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Edelrid Giga Jul
The Edelrid Giga Jul is the brand's most versatile belay device. The Giga Jul is a standard and assisted braking tuber in one. The assisted braking function which supports the braking force can be activated or disabled by an intelligent mechanism. For situation-dependent belaying and abseiling, especially in alpine terrain.
Tech specs
| WEIGHT | 100g |
| CERTIFICATION | EN 15151-1 |
Features
At a Glance
• Intelligent hybrid design: body made of ultra-light aluminium, areas susceptible to abrasion made of robust stainless steel
• Guide mode: simple and rapid abseiling and bringing up seconds plus comfortable belaying from a station as a doubled rope
• Assisted braking guide mode: brake boost for catching falls in leader mode
• Rope can be paid out faster in assisted braking guide mode by holding the device in the “open” position with the thumb
• Additional eyelet for simply unlocking the device in second mode using a carabiner
• Suitable for ropes with a diameter of 7.8 to 10.5 mm
Waited a bit to write this review so it will be a bit longer one. As soon as I saw an announcement from Edelrid I knew that I want this device and as soon as Epic TV got them in stock I ordered it then, almost a year before this review. As soon as I got it I had to test it in my gym. M mode during belay behaves the same as any other ATC, while A mode has that nice break assist. In the gym my go to device is Mammut Smart 2.0 and compared to it I would say that catching the fall is really similar. Regarding the lowering a climber, I would say that Edelrid doesn't have as steep learning curve as Mammut. In multi-pitch situations I use it in A mode for belaying the lead climber and M while in guide mode. No complaints there, everything is really smooth and there is no rope fiddling because of assisted breaking function in M mode. Abseil in M mode is also really smooth and I even used this device instead of my trusty BD ATC Guide during rescue certification. And the reason why I delayed this review for so long - ice climbing. Belaying with frozen ropes can be a difficult task, but not with this device. In A mode frozen ropes pose no challenge to catch a fall. Also, abseil down the frozen ropes posed no challenges for this device. Really impressive. Only con that I could think is weight, but if someone wants one belay device to rule them all in any situation - Giga Jul is IMHO the king.