Edelrid Ohm Assisted Braking Resistor reviews and deals for sale

Does what it should

My girlfriend is a good 60lbs lighter than me without gear. This does it's job and helps her be more confident. We don't use it as much anymore because it's helped train her confidence and she feels good without it.

Save your belayionship!

Works great with my lighter climbing partners, and gives you more confidence to go for it, knowing that your fall won't result in smashing your belayer into the wall. I've heard of people breaking toes that way.

Balanced

I got this for my brother and his wife. They are very different in weight and this device makes a up the difference. As far as use goes it is pretty straight forward to use. We clip it to the first anchor so we connect it to the rope while on the ground so all you have to do it just take it off your harness and clip it to the wall and you are all set to climb, and your stress can… read more be focused on finishing the climb and not hitting the ground because you weight more than the person belaying you. A must purchase!

Must have for small people

If you’re a small person this is a major plus when belaying others! My girlfriend is tiny, but when I clip this puppy in she can belay normally. She doesn’t get sucked into the wall when I fall nor does she have to sit super far back or brace herself when lowering me. She gets to stand normally. This thing does take a few uses to adjust to it and placing it in the proper direction… read more is key, otherwise you get way too much drag when pulling through to clip in. There is definitely a sweet spot for weight difference, though. I’ve read that it’s 80lbs. I’m not 80lbs heavier and sometimes I’ve had to literally pull the rope while being lowered from a climb because there wasn’t enough weight on the rope to run. Overall I recommend this gear for lighter people that climb with folks heavier than themselves!

Great tool when your partner is bigger!

I bought this tool recently to use with a partner that is 6 foot 3 and quite a bit heavier than me. It has been very useful both indoors and outdoors climbing and works as advertised. It has made catches easier and belaying. I have noticed a bit of diffulty when there is some rope drag at times , but I would say this is minimal. Now I don’t fly up to the first clip if my partner… read more falls!

How does it work?

Works as advertised

I've used it in the gym and outside and haven't had a problem when belaying heavier partner and it makes catching and lowering quite a bit easier. I have seen a little trouble when clipping outside, if the route wanders a bit, goes over a bulge, etc you need to pull a little softer and not jerk the rope or the device can make it harder to clip.

Saved my relationship

If you have a climbing partner that is 65 pounds heavier than you (sorry Sam) id highly recommend this device. Not only has this kept me from hitting the first clip every time he falls, but has also prevented future frustration regarding slack. Thank you OHM. bless up!

Extremely Satisfied

Just an update on the Ohm... still works excellently, no change on satisfaction and I would buy it again in a heartbeat, but one thing to note: The V shaped friction plate in the Ohm itself that creates the friction is a slight offset. Instead of being a perfect V, it is a V which has been just slightly rotated and with one "arm" of the V being shorter than the other. Only reason… read more I mention this is that it creates a little bit of a helical rotation on the rope itself, mostly when you fall on it but very slightly when feeding rope through the system. This gradually twists and kinks the rope. After many flakes, stretching the rope out to it's full length from anchors and shaking it, and multiple washes we have our gym rope (BlueWater DynaPlus Gym 10.1mm) sorted out. Not a big problem as far as I'M concerned, but just a heads up if you're considering it. Function of the Ohm itself is excellent and that's the point. Also, probably a consequence of my weight more than anything else, but the included carabiner wears pretty quickly. Nothing that will affect the function of the unit as a whole, but I replaced mine with a DMM Aero straight gate that hasn't worn nearly as quickly. Last comment: on slabby routes ourdoors that already have a lot of rope drag, the Ohm will make the catch pretty hard. Not a big deal, I'm happy with the extra peace of mind when I have a smaller belayer on the other end, but just worth noting.

cool for gym climbing

The gym that I climb at has an ohm I've climbed with it a few times and it is pretty good at accounting for big differences in weight (probably up to like 50 or so lbs).

Warning!! The Ohm is not magical.

I've been climbing in the gym for about a year and a half and outside for six months. My wife and I have been using the Ohm for the past 4 or 5 months inside and out when I lead. I outweigh her by 90 pounds and am aware that the upper range of the Ohm is 40 kg or 88 pounds. A few nights ago, I decked from about 27 feet while climbing at our local gym. We were using the Ohm… read more in our usual set-up: me on lead and tied into a fairly new Mammut Infinity Classic 9.5mm and she on belay with her GriGri+. After safety checks, I began climbing a moderately overhanging 10 that had been put up a few nights before; 5.10 is my typical lead indoors. First clip at ten feet was uneventful and I hung the Ohm in the correct position. Second clip was straight up another five feet, also easily clipped. Third clip, again five feet straight up, and also easily clipped. The fourth bolt was about six or seven feet above the third. The holds got a bit sketchy between bolts three and four and I decided to re-position myself before making the clip. I climbed about three feet above the fourth bolt such that the fourth bolt was then located at my belt line (I'm 6'6"). I might have pulled out a foot of slack to make the clip. At that point I lost footing. A second later I was on the ground wondering what had happened. My wife was pulled up ten feet into the first draw (Ohm). I was not hurt in the fall, other than some minor rope burn on my left arm, and my wife was unharmed, other than some frazzled nerves. This was the first time we'd experienced what we thought was a failure of the Ohm. I stated earlier that the Ohm was hung and threaded correctly at the first bolt. This was verified by other Ohm users and gym staff. My belay partner was not belaying from directly underneath the first draw. Our rope was within spec. Her Grigri locked up flawlessly and she caught the fall as best she could, yet I still fell to the floor. After much analysis and discussion with gym staff we've learned that the Ohm's response to that particular situation is quite common and that it is customary for belayers to be pulled into the first draw especially when their climbers outweigh them by 80-90 pounds, even when the Ohm is properly used. Apparently, up until a few nights ago, I had never tested the Ohm by taking a fall from 7+ feet above the last bolt. Needless to say my partner and I were shocked by the results. Outside, I routinely climb 7+ feet between bolts as required by the route, but have never taken a fall... I lead 8/9 outside as I am still a fairly new to it and don't push myself as hard as I do in the gym. In hindsight, it was not a failure of the Ohm but our own ignorance that was the true fault in this accident. I'm just glad we learned this lesson in the gym instead of on route at Shelf; the consequences there could have been catastrophic. The moral of this little lesson is this: check your bolt line and do the math on the amount of rope out in the system. If there is potential for ground fall, tie into an anchor or use a weight bag in addition to the Ohm, especially if you're on the extreme end of the weight differential. The Ohm is not a locking device like a Grigri. It is a friction device and will allow line to slip through, and while it certainly makes some aspects of climbing easier, it does not necessarily mitigate the risk of ground fall. Be safe.

Works but has a learning curve

I bought this as a heavy-ish dude (185) who sometimes climbs with petite ladies (100). With a weight difference that big, it's totally worth using in a sport setting. But the device takes some learning and requires a bit smaller of a rope diameter. So I would say it's more important for petite folks to buy it than larger folks - they can learn it, as opposed to trying to teach all… read more of your petite belayers how to use it. Definitely don't need it for less than a 50 lb weight difference. When myself and a 135 lb belayer used it, all catches were pretty hard.

Excellent tool for belaying

Pros: Great when there is a large weight difference Keeps your lightweight belayer from being smashed into the first draw Cons: Belayer needs to pay attention, if you clip quickly, so they can "unlock" it. Climbing in an overhang seems to cause it to "lock" more often than vertical climbing TL:DR; This is a fantastic item for belayers who are concerned about carrying their larger… read more partners weight during a fall. It very effectively slows down the upward drag, saving a ton of energy during the falls. However, you need to have a belayer trained or at least aware that this item can lock up when moving to quickly and be ready to unjam it, if necessary. Overall we love using it.

Does the job, but expensive and heavy

Pros: -Makes lowering more controlled and smooth. -Lightweight belayer flies less during a whipper. Cons: -Feels super expensive for what it is. -Really heavy, and may be an issue on a longer approach. -Kinda hard to clean the first bolt when placed. If this were $75~, I'd call this a no brainer. But at the current cost, I'm not completely sold. (well, I am, since I bought it,… read more but I'm having some serious buyer's remorse)

Expensive, But Better Than a Sandbag

This is really simple device and braking mechanism has no moving part. It's somewhat expensive, but at least the package comes with quicklink, dogbone, Ohm, and carabiner. Does it work? It works like a charm. I weigh about 168lb and my partner weighs 120lb-ish. Ever since I started using Ohm, she stopped complaining about my weight. I even took a victory whip and she didn't go… read more flying toward the wall. Rope drag is barely noticeable. Now, why get this when you can get a sandbag? Sandbag is heavy and can't be found everywhere.

Bigger than most? Don’t leave home w/out

I am 215lbs and struggle to find partners willing to let me take a whippet or two. This device has changed it all for me. My wife belays me with nearly 100lb difference and she doesn’t struggle while taking. Has a few drawbacks. You’ll need to take off first clip on the way down and can get a bit caught when clipping second QuickDraw. Definitely need to be aware not to… read more pull hard. I have adjusted and never even notice. It’s worth every penny and more.

Solves a problem

It's great that a lot of women are getting into the sport, but I feel like a dick every time I slam some petite girl into the first bolt. This takes care of that, and hopefully encourages them to keep climbing with this fat dude. I've literally loaded backpacks with rocks trying to keep small people on terra firma while they belay me so compared to that, the weight is negligible.… read more Also if your big enough to need this, you could probably always cut down on the beer to make up the difference, but we all know thats not happening.

Just short of Excellent

So everyone that my wife and I ran into climbing said the same thing: Get an omh. So once we did I had fairly high expectations and for the most part this little device has met them. I do have a few gripes, but bottom line is that this thing does what it's supposed to, which is let my 105lb wife catch my 185lb butt when I fall. It's easy to load the rope in-- if you can read… read more the pictures on a grigri you can read this just fine. It also lets smaller belayers lower me without having that herky jerky stop and go that I usually get when smaller people are struggling to gain control of the rope. That being said, this thing is Heavy! It's easily the heaviest thing I carry in my cragbag or to the gym. If you pull a lot of rope really quickly like I tend to do when you clip that can also activate the device so watch out for that. It's an easy thing to be aware of if you're not limit climbing. If you are limit climbing, get a bigger belayer. Last gripe is when you're lowering it can make the descent sloooowww as you're coming down against the friction of the omh the whole time. I'll take a slow smooth lowering over stop an go any day though. Final takeway: It does what it's supposed to but it's not perfect. There are a few things i'd like to see changed but all in all i'm happy with my purchase.

For Projects and Pip Squeaks

This fancy little device is here to soften your fall and help light belayers give a nice catch. It definitely lives up to it description. Get one!

Nothing like it

The Ohm has changed the sport forever. It is not a gimmick, and I think as time goes we will see them everywhere. My wife and I have an 80 lb difference and when I take a big fall she barely leaves the ground. We live in the Red River Gorge and climb with our two little boys crag lumping around. This device helps calm the mind, helps my wife lower me smoothly, and has been the… read more most helpful new piece of gear since the stick clip. If you are big or small this is a must. It doesn't compare to the Grigri, like comparing your favorite tech shoes to a happy meal. One gets you high, one makes you fat.

My question is, how much better is this than using a cam at the ground (shoulder height) as an upward redirect and then having your belayer belay through that ? Also anchor your belayer to a tree (with the spare part of your rope end) so they don’t get sucked upwards. You now have a shock absorber from the belayer to the tree too. I’m just trying to reason why $129 is justifiable.… read more Thoughts ? I have the big guy/smaller belayer issue too.

Is this CE certified?