Edelrid Ohm for mixed (gear and bolts) climbing

Anyone have any experience with using an Ohm for a gear route where the first piece of protection is a bolt? Specifically, you clip an ohm to the bolt as the first piece and then you plug in gear afterwards. I don't anticipate this being an issue as the bolt is taking the multidirectional force from the ohm, and I don't see the additional force from the ohm causing any crazy loads that a well-placed cam/nut couldn't handle. Interested to hear others opinions/experience on this. 

Additional question, anyone ever fall onto an ohm directly (before having another piece of gear clipped)? I am getting mixed info as to whether this is sketchy or not.

A greater issue is the angle of the route and the ability to position the belayer appropriately relative to the first piece.  Does not work great on less than vertical routes.  And definitely not very effective on multi pitches.

I’ve used it before where the first piece is a cam and that seems to work fine most of the time. I would imagine a bolt would be even better. The times I’ve had it not work great it was engaging too easily. I think if possible it works better if you can get your belayer directly under it and keep it mostly in line with the rope path. Sometimes that takes more thought than on a sport climb.

 If you’re going to uses it on a single pitch trad route that you plan to lower off make sure you mitigate rope drag on the way up. If there’s too much drag it can be almost impossible for you’re belayer to lower you.

 I’ve never fallen directly onto the ohm but it seems like it would be a huge oversight if you couldn’t fall on it. 

This gives me an idea: using the Ohm on any strong, multidirectional first placement when lead soloing. To reduce potential impact if falling onto a higher placement, I have occasionally attached a Screamer (with an extended backup) to the bottom anchor. Using the Ohm on the first placement, could instead reduce that impact, possibly without letting as much rope out.

When lead soloing, some amount of slack must be left between the bottom anchor and the Ohm. The trick would be to keep from pulling up that slack as you climb upward. During a lead fall, how much rope is let out depends on the impact of the falling leader, which is a function of the mass and the distance of the fall. I weigh only 140 pounds. I’m thinking that the impact of my fall with an Ohm in the system would be comparable to a 200-pound leader getting caught by a 100-pound belayer when using the Ohm.

Rope drag isn’t an issue with lead soloing. The Edelrid Web site says that the Ohm doesn’t produce rope drag, is good for catching a fall onto the first bolt, and can help keep the leader from decking from above the first bolt. The site doesn’t say how much resistance is provided during a fall. I assume that resistance is a function of rope diameter and fuzziness and that the first placement doesn’t have to be a bolt. What do you non-trolls think of using the Ohm for lead soloing?

Btw I’ve never touched an Ohm. It’s expensive, and I already have lots of Screamers. 

George Bracksieck wrote:

This gives me an idea: using the Ohm on any strong, multidirectional first placement when lead soloing. 

……

Btw I’ve never touched an Ohm. It’s expensive, and I already have lots of Screamers. 

This will not work.  Ohm requires ~20-30 degree bend through Ohm to function properly.

Dylan Barry wrote:

 I’ve never fallen directly onto the ohm but it seems like it would be a huge oversight if you couldn’t fall on it. 

I've fallen directly onto an Ohm -- it was just fine.

George Bracksieck wrote:

The Edelrid Web site says that the Ohm doesn’t produce rope drag, is good for catching a fall onto the first bolt, and can help keep the leader from decking from above the first bolt. 

Having used an Ohm, I believe two of those three statements.  (I find it does produce rope drag, though not a lot of it.)

Darin Berdinka wrote:

……

This will not work.  Ohm requires ~20-30 degree bend through Ohm to function properly.

Do you mean that the leader must be climbing a wall that overhangs 20-30 degrees past vertical while the belayer is standing under the first bolt? Or do you mean that the belayer should be standing 20-30 degrees out from below the first bolt, while the leader is climbing a vertical wall? Or do you mean that the rope should be bent to an acute angle of 20-30 degrees through the Ohm, after the leader falls directly onto it? Does the Ohm add resistance only when the rope bends at an angle that’s equal to, or more acute than, the angle described in any of the above possible scenarios?

Edit: After watching the official Edelrid video about Ohm use and reading the official instructions, I think these degrees we are talking about are meaningless. Edelrid does say that, if the belayer stands farther away from the wall, (the rope angle becomes less obtuse and) the Ohm’s resistance to rope travel will be greater, although the demonstration showed the belayer close to a wall that looked vertical.