Edelrid Mega Jul

Hi Moritz, thanks for the suggestions. I generally like the device, but I'm still working out the kinks. I especially appreciate that it is so lightweight and compact.

I do have one question that I haven't seen answered anywhere. How strong is the device when being used to belay in guide mode (belaying a second)? The tiny loop of metal is a bit spooky to me when compared visually to the beefy ring on an ATC Guide or Reverso. I'm sure it's strong enough, but I'm curious about the actual strength value when pull tested.

According to prEN the loop has to hold 8kN (approx. 800kg). We have internally tested the loop for belaying the second climber in house with 13kn (approx. 1300kg).

Kai Larson wrote:What I found with the Alpine Smart was that the ropes tended to migrate from one slot to the other when belaying. (Even when using ropes in the recommended width range.) They would tend to get caught up, forcing me to mess with them to free the snag. In my experience, the Jul devices feed much more smoothly, which is one of the reasons why I abandoned my Alpine Smarts for the Juls. (The other was the much smaller size and weight of the Juls.)

ive never ever had this happen ...

what ropes and biners where you using?

do you mean that the rope went through from one slot to the other?

;)

People seem to have missed it. By far the most critical factor in smoothness of rapping, is the cross sectional shape of the biner. Get the right biner and you'll love it.

Here is a another video on the MegaJul. The guy who is demonstrating it is actually one of the designers of the devise:

Edelrid MegaJul:
youtube.com/watch?v=duEKmk9…

Moritz B. wrote:Here is a another video on the MegaJul. The guy who is demonstrating it is actually one of the designers of the devise: Edelrid MegaJul: youtube.com/watch?v=duEKmk9…

Interesting that the biner he is using doesn't have a rounded cross section. I have found that newer ropes do perform MUCH better.

Hey Sid,
I found the MJ works best with this carabiner (it´s the one he is using in the video):
scarpa.com/edelrid/hms-stri…

I like to have a rounded carabiner for guide mode. Reduces friction a lot.

Moritz B. wrote:Hey Sid, I found the MJ works best with this carabiner (it´s the one he is using in the video): scarpa.com/edelrid/hms-stri… I like to have a rounded carabiner for guide mode. Reduces friction a lot.

It's only rapping where there's a problem. I tested half a dozen like that and they all jammed to various degrees. I bought a Metoilius Element and it works great, even with older ropes.

Looks like there's been updates to the device and it has been receiving stellar reviews since the beginning of 2014

verticalgear.co.uk/edelrid-…

vimeo.com/90167754

Looks like this guy is once again a contender...

I wonder if they fixed the terrible pull in guide mode?

Looks identical.

They apparently reinforced the thumb loop, but I don't see any other fixes

WillamR wrote:They apparently reinforced the thumb loop, but I don't see any other fixes

Doesn't look like it to me.

I picked one of these up this weekend. My Cinch was getting worn out and I didn't feel like spending the money on a new one, so I gave this a try.

First impression is that it locks up awesome on a 9.5 while sport cragging.

Second impression is that lowering will take some getting used to. It can be picky, and playing with carabiners might make it better. Right now I'm using a big Rock Lock which fits into the groove in the device perfectly. No creep when it's locked off under full weight.

Third thing I noticed is that you can feed it like a regular tube device, but if it locks up because your leader yanks on the rope, you gotta fuss with it to get it undone. If you just keep your thumb in the loop and pull up on it while feeding rope, it throws rope really fast.

I'm going to give it a fair few months to see if I like it as a Cinch/Grigri replacement.

Headed to the Red this weekend, so we'll definitely see how it does there.

I put 200 pounds on the cable and it didn't pull. I still like the Alpine Smart better.

I've been following this thread for a while, but didn't buy one due to the issues with the cable pulling. Since it was identified that this was only in eary batches of 2013 I went and picked one up a few weeks ago.

I haven't been able to fully test it yet, as I haven't belayed up a second, but I've found this to be an excellent device so far. Especially for lead belay since you can get the rope up to your leader as fast as needed. Brake assist works very well as has been mentioned in this thread before.

All in all I'm very happy with the device so far, but based on a home test I think the problems that people are having with belaying a second could change my tune a bit.

I've only used it a few times so far for TR belay, but it worked great with a new rope and an old locking biner. The newer Petzl attache didn't work as well as the other biner, so you need to try a couple to see what rope / biner combination works best. Otherwise, it worked quite well for me. It did not automatically stop every fall, so keep your hand on the brake side of the rope :). Lowering was pretty smooth.

I'm pretty happy with this so far. It's not perfect, but it's pretty good step in the right direction. At least that's my initial 2 cents.

I've been using one a few times a week for 8 months or so on single 9s, double 9s and single 10s. I like it. I imagine my opinion would change if the cable suddenly pulls out.

Hey! i just found this thread after buying a Mega Jul. I really like it (and do hold the break stand just like a good belayer should), but was wondering if anyone else has made the assisted locking-ness fail any of these ways:

1. Spinning to the small end of a belay carabiner (using an Edelrid HMS):
When the MegaJul spins to the small end of the carabiner, it's often narrow enough to jam into the divots that help it lock. I could see this being a problem even on the wide side of some smaller HMS carabiners.

• Note: In the fine print of the manual, Edelrid addresses this, and specifically recommends two of their belay carabiners, but it's good to point out.

2. Wire loop hitting the lock on the screw part of a screwlock carabiner (see photo):
I did not find this mentioned in the manual, but you could double check. I'm right handed and use my right hand as a break. Because there is a gap between the two rope slots, the rope can twist a little bit, turning the belay device towards one side (the break side toward my brake hand, the right, and the climber side toward the left).

When I belay with the gate on the left, the wire loop hits against the top of the screwgate (see photo) and the slots of the MegaJul don't line up with the carabiner. I tested to see if it would stay there by having my partner take a small fall, and it did. The device caught just as well as a normal "ATC-style" device would, but it was less "assisted locking."

3. Using a DMM Belay Master (in almost any configuration):
I thought a rotation-control carabiner would be nice, since it wouldn't rotate the narrow end, but the DMM Belaymaster had it's own problems. The wire loop hits the plastic gate, and the MegaJul catches on the whole thing. In a few "just for fun" falls, it spun through just fine, but in some it was less "assisted locking." (*Same Note as above).

Thoughts?

Elena Chin wrote:2. Wire loop hitting the lock on the screw part of a screwlock carabiner

This has definitely happened to me. The autolock on the device is good but not nearly as reliable as a grigri.

I switched to a Rock Exotica Pirate HMS for the Mega Jul and Alpine Smart. The biner doesn't spin so it won't hang up and it lowers/raps smooth.