Edelrid Mega Jul

Having used a variety of devices over the years I think this one may be the best. The safety feature of it as an auto blocking / assisted braking device, while also being a tubular device allowing double stranded rapelling makes this the best all around device I've used. Of course, like any device, the choice of rope used has an affect on the smoothness of operation.

I've been belaying for the past 12 years using tubular devices, 90% of the time and "assisted braking" devices the rest 10%.
I used to think reverso is the best tubular device and grigri the best assisted brake device.
I now know that you I can have both in one device, mega jul.

Possibly the best ABD in the market.
Used it for about 2 months now i can say this ABD is really easy to use. It is really good feature wise, from indoor climbing and sport climbing to multi pitches outdoor.
At this price i dare say it is the best ABD.
Pros: Affordable, multi functional, light weight, easy to use, durable
Cons: May not be the smoothest when giving slack, but then again it really depends on the amount of practice you have. For me personally the third session was all it took to somewhat master the mega jul.

My partner and I have been using the edelrid mega jul for 3 years (~245 ascents) for sport, for trad, for ice climbing, for bringing 2 followers up, for absailing and it remains the lightest autoblocking device that can handle ropes in range 7,9 - 10,5mm. We use Beal Cobra II (8.6mm) half-rope for trad and Beal Karma 9.8mm for sport. The device blocks automatically when the leader falls, which makes our belaying more relaxed.
The thing I like the most is that it has no mechanical parts that can freeze up when climbing in the winter.
On absails you _can_ use it in lead-climbing mode without a prusik, but with a lot of rope below you, it can be difficult to get a smotth descent. I prefer to use Edelrids alternative method which turns the device around and supports the absail with a french prusik. This transfer the abrasion of the rope from the hand to the prusik (so no burns), and gives a smooth descent.