Edelrid Giga Jul: Is it the best belay device in the world?! Climbing chat and review.

My current belay device of choice!
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[@geoffreycomins4045]

This device saved a friend of mine's face. She took a very big whipper and I realised that her face was going to connect with an overhang. So I opened up the lock during the fall and as she went past the edge I brought it back to the locked position and gave her the best controlled soft catch I have ever given any one. This is by far the best device I have ever used!!!!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Good skills!

[@kaiser00hans]

Awesome glad you gave it a shining review. One thing worth noting, and I'm sure you just forgot to mention in this video, is the fact that the steel inserts Edelrid puts in the device gives it a largely extended lifespan. Could last you a lifetime rather than replacing a Reverso a season. Part of the Edelrid Steel ethos to keep climbing gear out of landfills. Truly the best climbing company out there.

[@joaodavidmateus]

Big fan of the Giga Jul. Another pro of this device against the GriGri is that is more friendly for a left-handed person

[@derekatwood6236]

I don't trust left-handed people and would never let one of them belay me.

[@Govanification]

Or even a right-handed person who needs to belay left handed due to a multi-pitch stance!

[@gravyblue]

@@derekatwood6236 it's no coincidence that sinister originally meant left handed!

[@drevil2783]

Brilliant. I'm sold then

[@drevil2783]

@@derekatwood6236 😠😠😠😠😠😠

[@Climber39]

Great video. Thanks for all your work on this review. I’ve been using a Camp Matik and Tendon Master Pro 9.2 for sport climbing for a few years now, and love that setup . But I was looking for a better do-it-all device for longer routes when I stumbled across your channel. After watching this video, I ordered a Giga Jul. And I have been thrilled with it so far. It works better with thinner ropes for sure. I am still going to to use my Matik for sport climbing, but now I’m using the Giga Jul on pretty much everything else

[@MrDAXY44]

Great video, I've been using the Giga Jul in assisted on a Beal Opera and I agree that it can be a bit fiddley when paying out slack. It forced me to use my thumb which I wasn't sure was the expected but its good to hear that I'm not the only one who encountered this. I have yet to feel comfortable enough to use assisted on half ropes but with practice perhaps that will change. Worth noting, If you accidentally put the device in assisted and use it in guide mode, it will completely lock up despite tilting. You need to take the climber off belay to resolve.

[@jbtv000]

I have been using the gigajul for three months now and I wonder why I didn't buy it earlier. It is such a game changer. Top rope, lead, rappell...easy trad. All occasions this has proved to be such a gem.

[@marinakyriacou6525]

I am so glad you've done a video on this. I've been "uhming and errring" about this bit of kit for a while now.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad it was helpful!

[@thecma3]

Picked up one of these on your recommendation and, long story short, I've recouped the cost by selling the ATCs I had kicking around to friends who are getting into climbing. I find it bites well, it guides nearly or as well as the ATC guide, it's easy to use, and it's loads easier to multipitch with than carrying a grigri + ATC guide for the benefit of auto-locking while still being able to rappel on two strands.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hope you're still getting on well with it!

[@connorerickson8887]

If you abseil in manual mode, using a prussik or other backup hitch, it's just like abseiling with a manual tube style device, super smooth

[@ZAMOLXEDARK]

i have the megajule ... once you get used to.. it,s awesome..

[@logiconabstractions6596]

That pretty much mirrors my experience/opinions on it. Especially wrt to abseiling in auto mode. Actually I'm still a bit on the fence about what I think - because of what you said, e.g. depends somewhat on rope/carabiners combos, I find on my skinnier ropes (and dry treated...) I do feed downards for the last ~5-10 meters or so (guessing less weight from the rope as I get further down, so the pseudo fireman belay gets less and less). My personal code of conduct has been that for straight raps it's fine, but if I expect to be cleaning something/messing around a lot for some reason I'll tend to use it manually with a prussic the good 'ol way. A slight UPSIDE I've found about using it in auto-block mode though (on the belay loop directly, not extended, just like you said): if for whatever reason you need to ascend back on the rope, this is MUCH, MUCH easier than using 2 prussics! Not as smooth as an actual ascender, but closer enough that ascending isn't a total pain. I just slap a prussic on.

[@rellify3]

Nice review! My wife and I decided that as a rule we would always use assisted devices. I like the seatbelt analogy, why wouldn't you use it if you can? Rock fall, insect sting, you just don't know what will happen... For us that means using a grigri for belaying the leader and an ATC in guide mode for belaying the second. This is definitely intriguing as in an all in one device though.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Cheers! It's hard to justify not using them I think, in most circumstances.

[@fredm8621]

Great video, I bought a Giga Jul on the back of this video. In the shop (in France) they did recommend to back it up with a prussik when abseiling. I guess you do get rope creep on half ropes. Do you feel it's safe enough to use it without a prussik? Will it provide a similar amount of breaking power as a prussik and an ATC ?

[@tomedinburgh4490]

Love both the mega jul and giga jul, fantastic all round devices

[@bfkeats]

Can you rappel more smoothly with the giga jul than the mega jul? I’ve had a mega jul for years and my only complaint is that it’s a little hard to rappel smoothly (but it’s nice not to need a prusik).

[@tomedinburgh4490]

@@bfkeats honestly the rapelling on mega jul was one of the worst parts for me. The extra safety wasnt worth how Fa bumpy it made it. Felt very conscious of the rope rubbing at the top of crag with all the bouncing around! I've only used giga jul in manual mode for rappelling with a prussik back up so far works like a standard device then.

[@bfkeats]

So I picked one up and did a test rappel in assisted mode. Way way way smoother than the mega jul. Cant imagine why I’d use manual for what I climb

[@tomedinburgh4490]

@@bfkeats cheers, I'll have to give it a ago! Hopefully I find it as smooth as you. It would be nice to ditch the prusik / have an extra level of safety when showing others how to rappel.

[@largeformatlandscape]

Hi Jen... could you try an Alpine Up for a comparison... I love mine but it does slip on one skinny half rope with no hand. However, with the rope just fed from behind you it does lock and with thicker singles or both ropes on a skinny half it’s fine. I presume this is what you mean for the GJ too?

[@PaulSagar1986]

Well, you convinced me! Ordering one in anticipation of the new trad season...

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hope you like it! Definitely takes a few pitches to get used to it, but it's still my go to trad belay device :)

[@refaiabdeen5943]

Cheers Mate.

[@sorincezar]

Does it heat on long / fast rappelling?

[@cristalclear5625]

Thanks for the video. One other selling point, might be obvious, is that the weight difference is due to mostly that it is made out partially of steel where as the ATC Guide is aluminium, hence the Giga Jul should be more durable. What carabiners did you use while testing the Giga Jul? Did you experience any difference in how it functioned using different carabiners?

[@Govanification]

The carabiner definitely makes a difference! For some ropes (especially skinny ones), I found a more round-stock carabiner gives a bit better assist but Edelrid officially recommends the Strike HMS for the Gigajul which is more of a squarer or I-beam cross-section. I use the Edelrid Bulletproof HMS for maximum durability which is not totally round but more like a rounded square and it seems to pinch pretty well on most diameters, although the steel wear plate has less friction than aluminum as well so it doesn't really "lock up" completely without at a least a bit of force on the brake strand.

[@Willsbuilds22]

I use one of these over a grigri because I'm a lefty :/

[@arnoldkotlyarevsky383]

The fact that it is made of steel means it will never wear out. Not realistically. I love my mega jul and have been looking ofr an excuse to try out the gigajul. Awesome review, thanks!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Yeah time will tell of course, but this should last years and years!

[@testboga5991]

Main reason for not holding the brake strand isn't rockfall or allem abduction of the belayer but simply a second of slipping attention.

[@nathankenny7454]

How do you think it’ll go in the long run? Any sharp burs from where the carabiner hits device?

[@JBMountainSkills]

I think it'll last a long, long time, I'd expect it to out last an ATC / Pivot, but time will tell! No burs :)

[@hygri]

Nice. Been thinking about investing in an assisted braking device to compliment the ole' Grigri, I think your review may just have clinched the deal, and it seems like other reviewers have reached the same conclusions as you have... never liked the Mega Jul, so it's good to hear that it operates smoothly unlike its predecessor. Cheers!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Hope you like it if you bought one!

[@hygri]

@@JBMountainSkills Working up to it - used one for the first time at the gym the other week and it's certainly excellent at that; definitely on the list :)

[@Fwacer]

Your philosophy on not seeing justification for not using extra protections is something that resonates with me. I always wear a helmet, and ensure my belayer wears one too. I've been looking at the mega Jul and Giga jul, and a lot of the reviews are in line with what you've said. I really like the look and weight of the mega Jul, but was put off by the rappelling technique required. The Giga seems kinda bulky, but seeing as you didn't notice the weight, maybe it's time for me to bite the bullet. Do you find you have a preferred type of biner to use with it?

[@JBMountainSkills]

I do really like it! I tend to use it with a DMM Phantom HMS.

[@Frodoswaggns]

Sold, me and my wife are big on safety, but I hated abseiling on the megajul, now we're going to get two gigas for multi-pitch.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Awesome, hope you like it!

[@jessdoxey8158]

Great video, great review, why would you pick this over the mega jul tho?

[@shoqed]

rappel in tube mode is way smoother (although the assisted is not too bad either), on megajul you don't have that. Plus guide mode doesn't require the weird technique

[@johtso1]

What's it like when things get a bit more fiddly, like paying out slack on one strand and taking in on the other when the climber has clipped a piece above them? Do you end up fighting the device?

[@JBMountainSkills]

With a bit of use I personally find it works really well and isn't fiddly, but it does take a little practice.

[@johtso1]

Awesome! Have a gigajul in the post, will be strange to use a new device after so long! Like the idea of being able to lend it to a less experienced partner when leading..

[@randompersonoverhere]

I don't think Giga Jul gets enough attention. One of the most versatile device out there for outdoor climbing. It doesn't work very well for any rope thicker than 9.5mm, which is why I also use a grigri indoor. Don't know how I feel about abseiling in auto mode though, it gives me a feeling of doing something bad, even though it is most likely 100% safe.

[@JBMountainSkills]

It really is ace, you're right about chunkier ropes though.

[@yosephalabdulwahab4151]

What carabineer are you using? I am using the steel plates carabineer edelrid makes and the giga jul has a ton of slippage compared to the MegaJul. So much so I returned my giga jul. I'm curious what carabineer you use because you said it locks on 9.5+. I've tried 9.7 and 10.5 and they both slip

[@JBMountainSkills]

I use DMM Phantom HMS ones with it.

[@TheLugiProductions]

Thanks for the video! I have a question though: how do you lead belay on brake assist mode when you're at a bolted anchor? Do you belay from your harness or from the anchor, and if so, how exactly? Story time: I'm asking because I already own this device, but my friend and I have always done lead belay on manual mode, because it's "easier". However we regretted it last week when we were doing a multipitch and my friend got hit by a rock while he was belaying me. He got hit in the elbow, but he fainted right after impact due to the pain/shock. Luckily he came by immediately and was able to make a back up knot while he recovered, but man did I wish we were using brake assist mode. I know it's not perfect but at least we would have felt less dumb lol. Any way, I'd love to know your input in this ✌️

[@JBMountainSkills]

From my harness would be the normal for me. Glad you were ok!

[@judithvankerkhof]

So, to extend the question a little bit. My climbing partner is 20 kg's lighter than I am. Therefore (in a multipitch) she wants to belay off the bolted anchor when I'm leading. Though we found that with the assisted brake mode giving rope is quite hard and the device often locks. Is there a nice way of assisted belaying off the anchor?

[@cw7469]

I was always under the impression that we shouldn't use assisted blocking belay devices in trad because they are likely to create bigger impact forces on the gear. Is this not the case? Would you use assisted mode when belaying someone who is leading trad climbs, including placing 5- 7kn bits of gear, e.g. RPs? Also - how easy is it to give out on one rope/take in on just one rope? Thanks :)

[@JBMountainSkills]

It's a really complex situation to calculate all that... I think most of the time, in reality, it's a non issue, but as I say in the video it may well be a consideration in more spicy situations. That's one reason it's good to be able to with between assisted and non assisted.

[@paulkidd68]

I don't know anyone who would realistically allow the belay device to slip, to provide a softer catch and reduce impact forces on trad gear. The dynamics is more about belayer movement ie stepping forward or jumping. The advantages of assisted braking for outweigh any marginal reduction in impact forces.

[@coopermetzger5026]

Great video, I really enjoy hearing your opinion on gear and how you feel it suits your needs. I'm pretty on the fence about my gigajul. I like the versatility it offers, but that seems to the only thing I properly like. I find that in assisted braking it does not bite as well as a smart belay, which I typically use for most lead belaying, or an atc pilot (I am typically using ropes between 9.2 and 9.8 and a petzl attache). While in guide mode I find the whole operation less ergonomic than my usual atc guide. Also with its recommend max rope diameter being 10mm instead of the 11 you'd find on the atc guide i have found myself limited when using it in gyms that supply fat ropes. I would describe the gigajul as a jack of all trades but a master of none. None the less I do use mine, some help in the catch is better than no help, and I prefer it on big days where I need to minimize the amount of gear I am bringing with me.

[@byakkolucas1012]

If you're having trouble with the assisted braking not biting enough, I recommend trying a different carabiner. I got a GigaJul recently and was disappointed in the assisted braking power when I tried it with a Petzl Attache. When I tried it with a thicker, round stock carabiner it worked just fine though.

[@multitoolman8085]

My rope is 10.5 mm will this work with my rope? I see it says up to 10. I know silly question but I wanna see if anyone else has this issue?

[@JBMountainSkills]

It’d probs be pretty unpleasant to belay with, I expect it’d be too grabby to feed out nicely.

[@shoqed]

I love everything about my Giga Jul but the only thing is that it tends to put twists in my rope when lowering, does anyone has this problem?

[@JBMountainSkills]

Haven't noticed that, but must admit haven't done a lot of lowering with mine.

[@shoqed]

@@JBMountainSkills If you take a closer look, in assisted mode, rope goes into an inward wedge that makes it twist. So it's not ideal for single pitch climbing but for multipitch it is a true all-rounder.

[@johntatman9168]

How well does it work on a larger rope, 10.5 etc?

[@shoqed]

not great. I tried it with gym rope 10.4 (fuzzy as any other gym rope, obviously), terrible even on toprope. Maybe you can manage with a new 10.5 but only if you have to

[@patrickjosephrogan9714]

Can you lock of the ropes individually?

[@DaOndee]

No, when locking up, both strands get pinched. When lead belaying, you need to release it with the the thumb to give out slack. It works well with giving out slack on a single strand when using double ropes.

[@benjiclimbs6665]

Mine keeps getting stuck, I find it very difficult to belay with it both in automatic and manual mode. Does anyone have any tips?

[@JBMountainSkills]

Best with skinny ish ropes and quite affected by carabiner choice.

[@TonySpinach]

Sold, take my money!

[@xxrgxxcasco]

I suggest people view the channel Hard Is Easy. They test several passive assisted belay devices for braking fails and the giga jul is one of the worst out there. Granted, he's using single rope only and he does not test the mega jul, but educational-wise, it's a great video. Any comment on the Revo?

[@chrisblake3112]

How do you find giving slack on the Giga Jul compared with the Grigri and Mega Jul? Thanks very much :)

[@JBMountainSkills]

I've used the GriGri an absolute ton, so find it possibly the easiest device on the market to give slack out smoothly. The GigaJul, whilst not quite as smooth as that in assisted mode, is easy with a bit of practice, but it does take a little practice.

[@chrisblake3112]

@@JBMountainSkills Thanks very much

[@martinvanmierlo7428]

I'm used to being able to easily switch to ascending while rapelling with a guide plate. It doesn't seem like that is possible with this device since the guide hole is on the other side... thoughts?

[@worldcooking]

Interesting!

[@gracek00]

Awesome video! Loved it, hopefully the shoutout will be soon!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Dammit, I even remembered in the morning before doing the video!

[@gracek00]

@@JBMountainSkills Oh it’s alright! It was such a great video anyway:) I actually ended up using something like that device and this rlly helped!

[@jackholmes3530]

Hi Jez. Have you experienced any issues with different carabiner/rope combinations? I have a DMM Belay master which provides not much assist at all with my 9mm Petzl Volta. I tried with a regular aero locker which although isn’t an ideal belay carabiner I found worked much better. I’m yet to try different rope/carabiner options but I wondered if you had experienced similar?

[@JBMountainSkills]

I haven’t used many different ones, but I normally use the dmm phantom hms and find that works well. I’ve also tried an older Sentinel and that didn’t give as much assistance.

[@marekgumienny5813]

Hi, I got giga today after using jul2 for several months hoping it will be an improvement. Sadly i would rather go back to jul2 for top rope and lead. Giga seems really hard to operate, tons of drag and sticks randomly in "A" mode. Checked the orientation and slider position. No idea if I am doing something wrong? In "M" mode feels inferior to verso. Only thing I found working nicely is lowering. Rather disappointed so far. Update: I kept testing and learning. Eventually found round profile, thicker carabiners work much better, smoother with tolerable rare lock ups on 10mm rope (settled on ocun condor). For lead with 8.9mm rope - very nice. Still jul2 seems smoother. if you fancy reviewing jul2 I would be really curious what you think.

[@lasholub4224]

Is lowering with giga jul in guide mode better than with normal ATC?

[@marekgumienny5813]

@@lasholub4224 Hi Jonatan I have not tried lowering in guide more properly, but I dont expect giga to be any better than ATC. The process / logistics will be exactly the same - giga has a tiny hole for a cord / sling to leverage the device and release the rope. I tried pushing 8mm sling through it - doable but quite a fiddle. Generally found giga to have more drag / resistance than ATC with a lot of sensitivity to the rope used. Not only thicker ropes but also stiffer ones require more force, coating might have some impact as well. Any kinks / flat spots just get stuck and require harder pull. This additional friction does however give smooth lowering and very smooth rappel. Just my opinion anyway.

[@lasholub4224]

@@marekgumienny5813 Thank you for your response. So I guess I don't need to change my mega jul. Lowering from above is the only downside for me, it takes quite a long time, just like on ATC.

[@Babjengi]

I found that the auto locking function gets compromised depending on the angle I'm standing relative to the rope. If I'm standing upright, it's solidly locked in place, but if I lean back to sit my weight on the rope, it starts to pay out pretty quickly. I wonder if I were to actually get knocked unconscious if it would hold once I fell limp lying straight back. I haven't tested for obvious reasons

[@wakojakko3241]

Pukka review jez. Just found my next purchase 😬

[@DrachenBlasen]

Beside a few gram lighter and the price, how is this better then the CT Alpine Up?

[@JBMountainSkills]

+ steel so should last longer, much less bulky too. Better? It's just a different option, some will prefer it, others won't.

[@DrachenBlasen]

@@JBMountainSkills Thank you for the answer! I am looking to buy my own first belay device. I always disliked the feeding slack on the grigri, so I want to buy something else but that still have an auto assisted mode.

[@bakerboy2222]

I enjoy using the GigaJul with half ropes, but its worth noting there's a large decrease in braking power with larger falls with all of these assisted braking devices that use the carabiner to pinch the rope. Jim Titt has provided some data on it. Its not nearly as a good as a GriGri on one rope, but hard to beat the GigaJul for 2 ropes.

[@kaiser00hans]

Jim Titts experiments are flawed as he tested a constant static pull while in real world falls there is one large dynamic spike and then a much lesser static pull. Still love the guy though, and he has good information usually. I just think he hates the Jul series. I would hold out to see an actually fall tower drop test to see grip strength required, rather than static pull.

[@TerryWintJr]

@@kaiser00hans maybe @hownottohighline would perform some tests of someone donated a device!

[@kaiser00hans]

@@TerryWintJr I'll send you Ryan's mailing address and you can get them to him asap thanks for offering! How many are you sending? 5? 10?

[@Simon-kx6yr]

Thanks for the review. As a MegaJul-user I ask myself what does make the GigaJul so much better than the MegaJul?

[@samsins34]

wondering the same thing!

[@urik]

The few times I tried the MegaJul I hated how the thumb loop dug into my thumb and paying out rope didn't feel very nice to me. I'd love hearing how these things compare in the Giga!

[@Govanification]

Rappelling is much smoother on the Gigajul in brake assist mode but also the ability to disable brake assist and rappel like normal is great. Also they got rid of the backwards-feeding guide mode setup so the Gigajul loads just like other ATC-style devices so it's a little less confusing IMO. Also less friction pulling in slack in guide mode on the Giga vs the megajul

[@Simon-kx6yr]

@@Govanification Rappelling in brake assist might be a good point and I would like to try, but also the MegaJul is able to rappel without brake assist by inserting it the other way round.

[@shoqed]

Well it's Giga, so must be 1000x better than Mega, duh

[@janehubble7604]

Hi Jez 🙂 so interested to hear your views on this. I've been using the Jul 2 and the the Mega Jul ( for trad) for some time now, and I rave about both 😄( would have loved to see you trying to use it extended for an abseil tho...bet that was hilarious! 🤣). I still use the Jul 2 for sport and indoor, and keep Mega for trad. However, when abseiling ( even tho they say i don't have to), I still use a prussik... belt, braces and another belt? Not sure what i think about having a switch to flip between assisted and not ( on giga jul) , tho. Love your videos they are SO informative. thanks for keeping lots of us safe 😊

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you liked the video! I think the GigaJul is loads nicer to use than the older Juls. I do often use a prusik with it, it depends a bit on the situation, but I normally default to the prusik.

[@erichughes3093]

@jb mountain skills, next time give Edelrid's environment stance a mention when reviewing their products please.

[@Fwacer]

Why? Are they especially good or bad for environment stance, compared to others?

[@erichughes3093]

@@Fwacer yes, especially good.

[@curvenut]

the only problem is price !! so $$$

[@JBMountainSkills]

Yeah... it's not cheap.

[@Bucketlistpuppet]

I saw a girl deck from 20 feet because her belayer used one of these seemingly incorrectly. Human centered design is missed by this device.

[@questionablebutconfident3]

That could happen to literally any device used incorrectly. This device works phenomenally.

[@omaernst]

Quite far from the „best belay device in the world“…good idea, badly engineered…the sliding mechanism to switch between modes alone is a potential issue…not to speak of how the rope feeds…and there are other less grave flaws…

[@JBMountainSkills]

Each to their own of course but it works super well in my experience.