When Assistance Fails!? The Physics And Experiments of Belay Devices

[@SunnyMorningPancakes]

We all thank your hand for its service.

[@HardIsEasy]

I wanted to feel if it's bad :))) so you don't have to :) And yea in some cases I got unexpected results.

[@kletterpuls]

😂 good one…

[@mairsilpretner6119]

@@HardIsEasy We should patreon you something like a butcher's chainmail glove for these tests to protect your hand a bit...

[@andrewdineen2387]

Yeah, man will you please protect your hand? You only have one!

[@enricsolec]

This guy is simply a GOD.

[@everything-narrative]

"I will do experiments that will potentially injure my hand. I will give ratings based on hand injury. No, I will not wear a glove."

[@thomasditsas976]

I practice sport climbing, caving and canyoning for 25 years. Now with your videos I don't have to explain to all these people I meet (usually in sport climbing) that believe that their belaying devices can do the job in any case, that they have to follow manufacturers' instructions closely. I can just say: be careful; watch this guy's videos, respect human life. Congratulations for this thorough presentation.

[@Nejjidragon]

Somoene recently told me that they liked knowing that they could take their hand off the rope "in an emercency" with their pilot. I love my pilot but assisted braking devices give too many people a false sense of security.

[@cosmicoptimist7977]

As much as we often like to pretend that our sport is always completely safe, the risks that come from possible user errors are evident and the consequences can be fatal. It’s important for us customers to be informed about products and for us climbers to know how to protect ourselves and the ones we love from unnecessary danger. Thank you Ben! Keep it up!

[@HardIsEasy]

Hey thank you so much!

[@HardIsEasy]

A note: As I already mentioned carabiner plays a big role in auto-tubers, and although only CT ClickUP / + requires specific carabiner, for the next video I'll try to reach out to manufacturers and get their recommendation on "the best" carabiner for their device. And then test everything again... :D A note #2: In some of my tests I inserted Trango Vergo incorrectly, but it's still nice to know that it worked well, but seems like I'm slightly too dumb to understand this "intuitive" design to load it properly all the time :D Also I received multiple emails stating other issues with Trango Vergo that I'll have to investigate for the follow up video. A note #3: Just received another email with a video demonstrating Jul2 slipping and not locking at all - and Jul2 worked in my tests so well :( So as I already said - there is always more to every story... and I see that creating a Rating table might have been not the smartest move of mine :DD

[@mariesophie7133]

Hello, loved this video! I use the fish. Have you heard of it? It’s comparable to the smart 2.0 I guess 🤔 and it always comes together with its own security carabiner when you buy it. So far I‘m really happy with it :)

[@santiagom2332]

I have a megajul sport and it fails when the wire loop (i dont know how its called )gets stuck in the top off the screwgate in the carabiner, and its works as a normal belay plate, because it dont let the megajul get clousser enough to the carbiner to press the rope

[@testboga5991]

Your suffering for science is appreciated, but feel free to use gloves next time - we will not judge you! Regarding Gigajul, I noticed quite a bit of carabiner dependence. Some are much better than others! Could you test that and maybe reply back? What seems to work well is the Edelrid HMS Strike FG.

[@damnination333]

@@testboga5991 I use the I use the Jul2 + HMS bulletproof Triple FG carabiner in the gym and the GigaJul + HMS bulletproof screw FG outdoors. so basically the same carabiner, and more or less the same as ths HMS Strike. I've noticed the GigaJul tends to slip a lot when it should be locked off. Like if I relax my grip, the rope will start slipping through.

[@mateuszkosmala4778]

I think that Jul2 also requires special carabiner - the steel one or Edelrid Booletproof (aluminium with steel insert), as it is not very gentle with alu ones. It can be also a safety issue.

[@themeatpopsicle]

Videos like this are important, because no device is totally dummy-proof. You've established which ones are more dummy-proof than others. Thank you!

[@x_isaka]

Guys research can prevent future accidents.

[@alessandropinelli7522]

New generations of climbers will be raised from videos like this while other climbers will understand why they are still here: they held the brake-side of the rope, Thank you for your videos

[@alexnone5720]

I've been using either a Jul or mega jul for a few years now and have a few comments on technique. You don't need to wrap your thumb all the way around it when paying out slack, pushing it to the side with your thumb or just using the pad (tip) of your thumb to put some pressure up on it is enough to allow slack to go through easily and will not put up enough resistance to hold the device open if the leader falls. The narrower the beam of the belay carabiner is the harder it will catch a fall, I've been using the bulletproof HMS locker for a while now and it's been a good match. The large round cross section lockers don't get pulled u into the notch as far and it can end up with a bit of slippage, not a drop, just a bit of slippage. It was neat to see the giga jul just slow down the weight and not fully lock up since these devices are marketed as assisted braking / friction increasing devices and not auto catching.

[@Dstryrrr]

Thank you for your hard work Ben! For me safety is the most important thing while belaying. I always wanted to be not only a decent climber but also a good belayer, so once again, thank you! Btw. I think you should start wearing a helmet while testing. Your brain is priceless! ❤

[@HardIsEasy]

haha well if I start dropping weights on my self I def should :D

[@asmoth360]

@@HardIsEasy You almost did at 13:15 with the weight swinging up there... Bad timing and it ends on your head haha

[@toydarian1]

@@HardIsEasy add some safety-shoes and a pair of gloves ;)

[@Mark-fd3mg]

Surely, the point of a helmet is to be wearing it *before* dropping things on your head. But I’m not a scientist. 😉

[@jonettang]

If one has one, why not. One only wishes that they did in a time of need. Plenty of stories in this category, and hope to limit it to a handful.

[@wayfed-ow8ei]

Regarding your test results with the Gigajul. In the beginning I had exactly the same results. I tried several carabiners until I found a really good fit. the most important thing was that the upper carabiner axis is as narrow as possible. currently I use a Petzl Frenio, with this the Gigajoul locks pretty quickly and reliable.

[@peteringram7472]

good to know thanks. I just got a gigajul and was gonna get the freino for my grigri

[@RichardRLiu]

The natural choices of carabiner to partner the Edelrid Giga Jul would be Edelrid's Bulletproof (with the steel insert to reduce rope induced wear) and the Strike. In my experience, the former is too large, and giving rope is a pain; the latter is better in that regard, and I believe that Edelrid itself sells this pairing as a set.

[@eisernerbursche]

Would a megajul behave similarly?

[@jdagilliland]

Honestly quite impressed you stood for all those tests without gloves. For science!

[@DNA912]

I have a BD Pilot and I've had really good experience with it. And what I like about it is the reliability and consistency. The device extremely rarely does something unexpected in my experience.

[@AceRanger20]

I love mine too, but I have had 2 instances where it had some issues. Both were caused by my climbing partner. One was leading in a gym and he didn’t flake the rope when he pulled it out, it was so twisted up that the rope curled through the side next to the carabiner and caused the rope to bind while giving slack. Other situation was the same thing, but outside. I need to make him flake his rope so that doesn’t happen again, and I’m sure that would happen with most of the tube style devices

[@svoloSlovakia]

Same here, using BD for 3y without any dangerous / slip situation. As said in the video - it's about experience and understanding the device, not about the device itself. Great video anyway!

[@tomgnyc]

I like mine, I can give and take slack really easily, but it doesn't lock up as easily or as firmly as the Smart. It's also harder to find the thumb release and sometimes I have to fumble for it. All things considered I think I prefer the smart.

[@matteobmaontube]

Hi Ben, your videos are great, I really appreciate them for scientific explanations made simple and understandable by all. Amazing quality. 👍👍 Thank you Ben 😀 PS: In case you want to suffer less, the use of gloves doesn't change the quality of the evidences.😉

[@AllegraClimbingPsychologist]

When we went to a safety course, we were instructed that with geometric locking devices the type of carabiner make a very big impact. Wonder how the results would be impacted by that!

[@HardIsEasy]

Yes carabiner shape is very important, but testing all of them is impossible so my results should be taken with great caution.

[@AllegraClimbingPsychologist]

@@HardIsEasy I think "great caution" might be an overestimation 😉

[@TheDudeFromKalispell]

@@HardIsEasy This is true, thank you so much. For example I went back and looked at which carabiner you used with the old click up, still my device of choice. And I believe you used the clickup plus carabiner, do you know if it is exactly the same?

[@isaacmarkovitz7548]

@@TheDudeFromKalispell In my experience the clickup carabiners can be a little less likely to cause the device to lock than the thick stainless steel monsters we have lying around, but I don't know about the clickup plus. I imagine the increased diameter and circular profile jams the rope in a little tighter.

[@Aaron-xq6hv]

I'm sure no matter what is in this video there are still gonna be people talking about how obviously the Grigri is the problem and body belays are the best kind of belay. Regardless, this is a great video and there's a lot of good info here.

[@shksprcolonist]

Great work! For your No-Slack fall with the Vergo at 16:25, you have the device facing the opposite direction as Trango instructs (the handle should be pointing at you, not away from you when attached to the carabiner, before you twist the device into a normal belay position. See the owner's manual). I don't believe it would fail this scenario if set up properly.

[@toddbloom5939]

I feel like the revo is so misunderstood, the assisted breaking is not ever supposed to engage except for those really catastrophic situations. Generally, it provides zero assistance and it's big selling point is it being an extremely smooth tube style belay

[@Govanification]

Exactly, I haven't used it extensively but you basically belay with it like a regular ATC-style device and the full lock-up is there in case you mess up or get injured.

[@Yildun28]

@@Govanification I've never used one. So if your break hand is held down the cam never spins up to 4m/s before locking? It's an instant lock?

[@Govanification]

@@Yildun28 No if you hold onto the brake strand, the device brakes on the friction teeth like a regular ATC and thus the rotating cam doesn't spin fast or engage at all.

[@belavandervoort]

I used the revo for a bit. I wish it were easier to engage the lock when someone was hanging. And I also accidentally engaged the lock when quickly pulling in slack which caused some headaches. With more experience that would probably go away or I could recover from it smoothly. Kind of hoping they can figure out a 2.0 with some improvements because I did love how smoothly it fed out slack

[@toddbloom5939]

@@belavandervoort I'd never thought about either of those situations! the first seems super annoying, that's my favorite thing about using a grigri! The second seems like it could be dangerous?

[@angrybirder9983]

The Giga Jul slowly slipping is something I experienced myself (not while climbing, but while testing), though it depends on the rope and the carabiner. It's not really a safety issue in sport climbing IMO because it still slows the rope to a speed where hitting the ground isn't dangerous. However, if you thought you could rappel without a third hand, you can't do that with many ropes because instead of stopping you it will keep slowly sliding down if you let go of the rope.

[@benvizena5951]

The weight of the rope while rappelling is sufficient to stop you completely for most of the rappel while in assisted breaking mode with the ropes I've used. I rappel without a friction hitch while using the giga in this mode. I still tie a cat knot when going hands free for something. A double rope rappel has so much rope weight below the device that I just rappel in manual mode with a friction hitch backup; in assist mode it's a miserable, slow, annoying experience until you are 2/3 of the way down the rappel line for very long rappels.

[@angrybirder9983]

@@benvizena5951 I rappelled 12 m in assist mode (with a rope where it does fully lock). With an extra carabier as a lever, it's super smooth.

[@JulioGarcia-sephirothtbm]

Thank for the video and all the testing, I use the GigaJul always taking as much care as possible but after watching this I'll surely be more concentrated even when belaying, I would love to see the alpine up tested

[@Cslteo]

These videos are worth so much for me, as a beginner climber. Thanks a lot for putting in the effort!

[@Borsti78]

Thx for all this tests! After watching this, I´m still a big fan of "Jul2", because it manages all the situations quite well while in addition have good resistance against dirt etc. and performs well with extremly worn ropes, because the mechanik is very simple. I did some tests like this over water with myself (belay myself in toprope and take a fall with no hands on the device) and ~90 % it stops me completely. The rest of the cases (diameter of rope too small, rope wet or frozen or just too new) I hit the water, but the speed was quite low, so I wouldnt expect injuries if the water is "true" ground. Even Grigri and Clickup failed in my tests, because if you belay yourself with no hand on brake side, the ropes are pointing up parallel like in your tests.

[@Gadgetmawombo]

Bought the Jul2 because this video. Seems the best in terms of value and features/safety AND ease of use. I LOVE it, have had it for a few weeks now, gone belaying like 4 times with it now, it's very intuitive imo.

[@leperipleamerique]

I really like my Mammut Smart 2.0, I will consider adding the Smarter. Thanks for your work, I love all your videos !

[@Nerazzurri87]

I would say: don't get it. It really interferes with taking and giving rope. It's like riding a bike with training wheels on. Just leave your break hand where it belongs. Smart is amazing and Smarter is not really needed for belayers with some experience.

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

​@@Nerazzurri87I don't find that it interferes much. Smart2+ is my favorite device, just so simple and with the Mammut trunk, it's easy to regulate the friction level. And while correct usage and safety discipline is always the most important thing, I always like redundancy.

[@chrisrutley1332]

Of those devices I've tried the GriGri, Jul2, Pilot, and Smart 2.0 (without Smarter). This video pretty mostly matched my experience in that the Jul2 locked the most readily. It also had the strongest holding power after a catch. None of ~3 ropes I tried slipped at all even when I had slack ahead of my brake hand. The Smart would slip slowly with a heavy climber, and the Pilot would slip at a slow to moderate speed depending on the climber and rope. As for other things not really covered in/outside the scope of the video: The Pilot was the smoothest of the three assisted-tube style devices in giving and taking slack, the hook for the thumb works pretty well, and it was the easiest by a significant margin for lowering the climber in a smooth and controlled manner using the recommended technique by gripping the whole device. The Smart felt the least smooth/most friction-y in giving/taking slack, and the thumb hook didn't feel very secure. Lowering with it is just okay; you use both hands to push up on the lever since you can't really grab the whole thing, and it's a little hard to control that way. The Jul2 is fairly smooth in giving/taking slack. The enclosed thumb loop takes a little practice to get used to, since after taking slack you want to be able to get your thumb back in there without looking down. However, once I got used to it, I found that easy, and it's obviously the most secure thumb position compared to the other two devices. The last drawback of the Jul2 is that it's maybe the hardest of the three to smoothly lower with, but once I figured out a technique I liked (wrapping my hand around the tube, with the back of the device between thumb and index finger, with two or three fingers from the same hand in the thumb lever, with other hand on the brake strand to help modulate), it was fine. The Jul2 ended up being my favored device of the three for its catching and holding characteristics, although I wouldn't mind the Pilot for gym use because it's so smooth. Lastly, it's true that you are technically defeating the camming action when tilting the assisted tube style devices. However, I think the way you do that is still better than the way you defeat the GriGri's cam. With the assisted tubes, you push up with your brake hand. When a climber falls, your natural reaction is to clamp and pull down, which is exactly what you want to do with those devices. With the GriGri, clamping with your brake hand can be catastrophic if you're not holding the device and rope correctly. Anyway, I think these videos are absolutely excellent, and should be required viewing for anyone who's just taken their initial lead belay classes.

[@TheDudeFromKalispell]

These are great results to learn from. I believe we need to reflect on the manufacturers' design decisions as well. For example, I still feel really comfortable using the click up as it replicates the atc style of giving slack without touching the device and it performs great in experiment 2 which would be the most common situation in climbing. I am not too worried about such a grave user error in experiment 1 and 3 with myself. For experiment 3, it does give me pause, but as a belayer I would have to be completely incapacitated by a heart attack or falling rock for this to become relevant.

[@tonimartin681]

Great technical content.... Out standing!! Congrats Ben 👏👏👏 Somebody had to run this in depth study.... and you've been the one!! 🙌🙌

[@hermanhalfmouw299]

Great video! Finally a review of Hard=Easy about de GigaJul. I’m using that device, with a special Edelrid carabiner though, which eliminates the slipping rope problem (depending on the rope tickness).

[@fajastata2]

Great video! Considering the differences between Jul and Giga Jul, it would have been interesting to also see the results for Mega Jul.

[@pavlodeshko]

hi, fellow MegaJul owner here. I've tried "hand adove the device" experiment today, and was not able to replicate jul2 success with it :( when my break strand is perfectly parallel to the load strand it just sits there, providing no friction (like BD pilot in the video) and not being pulled down towards the carabiner. It locks if the break strand is leaning forward even a tiny bit though. My opinion is that it depends on where the center of gravity of the tube is - if the tail (lever) is heavy the device tends to tilt forward and is engaged. Jul2 seams to have bulkier handle, and there's less metal on the other side, so my guess it tends to rotate itself forward more than megaJul

[@jakobm.4183]

20:45 the most important point is that one is familiar with the device. That's why I still use classic tube. I have never been properly instructed with another device, so I stick to what I know works for me.

[@nicholasschut3317]

If I may, I would like to correct you on the use of the Edelrid JUL 2 please ! I used the GriGri and then the Edelrid Eddy for 20 years, and 6 months ago I tried the JUL 2 for sport climbing, and it is amazing when you know how to use it best ! To give slack quickly you don't have to override its autolocking system as you showed in your video ! You just have to slide your right hand holding the "safe rope side" far behind you to get about 1 meter of rope from your right hand to the JUL 2, and then bring quickly your right hand close / below the JUL 2... when you are about half way of this move / AFTER starting the move with you right hand, now you can give slack with your left hand to the climber very quickly without locking the rope in the autolocking mechanism !! Your right hand just need to move before your left hand giving the slack !! I use a 10,5 mm rope and it never locks with this method ! If you did not do the method correctly and you move BOTH HANDS IN THE SAME TIME to give the slack, then yes, the rope will lock automatically in the mechanism ! However if this happens, to unlock it very quickly and very safely, I do not recommand to use your right hand holding the "safe rope" and bring your right thumb into the dedicated loop to unlock the system holding the "safe rope side" with only 4 fingers ! Instead, I use my left hand (climber's side) and hold the whole JUL2 between the side of my index and my thumb and quickly pull it up few centimeters to unlock the mechanism, and in the same movement upwards, I "slide above" and grab the rope and give the slack very quickly... as long as I have already brought my right hand with the 1 meter slack of rope close to the JUL 2 (just below the JUL 2!! It's very easy, very quick, very efficient and very safe this way. Since I understood this method, I through away the GriGri and the Eddy, as there is no point of using another device. The JUL2 is much simpler (no cam, no moving part, no button), very efficient, very solid and durable (all steel construction). Amazingly safe and simple product, I really recommand you try it using the method I explain above.

[@Mark-fd3mg]

This is brilliant. Informative, entertaining, personable - the ideal combination for a teacher. I’m going to post the link into my local climbing group. I’ve used many devices and never had a problem, but it’s great to know how it could happen. Because it only has to happen once to create a bad day. I’m going to practice belaying at home to ensure I have my technique absolutely nailed.

[@adelinspv]

And that's why we wear gloves for belaying. Thx for the high quality of your vids, the scientific aimed focus is so amazing, u're the GOAT ! But still, how brave you are to drive these experiences bare handed. Hope bruises weren't to itchy, take care of you and keep shining in the YT climbing game as in our hearts. Best regards from south of France.

[@HardIsEasy]

Haha I needed to see if it's bad :D and got some unexpected results, even tho my testing was progressive so you can control the danger.

[@justinrothmedia]

This video was so well done. Great work. This information is so important to know!

[@timwatson4118]

Hello, Great video! i started climbing in the 80's when a 'figure eight' was THE belay/rappel device that everyone used. The complexity of more modern devices is shocking to me. Every climber MUST also know how a Munter hitch works. Occam's razor is often correct.

[@buckcorrigan9595]

Well thought out, and well presented ! Thanks Ben ! 😊

[@JonathanFisherS]

Thank you so much for this research and education. I'm not a Revo owner, but I was interested in the Revo, so I went and pulled the manual and marketing material. Here's what I found: Wild Country does _not_ consider the Revo's locking mechanism as a primary safety device, in contrast to something like the GriGri. Instead, it is _purely_ a backup SHTF system. They consider the Revo an ordinary Tubular device. The manual states this clear as day: "Be aware that if the REVO does not lock it is because you are doing your job as a belayer". So from that, I don't even think the Revo could/should be considered an assisted device. Whats disappointing is that the Revo is more than likely the "safest" design from a mechanical perspective, but they have the device tuned to be far less sensitive than needed to be considered an assistive belay device. Maybe this is their lawyer department, or maybe Wild Country does not think repeatedly locking the Revo thousands of times is safe (from a wear perspective). There are climbers that have modified the Revo to lock much easier, but the device could possibly wear out faster. In any case, I think it's only safe to follow the manual and consider the Revo an ordinary tube device. Your experimental results certainly line up with the manual's guidance.

[@sconosciuto]

I wonder if the mega jul perform like the jul 2 or the giga jul in experiment #1. Since it's like a jul2 with two holes, I think it could perform great in this situation. I use it in crags and alpine routes and never felt the rope to slip during falls when belaying. About Ex #2, on edelrid devices you don't need to pull the device up. You feed the rope in the device (keeping your hand low, creating a loop and making the rope enter the device from above) and pull on the climber side. Once you learn how to do this there's no need to pull up. edit: I wrote the commet before the end of the video

[@nicolasleni6285]

Great video. Hope this creates more consciousness and proper use of devices. I personally like the Mad Rock Lifeguard. It's spring is slightly harder than the Grigri making rope giving exactly the same as a tubular device. So there's no new method to learn and no mechanismi overriding. Thanks again.

[@user-kh3mp8dt3t]

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[@asldfjkalsdfjasdf]

Great Experiments! I would love to see Saleva Ergo Belay included as well. But i guess you can't test them all ... there are so many!

[@HardIsEasy]

yea exactly, I did tested the most popular once that are easy to buy.

[@palu_myr]

>So, which device would I prefer you to belay me? > The one you are most proficient in. Thanks for including this statement.

[@StalenStefan]

Other than showing which belay devices assist in braking in which situations the best, it mainly shows the importance of belaying correctly. One should never rely on the belay device, but rather have it as an extra safety feature in case you aren't belaying optimally. I think that is the main takeaway of this video.

[@Leroy3019]

once again very interesting! thank you...i use the Mega Jul and now I wonder if it would act more like Giiga Jul or Jul2, which were completely different!!

[@HardIsEasy]

Yea Mega Jul seems to be an older device and it was not available in the shop I was buying devices from so I just went with Jul2

[@martinheimlich6445]

Same here, the Mega Jul is more versatile than the Jul2, but the geometry looks quite the same, so would be really nice to know how it would have performed in these scenarios 😊.

[@0say_y089]

Super cool Video. I use the Fish from austrialpin. Would be really interesting if you could include this one too

[@robsonpipe2187]

An other really great video which reminds us all in climbing in keeping an eye on the breaking hand and correct usage of the preferred belaying device. Great job!

[@blackmedia7075]

The Giga-jul has two different modes: with and without brake assistance. May I ask which setting was tested here?

[@paulseabrook9338]

Firstly, I really like all your videos and appreciate the detail of the work you do. I’d like to comment on the experiment 3, no slack portion of this video as it relates to the Click-up & Click-up+. This experiment is based on the idea that an actively engaged belay device, the example is the GriGri, will disengage itself if the climber unweights the rope. This then leads to your example experiment and the results you explain. However in the Click-up case you, as the belayer, actively disengaged the Click-up+ device, this is seen at 17:46 . If a click-up has engaged following a fall, the climber can jump about and unweight the rope and the device will stay engaged… however if the belayer deliberately disengages the locked device, pushing it forward and up, as you do in the video, then all bets are off! Obviously, whatever our choice of belay device, let’s all hold the dead end of the rope because that’s how we keep our friends alive! Once again, thanks for the Hard is Easy work!

[@PiotrBerlowski]

Thanks for your video! I found that the carabiner spine thickness has a major impact on the GigaJul's performance.Additionally I'm only using it with a classic "round" spine and not the aluminum beveled carabiners.

[@superPizzation]

I started climbing woth a group of very experienced old guys and they usually use the italian hitch which is just a knot. Would be great to see it compared to the modern devices. Love your work and i use a device haha

[@philipp9604]

The Italian Hitch aka Munter Hitch does not stop the rope from slipping. It's another class of belay devices. There's no safety margin in case the belayer lets go of the break-hand side of the rope.

[@apeclimbing]

@@philipp9604 but it kinda works even with hand up, and in this test he held on the brake rope just up the device, in this setup the munter hitch just works perfectly fine.

[@AlErGr]

Great video and useful info on different camming style belay devices. I do think including the Revo and testing it as a cam style device greatly misrepresented it. It's a very smooth feeding and and extra safe tube style device. It's arguably safer than every other device in this video, but it's still not a camming device. Also, for anyone that uses a Revo, wear a glove on your break hand, he's not kidding that it hurts if your hand gets pulled into it.

[@AceRanger20]

Thanks for all the hard work and info on this! Very interesting to see the different results. You also hit the nail on the head by your recommendation of “whichever you are most comfortable with.” Throwing someone on a brand new belay device and expecting them to be proficient with it is not good, but basic belaying common sense is going to be the best protection you can get. I personally like Grigri for top rope belaying and BD Pilot for lead belaying due to the simplicity and how experienced I am with it, but there will be tons of preferences based on experience. Keep up the great work!

[@davegrote266]

Great video! It's very useful to know the limits and capabilities of the different belay devices. You showed that the gri-gri can be problematic if the belayer pinches the mechanism which could prevent it from locking. This is belaying right handed. I'd be curious if you've tested the similar thing if belaying left handed - but there, the common usage is to pinch the axis of the release level which does not hold the mechanism down. It seems that this method is actually better in this case since it should still quickly lock.

[@BramHeerebout]

I have nothing to add to this discussion other than thank you for fantastic content. And also for the algorithm to increase your visibility. Years ago you explained how youtubes monetization alone could not enable you to create more content (if I remember correctly it was 1$ ranging from a 1k to 10k views). This video series is so good for just general safety awareness. It may actually save lives. And so, if youtube thinks they can make money off your videos, they plug them really hard on peoples recommended videos. I heard commenting helps for that. So here's my contribution to making the world a better place. Right from my couch :-)

[@gae11e]

Very interesting !! I really like your videos. One parameter that would be also good to add is how easy it is to give slack with those devices. Because it can also be dangerous to not be able to give slack when your climber needs to clip very quickly. I switch from the GriGri to the BD Pilot because of this and I feel way more comfortable with it. The BD Pilot is so simple to use that you can not do some mistake (ok, except if you dont hold the breaking rope). But with the GriGri, there are dozens of mistakes you can do to make it go wrong... 😁

[@jankitzmann8253]

This goes out to all the lightly taker! Amazingly serious content. You are great! Thanks!

[@Zolodar]

Absolutely awesome work on the testing, documentation and explanation! Thank you so much for all the great content you provide! Yours and a handful of other channels frequently make me go down the classic "youtube rabbit hole" and I keep learning so many things that only a very tiny amount of climbers out there actually know about. You're definitely making the climbing world a safer place with your educational content!

[@bentuinstra4441]

I use the Edelrid Mega Jul and love it. High on your safety rankings and very versatile for my outdoor use.

[@oskargubo]

Great video! Thank you for explaining the mechanics of those devices so well. However, you forgot to mention that in the scenario you described in Experiment #3, the click-up would be locked. You would need to manually unlock it, shifting your focus back to the belay device, in order to replicate the circumstances you tested it under. Thanks again, and I'm excited for more:)

[@HardIsEasy]

Yea I tested all devices in the unlocked state, which can happen in normal belay scenario, but ofc if you lock ClickUP it stays locked, which you could consider slightly safer indeed

[@user-qn9ku2fl2b]

can confirm. it is designed not to lock in the tested situation, because that's how you give slack

[@user-qn9ku2fl2b]

@@HardIsEasy once locked it mostly stays locked, yes. actually it's pretty common to have to try to "de-clip" (unlock) it by unloading it and moving it around, because it happens whenever you give slack too quickly and lock it accidentally. But its quite hard to do even on purpose, so you end up having to grab the device (with the left hand) and pull it up to reset it

[@Blue-pb7kz]

I kind of wish you had added the ATC to your rankings when you were testing all the devices together - a friend of mine saw your previous video of the grigri fall and concluded that she felt safer using her ATC than a grigri because of it! So I worry that this kind of video, pushing all the assisted devices to failure, might be better with a little disclaimer that the ATC would fail all these tests! Anyways now I'm curious about if there's any way to make an ATC fail in guide mode. Also, I hope you get some belay gloves for whatever tests you do next, that was painful to watch - but thank you for the sacrifice for this amzing demo!

[@NPC-fl3gq]

Some ATCs will fail in guide mode with very skinny ropes coz the two strands will get pulled past each other.

[@eyescreamcake]

Yes it should be on the same chart with 0 for all tests

[@FlatOutFE]

The ATC is like all the other devices. One has to use it properly.

[@Blue-pb7kz]

@@FlatOutFE No, I agree, I have one and use mine regularly (my gym ropes are thick and fuzzy enough that giving slack with a grigri is a struggle, and for multipitch stuff), and I like it. But even with perfect technique, an assisted device is arguably a lot safer for sport climbing outdoors where a rock could fall on your head and where the weight penalty and the capacity for using 2 ropes don't matter. And I certainly wouldn't consider it safer than an assisted device.

[@FlatOutFE]

@@Blue-pb7kz , two ropes are safer than one. Helmets designed for side impacts are safer than those just designed for top impacts. Two carabiners are safer than one. Locking carabiners are safer than non-locking carabiners. In the end we all make compromises. The unfortunate thing is that most people now consider ATC devices as unsafe, yet they have served climbers well for 50 years.

[@Billy_SMC_]

I was hoping you would try also Alpine UP from Climbing Technology, the few guys I clim with only uses this device and we find it very versatile. (But I always use my Reverso as i find it very simple, so I know exactly what happens when I use it. No room for randomness if there is more or less slack while belaying). I guess it would have almost the same "bad" results than the Click UP but as we are pretty meticulous on the safety we never let both hand go while belaying, so we've never had any issues. It'd be cool if any of you guys have tried these experiments with the CT Alpine UP and would have results to share ! TY 🤘

[@joostdemoor138]

You don't even have to overrule Grigri's locking mechanism to give slack. In most instances, it can be done by very gradually pulling rope through the divise. This requires some practice to develop the right sensitivity, but it's not particularly difficult. Moreover, by walking a step to the wall, this can made even easier (i.e. to give some initial slack, because if you try this method too quickly you are likely to lock the device anyway). This has worked fine for me

[@dustinholtz9183]

You can pull out slack as fast as you like as long as you understand what is making the cam engage. His previous video makes it clear how and when the Grigri's cam will engage; if there is no force on the break side of the rope, the cam will never engage. Even the meter or so of rope hanging down from the Grigri to the ground will generally have enough mass to allow it's gravity to generate the required force to cause the cam engage. (I am not suggesting you let go of the break side of the rope, but just pointing out that applying even very small amounts of force to the break side of the rope will cause the cam to engage in the event that there is a force on the climber's side of the rope). As long as the cam is not already engaged, you can pay out slack quickly while never having to press on the cam to stop it from blocking. The key is make the break side of the rope "weightless" - ensure there are no significant forces acting on it. Just slide your break hand down the break side of the rope the distance equal to the amount of slack you want to pay out. Then hold your hand up enough so that the rope's weight is mostly resting in your hand - there is no weight pulling on the Grigri. Then with your other hand you can pull that slack through the Grigri, as fast as you'd like. You never need to let go of the break side of the rope, ensuring that there is always enough force on the break side of the rope to cause the cam to engage should the climber fall while you are using this method. This method, combined with taking steps away from and toward the wall to take and give slack (as you have suggested), is more than enough to belay a climber without needing to press on the cam. Should the cam engage while the climber is trying to clip, then you will need to press on the cam to disengage it (using Petzel's recommended method). If you need to pay out more slack after disengaging the cam, you can return to the method I have suggested above.

[@tacticalflannel8523]

I appreciate your scientific curiosity! Good job! I am a physicist and I learn from your content.

[@simonepanizzi2094]

Great video, as always! Sooner or later you will have to make a test of different types of gloves, or your hands will fall off 😂 Also, I have always used the MegaJul, but I don't know if that's more similar to the Jul2 or the GigaJul 🤔 What do you think? Should I make some experiments myself? 😂

[@pavlodeshko]

hi, fellow MegaJul owner here. I've tried "hand adove the device" experiment today, and was not able to replicate jul2 success with it :( when my break strand is perfectly parallel to the load strand it just sits there, providing no friction (like BD pilot in the video) and not being pulled down towards the carabiner. It locks if the break strand is leaning forward even a tiny bit though. My opinion is that it depends on where the center of gravity of the tube is - if the tail (lever) is heavy the device tends to tilt forward and is engaged. Jul2 seams to have bulkier handle, and there's less metal on the other side, so my guess it tends to rotate itself forward more than megaJul

[@arguallo]

I have a quick question, in which mode is the GigaJul setup? I saw the yellow lever up... I don't usually use it as usual. Thanks so much for doing this video and also without globes, you're really brave 😆

[@philipp9604]

In "Break-Assist" mode. The slider is on the side with the grooves. The carabiner can jam the rope in the gap of the device.

[@HardIsEasy]

Yes I used in Assisted mode, I don't see the reason for other mode at all...

[@philipp9604]

@@HardIsEasy The tube mode ("manual" mode) can arguably still be useful. For instance on ifsc competitions the belayers may only use manual devices. The manual mode on the Gigajul can also be used for rappelling and it enables the guide mode functionality for belaying from above.

[@jonathanandrade176]

I love your videos and yanns videos specifically on how things can fail. I think knowing this, can help us avoid dangerous situations.

[@shangc2095]

Hi, if the climber is lock with the clickup + or not , the carabiner is at the front and if the climber just go up and release the rope, the clickup stay in lock position. So if the climber fall at this moment, he will be lock by clickup. Only a human could use the movement for unlock the click up so it will be a human error to not hold the brake side of the rope. You do a great job, it's a pleasure to see your video. Take your time to have quality.

[@BloodyMobile]

I'm not even a climber, not counting occasionally climbing a tree for a meter or two, but I still found both videos, this and the previous about the GriGri extremely interesting

[@battletoads1928]

Amazing video, I really like the way you analyzed how each of these devices can fail.

[@Rottenation]

Back here after the launch of the Petzl Neox, eagerly waiting for your takes and tests on it.

[@andreasweber7828]

Bought the Mammut belay device for a girl I was in love with to secure me. Unfortunately at one point when I fell she completely let go of the device and the rope. But to my complete surprise I didn’t hit the ground in a free fall but rather my fall got noticeable delayed and I touched down without a scratch. Needless to say that my investment was worth every penny. Needless to say that she wasn’t worth the trouble at all and I live single happily ever after

[@petarmedo1192]

Are you sure she loves you back? Curious 😂

[@chosen_none]

Interesting results with the pilot. I picked one up on sale some years ago and have been using it over my grigri2 since then and much prefer it. Having the rope up or thumb resting under the release catch did feel more dangerous so I made sure to actively avoid those positions unless necessary; by now it's second nature.

[@WetDoggo]

User error is a design flaw. Obviously pros don't need/want user error protection, but even i would prefer user error protection for those fringe cases where you're just really caught off guard. Everyone does errors sometimes, if those errors combine with other errors you can quickly habe a really bad day. So i appreciate this video and i appreciate that some manufacturers put effort into midigating user errors.

[@mirkodf2162]

Great technical explanations of any available technology for belaying systems! I even didn't know most of them, since I'm used to belay with Grigri! What about a video testing Prograde autobelay system at floor level? I've tried on a climbing gym here in Italy, and it works quite great! Best experience of ever, by using autobelay! Regards Mirko

[@whutube82]

Very happy with the Jul2 results 🎉😂, must say though that for this device and the Giga Jul it is strongly recommended to pair it with the right carabiner as a wrong match will just make it perform way worse if at all. I use the Bruce Steel Triple FG for the Jul2 which although heavier has the added benefit of almost zero wear.

[@HardIsEasy]

Yea all of autotubers are sensitive to carabiner choices, maybe brands should give a list of recommended carabiners. that work the best that they did tests with...

[@whutube82]

@@HardIsEasy agreed, zee Germans of Edelrid have done so in the manuals, would be good if all brands did. If I am not mistaken Mammut does so too.

[@marcushausch]

The JUL² also as any autotube device, is pretty unsafe when giving slack, meaning pushing the device up, most belayers let go the firm grip on the brake rope, and then nothing brakes. All needed to make a accident perfect then is a distracted belayer in that moment of unexpected fall.

[@darrenbreydsor5604]

For reference I use the Mammut smart alpine (the double rope version of the smart 2.0) with a 9.8mm rope all the time. I treat it like a normal ATC, as you should with all devices. I use it for a few reasons over the normal ATC (which I still use for some things). The main reason is that you can hang around on the rope without having to yank on it constantly. Just having your arm below the device is enough to keep it locked. The other is that the alpine can be used in guide mode. The diameter and stiffness of the rope matters a fair bit for the locking. Smooth, rigid, new, skinny ropes will run right through it without the brake hand involved. I think that's a minor flaw, but I consider it safer overall compared to the grigri. That might seem silly, but I don't mean on a technical level since the grigri definitely locks better. Instead, because people can't assume it will lock, so they have to treat it like a normal ATC. Grigris are dangerous because people are dumb, not because of any bad design. The other problem I have with the grigri is not being able to rappel with it. If you do, for any substantial distance or speed, then it can heat up enough to cut through the sheath of the rope. I haven't had it get that extreme, but I did get it hot enough on only a 10-15m rappel that it melted the frayed fibers of the sheath. That just makes me uneasy. I also never ever ever raise my arm to less than about 70 deg from the climbing end of the rope. Doing so is a really dumb idea as you highlighted. Even just intuitively it makes sense if you try both methods. I wish people wouldn't do that.. It's terrifying to see and so easily avoided. This is not a casual sport. You have to know what is going on, plan, and understand how things work. If not you risk serious injury and worse, that injury is usually to others, not the irresponsible person who didn't belay correctly.

[@alertsquirrel]

With the GigaJul, it's very important that not only the rope diameter is correct, but also the carabiner. If its too wide - like the one that i saw you using - you get slippage and poorer performance. It's definitely an issue but one that can be fixed very easily. Funny enough, I've had the best luck using my BD Gridlock. I had similar reaults using my Edelrid Bulletproof. Similarly problematic is using a carabiner that is too small. It requires a lot more force to release. Edit: removed a comment about not seeing people talk about carabiner size when i read a comment by you talking about that.

[@TheBilkis]

If you're using Mammut Smart 2.0 without the "Smarter" add-on, then giving slack the classical way, without necessarily opening the device, works pretty smoothly.

[@TheFrge]

Thank you for the video. Would suggest you to do testing on lowering climber too. It is a second cause climber get injured from bad belayer too. Well done mate. 👍

[@HardIsEasy]

Yeaa I was not sure how to measure lovering risks tho... but in the future I'll somehow measure the comfort when I do follow up vid on this

[@aroimicaraffu]

​@@HardIsEasy maybe you can test it with two ropes and 2nd belayer who will have more slack?

[@HardIsEasy]

@@aroimicaraffu but what I'm testing? :) If you don't hold the brake hand and force the device to lower ofc the climber will go to the ground. The only thing I can test is perceived control of lowering

[@Blue-pb7kz]

I think that part is super rope dependant, though. Switching from a worn fuzzy gym rope to a new thin outside rope, the difference when lowering on a grigri is night and day it's practically a different technique! With the gym rope I have the lever all the way open and control the speed with my hand on the rope, and it's still slow, with my outside rope there's a lot more effort in finding the right spot etc.

[@olli1964germany]

Thank you for all the testing, it was very interesting. I personally use the clickup and you are right it is almost impossible to take slack with the hand being back. My solution for this is running back. But this is no all time solution because it can pull me back to the wall when the climber is heavy.

[@jonettang]

Use chain mail gloves. 😂 Thank you for this video. The proper technique for belaying is proven to work, meaning never let go of the break end of the rope and keep the rope speed under control at all times. However, I still make a point about the belay technique being the most important. I'd point out to your belay master class series, because it is really good. Another lazy belay technique is moving away from the wall to take out slack, and this irks me to no end.

[@ryenschimerman2127]

Agreed on the step away method, I always imagine trad just popping out every time I see it.

[@maltekoch1632]

With perfect technic all of them worked, but the idea is how resilient the gear is against mistakes. We shouldn’t but we all are doing them. It’s the same as in cars. We should just be careful because people tend to rely on this resilience and behave less cautiously. Had read some study where a group trained with grgri’s had made more brake hand mistakes then one old-school tubers.

[@HardIsEasy]

as for stepping away, it's crucial in cases you need to take out slack quickly, but yes abused for the cases where you want to see your climber better, I have videos coming on these things hopefully soon.

[@jonettang]

@@HardIsEasy yes. Like in slab situations, but I've seen 5-7m away from the wall, it goes to show how lazy a belayer can be, besides the slamming and swinging hard into the wall. Good habits keeps the mind sharp.

[@patsummit131]

There is no reason to ever have a no slack fall as described with a clickup. Just ensure the device is in the locked position, perhaps by manually locking the clickup, while holding the climber during a rest and unlock the device after the climber starts climbing again. Unlike the grigri the clickup does not unlock if the climber unweights the rope. Even nicer for top rope situation the belayer can easily pull in slack while the device is locked.

[@cendaracing]

Thanks for another great video. Quality is more important to me than quantity. We are beginner climbers with my 14 year old son and we are very happy with the Singing Rock RAMA belay, which is basically a copy of the Mammut Smart. It has already happened to me that my son messed up and let go of the rope when I fell. I'm 30 kg heavier and that's not good. I bought an Edelrid OHM three days ago and hopefully it will make our rock climbing more enjoyable.

[@HardIsEasy]

Yea OHM is great for such cases, be aware that the angle of the rope entering the ohm from the belayer effects how grabby the OHM is. The closer your belayer to the wall the softer the catch will be, the further the harder

[@keatonmorris7924]

Why do I love watching these? Amazing content. Your videos have helped me become a safer climber for sure! Thank you.

[@maximecastilloux9049]

Love the conclusion! Find a belay device that you like [or the one on sale] and perfect the technique

[@RichardRLiu]

I must have misunderstood something. Ben's question was, which device I would prefer my belayer to use, and his answer was, the one that he or she has mastered. During the partner check, I want to see how he/she (a) holds a fall, (b) gives rope, (c) takes in slack. If he/she demonstrates all these operations smoothly and quickly, I'm satisfied.

[@maximecastilloux9049]

@@RichardRLiu Yes that's what I was trying to say. I just add my personnal touch in [ ] to say like every devices are safe, you just need to be good at using it.

[@craz107]

this is making me rethink the smarter attachment for my smart lol. I never paid it any attention because I was comfortable with the base smart and didn't think the little plastic clip would change much. Guess I'll have to start trying it out

[@HardIsEasy]

I'll do more testing on that, but my initial feeling is that for thicker ropes it doesn't matter and might even make the rope slide worse, but with anything under 9.5 Smarter might be a good idea... again I would have todo more testing.

[@SuperPointlessFilms]

It’s the lack of locking that makes the click-up the best. It feeds the nicest can be used to slam Someone if needed but otherwise can give a really nice soft catch.

[@BlockOfRed]

To be honest, most time one is giving slack, you do not have to overwrite the locking mechanism (at least with GriGri and Jul, the two devices I have experience with). If you are “pushing in” the rope from the brake side and simultaneously pulling it out on the climber side, it works perfectly fine. Only giving slack _fast_ requires overwriting the locking mechanism. But you don't need to do this often if you are belaying with foresight (and some slack in the system at most times anyway). That greatly reduces the risk I suppose. Edit: Nevermind, I wrote this comment ten seconds before you started talking about this. 😂

[@EmmysVerySeriousVideos]

I feel like I was taught to use a grigri in a very different way ; 1. I never press the cam to give slack, I « throw » a loop of rope above the device, keeping my right hand below it and never letting go of any rope, then guide it up with my left hand. 2. I try to keep the grigri unlocked as much as possible, this eliminates the need to press the cam down for slack and helps the rope accelerate to lock the grigri faster. 3. I adapt my position and belaying with the height of the climber ; The lower they are, the greater the risk of a ground fall. I stand very close to the wall and let out very little slack. As they go higher, typically above the 3rd clip, I start to get a bit further away from the wall, while gradually letting out more slack. The slack locks the grigri on impact and the distance I have to the wall softens the fall. I’m interested in feedback if anyone finds that unsafe, I’d love to hear about ways to improve on that

[@Hdrien]

Amazing video. Very clear, informative and helpful 🎉

[@DanielDobbelstein]

Thank you for your effort! Helps a new climber understanding many things!

[@n085fs]

It is very important for a belayer to not take out the slack from a fall. The rope stretch can only help if there is enough length of it to stretch. A short rope is a dangerous rope when falling, and one should not rely on the rope being long in the upwards strand for if the anchor becomes a pinch point, the only rope that matters will be between the rappeler and the anchor.

[@ShadyNetworker]

Thank you so much for the video! Really enjoying it 😊

[@julessisti]

I would have loved to see you wearing your leather gloves from the burn test here... I was really anxious about those impacts!

[@MikhailKoslowski]

there's a small mistake on "no slack fall" test with click up. in the example: belayer take, then let go of break strand, then climber climb a bit and fall. your test started with click up disengaged, but if belayer take climber then click up will engage until belayer disengage it on purpose, then with it engaged, if belayer let go, it shouldn't slip at all. if belayer let go of the rope with device disengaged then your test is spot on and expected, device won't ever catch and this is user error on operating the device. I should say that I particularly don't like the click up, but I'm a user and huge fan of the alpine up, similar locking mechanism but easier to handle and does all I need. and once again thanks for putting out good content with amazing quality and foster good discussions :)

[@HardIsEasy]

Hey thanks, I tested all devices in disengaged positions. In case you loose control of the brake side and climber takes a fall and there is no slack. But sure if Click UP is locked already it is def safer option.

[@felixlee4458]

Thank you for doing this for our understanding

[@ThoseOneAirsofters]

Your test with the Vergo at 16:33 has the Vergo clipped to your harness incorrectly. The "Left" arrow on the device is not pointing left. The brake stand comes out the top of the device when used and oriented how Trango suggests. This definitely resulted in the slippage of that test.

[@matejgriac5544]

Hi, very interesting video. I can see all the hard work put into it. Thank you!

[@itsthorondil7608]

When i worked at a climbing gym, all our top rope routes were equipped with GriGri, and gym membets were required to take a test demonstrating proficiency with the device

[@JonnoDuck]

Such a good video. Thanks for doing these tests.

[@BoBandits]

This hurt to watch😢😮. Thanks for the info.

[@danobable]

every time your hand goes in the device i laugh, very funny episode! :-)