the right side accept an 8 mm. quick release pin.
The front has an insert printed with the Raed Climbing logo, "8.9:10.5 mm.," "24 kn,,"a book-with-an-"I" icon, "TŪV AUSTRIA and "TESTED inside a square, "Patented," "Made in Germany", a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a dot icon. The rear is printed with "ZÆD," a rigging illustration with climber and hand icons connected by a line, a weight icon, a double weight icon, and a dot icon. The sling has a tag with a CT logo and "Climbing Technology."
The ZÆD Titanium replaces the stainless steel plates with Titanium alloy plates. This saves 71 g., reducing the total device weight by 22%. The function is unaffected and I see no downside, so I feel the slight price increase is worth paying.
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[ Top | ZÆD Mini | ZÆD Pro | ZÆD SS | ZÆD Ti ]
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