Edelrid Mega Jul Belay Device reviews and deals for sale

Best in value and versatility

I learned how to lead belay with the jul, so I dont have experience in the difference between it and the grigri. But I've converted a few diehard grigri fans over to the jul now. They have all loved the cost, assisted brake, versatility, and lightweight nature of the jul vs the grigri. I have been given many compliments on how smooth and safe people feel when I belay them with the… read more jul, its especially smooth if you use the bulletproof hms biner. It does take some time to develop good technique, but this device can do it all!

All-around beast

I bought a mega jul a few days ago and after a few uses I love it. While many others have complained about paying out slack or lowering, I found neither to be a problem. For a product at this weight and price, there is nothing that gives you better piece of mind on a belay or rappel.

One device to rule the ALL!

Best all around belay device on the market! Its like an ATC guide/reverso and a gri gri combined, but at a fraction of the weight and waaaay more durable since it's made of stainless steel! It also doesn't get nearly as hot, or hold onto heat, as aluminum devices while rapping or lowering. (Not sure what that other reviewer was talking about...) Also, it doesn't get your rope as… read more dirty due to its lack of anodized coating. Especially when you pair it with a Bulletproof HMS belay biner. Even more so when you use bulletproof draws. I've had the same mega jul going on 5 years now and it still looks brand new! I used to burn through a reverso a season, and a gri every other season.... It's also the most versatile belay device out there. One of my favorite features is that you can rap in regular mode like any other ATC, but also in brake assist mode! This is extremely useful for cleaning routes, un-tangling and tossing ropes, or working on a stuck piece of gear. Like any tool, it took a minute to get used to using. Similar to the gri gri, but way safer since the only way to successfully belay with the mega jul automatically puts your hand around the brake rope, meaning proper belay technique. I can't tell you how many people I see improperly/dangerously using gri gris... It is MUCH more difficult to misuse any of the Jul devices. I have used this device for everything from single pitch cragging, to Big Wall free FA's. Once you know how to use this, you'll never want to use anything else!

Give it Some Time

Had this a couple months. Paired this with the Edelrid Bulletproof locker. Love the combo. I wanted an ATC that had auto brake - I climb with kids and I like any added safety features. Also like lightweight, no moving parts to jam, rappel-capable, durable. There’s a learning curve for lead belaying but I’m managing. LOVE rapping with this guy... I left it facing as if I were… read more belaying and I can just pull up on the thumb hook with my right hand and lower, using my left as a backup brake. All in all, will use exclusively until it reaches end-of-life.

Great device, works as advertised

Works as described, reading the manual and watching a couple of the tutorials online helped a lot.

Edelrid Mega Jul

Have been using this as my primary belay device since March, about seven months now, climbing at least three times a week. Having put a few thousand meters of rope through my Mega Jul, I can say with certainty that I prefer it to the more common ATC guides and topdown-capable counterparts. I was unsure about the assisted braking feature but was pleasantly surprised to find that… read more it worked well when needed yet still did not hinder lead belaying. Beating able to turn the device around to disable the assisted braking feature is also a plus for rappelling. Feeds cleanly and catches well, but so does every belay device these days. Furthermore, the top down mode is a bit of a pain to figure out if you've been previously hardwired to an ATC setup, but does the job perfectly and had become instinctual after 15-20 leads. Lastly, I do appreciate the steel tube design and the durability it lends, as a young guy I don’t mind packing a few more grams to avoid paying for another device next season. Altogether a well designed, durable device which offers a minor performance modification to the renowned ATC guide format.

High quality

My local gym has started requiring assisted braking devices for lead belaying and I have been using a grigri 1 just because I already had it. However, I have some trouble feeding slack with assisted braking devices and though I understand the safety side, dislike the rule for leading. The Mega Jul lets me belay safely, but also feel like I can give slack at a moment's notice, even… read more on most thicker ropes if I need to. Lowers is a trick to figure out at first, but gets better with practice

mega

I purchased this after my grigri did a disappearing act because of three reasons: The price, it is less than half the price of a grigri. The weight, it's like 100th the weight. You can rappel with this thing unlike the grigri. When picking auto-blocking devices it's a toss up on what you care about and as of now those things were the most important to me. A lot of people have the… read more exposure to a grigri and feel comfortable with them but I think if this thing gains traction it will become as popular because it is way more familiar (familiar as in tube style devices) than other styles of auto-blockers. I love this thing it works as advertised. The only thing I have to keep in mind is it does a lot better job of not slipping when blocked when the rope is in the slot of the device closest to the spine of your bleay carabiner.

Favorite belay device

Takes a bit to get used to lead belaying with this. Expect to short rope your belayer until you get the hang of it. It's the simplicity of an atc with added assisted breaking. Can't beat how lightweight it is for multipitch climbing. Gives myself and partner confidence on climbs with potential rockfall.

Best Assisted Braking Belay device

Being incredibly lightweight, no moving parts, and very easy to use, the Mega Jul is my new assisted braking belay device of choice. It can be used in a gym, for Sport, Trad, and Multi-pitches with ease. Suitable for 7.8 - 10.5 mm ropes you won't have issues matching it to your existing rope or those in the gym either. Its great for those who are just learning how to lead belay… read more as it's easier to feed rope than with a GriGri and it's perfect for more advanced climbers as you can use it with multiple ropes and for belaying from above as well. I'd highly recommend using a biner with a keeper such as the Edelrid HMS Bulletproof Screw FG Locking Carabiner to prevent cross loading.

I'll never go back to a guide

Was a pretty faithful BD-ATC guide user until I tried this out. It's a much better product and I'll never go back. I turn mine backwards for a softer (but not as safe) rappel.

Lightweight Assisted Braking

I've used several assisted braking devices, and this is hands down my favorite. It's lightweight, intuitive, effective, and inexpensive. Pros: – Highly versatile: accepts a wide range of rope diameters. On a side note: this thing seems to love Sterling ropes. I've never felt such smooth rope handling from an ABD. – Lightweight: In material terms, this is more or less just an… read more ATC. It weighs exactly the same as the BD ATC. – Easy to Use: Yeah, it looks confusing/daunting when you first throw it on your belay loop, but it immediately makes sense when you use it. – Effective: Cue humility. This saved my climber and my bacon when I lost my footing and my hand came off the brake, simultaneously when my climber was taking a fall. We as climbers back up everything else—it just makes sense to have an ABD as a backup when belaying. Cons – Finesse Required: When first using this device, you have to learn the finesse when lowering. There's not a lot of modulation between fully braked and fully open. It takes a little bit to learn the sweet spot, and you have to relearn with each new rope – Thumb loop poorly molded: This is just a minor nag. The seam on the plastic where the two molds come together is not clean. I just took a very high grit sandpaper to it momentarily to smooth things out. – Definitely needs a belay 'biner with a keeper, as it is eager to flip or get cross-loaded. I pair it with the Edelrid HMS Strike Slider FG, and they are quite happy together. I highly recommend this device. If you're in the market for an ABD, give this guy a shot. You don't need to break the bank to have a top-quality ABD. I guarantee you, once you start using this device, you'll throw out everything else but your spare ATC. *Sport and trad climber, climbing 5.11a on sport and use this device 3-4 times a week.

So Impressed.

Light Weight ATC - Check! Guide Mode - Check! Autolocking - Check! Affordable - Check! and my favorite aspect.... Smooth lead belay - Check! This is a brilliant piece of technology. Once you know how to hold it properly, it's actually very intuitive. This does everything you want and need it to do. and on top of that, it's lightweight and inexpensive. My favorite aspect… read more was how easy it is to feed the rope, while leading. Often you can't hear or see the climber, so you have to be able to feed rope quickly, without warning. This device makes it really easy to respond quickly and feed rope smoothly. It's a must have.

This is it!

I've been using a reverso and gri-gri for the last few years, but that's about to change. I was given the opportunity to demo Edelrid's Mega Jul over the weekend, and I'm sold! The Mega Jul provides the locking capabilities of the gri-gri with the weight of an atc or reverso. It took a moment to get used to belaying with the device, but after a couple of climbs I found it to… read more be very intuitive. I did notice that lowering my climber was a little slower, but I think the benefits of the Mega Jul are well worth it!

Quiver killer

I've used almost every belay device out there from high friction single strand atc's to grigri's and the mega jul is now my one stop shop quiver killer. I'd previously settled on a grigri for most belaying (keeps my partner happy) and I carry a reverso for multis and rappelling off singles. I've had several times when cleaning a single pitch where I'm at the anchors and having a… read more moment where I wasn't sure which device I'd brought up with me. I'm massively impressed by the mega Jul. It locks reliably on a leader fall (even tested it with tons of slack on the belay hand with a light climber on a mellow fall and it only took 6" or so before locking) and is super easy to rappel or belay a follower. I even feel super comfortable hanging off it cleaning routes (in locking mode). My wife did find it a bit hard to lower me off (takes some active lifting on the handle) but I find it really easy and intuitive. For me this is now my go to belay device and replaces the several hundred $ in other devices that now sit in my gear closet. 100% recommended.

Lots of promise, but not quite there

For general cragging or gym use with medium to fat ropes I highly recommend the Jul 2 over the mega jul. I used the mega jul as my primary device through the summer of 15 and spring of 2016. In theory it's great, but I found too many compromises in real world use. If you typically use a medium rope in the 9.4 to 9.6 range it's ok. Some downsides: * It only works best when paired… read more with the correct carabiner profile. It truly does work best with Edelrid's Strike HMS biners BD vapor was too narrow to pinch skinny ropes enough. Petzl Attache locked and paid out slack well, but made for a jerky lower. * Listed rope range is beyond optimistic, 9.2-9.8 is more realistic. Paying out slack with a 10.2 gym rope is a bear, it does not perform well with fat ropes at all. Even using a 9.8 rope to lead belay there is quite a bit of drag if you need to pay out quickly for a high clip (much more than a grigri). On the other side of the spectrum, I took a fall using 8mm half ropes with only one rope loaded. My belayers hand was pulled into the device, it provided minimal assistance. An ATC or reverso with 2 biners provides much more braking power with half ropes. * Rappelling in "auto lock" mode is a joke. Even using a biner to open the device. I tried with different ropes on many occasions. There simply was no way to get a smooth rappel, herky jerky was the name of the game. I gave up and would just use it flipped to rappel, negating one of the selling points. * Guide mode sucks. Paired with a fully round stock biner (metolius element) there was still a lot of drag pulling rope through. A reverso, ATC guide, or kong gigi (my favorite) pull MUCH smoother and can let you just pull on the brake strand to take in slack. I had to pull up slack on the climber side so that I could pull through the brake strand with the megajul, negating the benefit of guide mode (having a hand free to eat, drink, check beta, etc.). Using the I beam style Edelrid strike biner drag in guide mode is even worse. You can bring a round biner for the rope and use the strike to attach the megajul to your master point, but make sure you hang the device off the narrow end of the biner so you don't scar the rope bearing surface. * Brake assist is limited. For normal length sport and trad lead falls it is more than enough (belayer will need to apply only minimal force, device does most of the work). When the fall forces go up in a longer fall it seems that the rope flattens more, the amount of assistance doesn't go up, belayer will have to still grip the rope firmly. It's not like a grigri in this respect. With these downsides the mega jul hasn't been out of my gear closet in months. I started using a jul 2 for cragging with medium size ropes and an ATC guide for my multi pitch/alpine routes. I also use a grigri for climbing with skinny singles.

Awesome Belay Device

I love this belay device. I had a sketchy catch while lead belaying my friend with an ATC, so I decided to invest in something safer. The Mega Jul is a third of the price of a Gri Gri, and it is much smoother. I highly recommend this device for someone looking for a safer alternative to an ATC.

Great belay device

I bought this item cause I often belay heavy climbers while they lead (20 KG above my weight). I looked for an affordable locking device that will be versatile and light weight. It does the job great. I do need to add, that you need some practice while using it especially when you need to belay close without give lots of slack. It's easy to release the lock even on hard falls.… read more I do feel much more confident now.

Mega Jul

Don't want to use anything else

My brother's review: This device paired well with the edelrid 8.9 mm swift dry climbing rope. It took a bit of getting use to for rappelling and top belaying but once I applied some repetition to its various belay settings I became very comfortable with it and don’t want to use anything else. It’s the lightest device I’ve ever used and the auto locking against the locking… read more carabiner is amazing. It’s still not a hands free device but few belay devise are. The auto lock does add protection that you can’t otherwise find with an ATC or most standard belay devices. It always worked appropriately. Definitely watch the youtube videos on how to use it in all the settings and put it to practice in a safe setting. It also can’t be paired with just any locking carabiner so be sure to buy the correct equipment. I’d recommend this to any experienced climber. Not for novice use or general rappelling.

Does anyone have a Kn rating on this device?