Updates: The final version Giga Jul will weigh 120 grams. The slider will be made from steel. Additionally, the prototype shown in the video shows deep grooves on the sides of the slider mechanism; on the final version these will be covered by a piece of bright green plastic, so they won’t fill up with dirt/grime. And this colorful plastic bit will also help serve as an indicator of which side you’re on, with arrows and an M (for manual) and A (for assisted).

@niclemaitre

5 жыл бұрын

Those grooves would at least be easy to clean when they are open. Closing them in makes it much more difficult to remove the dirt that will get in there.

@DElongboarding

5 жыл бұрын

I'd like to know that, too@@eugenejkim

@jakob8741

2 жыл бұрын

Two years old, i know, but my megajul still didnt break ... Weigth aspect: If you take a megajul and a dmm pivot to alpine environment, you end up with 20g more, but have a better handling in all situations i think plus a back up device.

@4-SeasonNature

2 жыл бұрын

Just bought the updated one. Trying to get to know it.

Speaking so frank about the weaknesses of the mega jul is so incredibly German. I guess for people from outside of Germany this must sound super odd when he admits that the mega jul wasn't perfect...

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

It's interesting you mention this, because it IS incredibly rare to hear any manufacturer/brand in the climbing world talk about a weakness. When I'm interviewing manufacturers/brands about their climbing gear (off camera, we edit their answers into these videos), I will ask about a weakness, they'll almost always respond something like, "I'm not comfortable saying that on camera" or "there are none" or "it's not a weakness, it's...." or they'll explain in detail and then say, "but that's not for the video, that's only between us." It is incredibly refreshing to talk to Edelrid and hear their openness and honesty about the process.

@drstrangelove85

5 жыл бұрын

@@WeighMyRack this reminded me more about an internal analysis than an external advertisement. Talking like this is very common in German engineering teams. Indeed interesting that Edelrid decided to introduce their new device like this.

@camilleo2817

4 жыл бұрын

Well, he’s talking about the weaknesses of the old device, and saying that the new one is better, so it’s a commercial tactic.

@kcegr

4 жыл бұрын

Sure is a commercial tactic if you see it like that, but lets look at apple, they say „even better“ instead of „fixed“

If it can works as advertised, especially during rappelling, this product can be a true one-for-all belay device. I probably will get it since I'm a fan of megajul :)

I'm still waiting for the Tera Jul.

I love the Mega Jul and am super excited for this update!

When I first saw the Mega Jul, I was sold on a singular, simple, solid device for the vast majority of purposes. However, the first problem I had was mentioned in this video, which is setting yourself for rappel where the locking mechanism was painfully slow or flipping the device meant a basic inability to make upwards progress (otherwise known as unweighting personals, indirects, etc., to assure on rappel and ease to clean gear). Plus, I was not a fan of belaying up a second with, and the bite was often hard on the rope for lead belays where too little slack meant the device locked hard, furthering a short (belayer fault I know, but no one anticipates every sudden high clip). Thus, I went back to my Smart and Guide (Bionic, now) with autoblock, because the slight advantage of a single device for every situation simply could not outweigh being less than optimal for every situation. I like the look of the Giga Jul, and I like Edelrid trying to resolve those issues, but they've begun to overcomplicate the device with shifting parts when most of this is from, in my opinion, the bite simply being so severe. This also adds cost, whereas a Smart and a Guide cost less together than the Giga itself. Maybe I am just not sold that one device fits every purpose perfectly.

Only piece of climbing gear I have bought full-price right when it came out and I instantly saw the potential. This is the future of belay devices. Assisted braking for lead belaying (which is a personal requirement for me with any potential of rock fall, e.g. multipitch), guide mode for top-down belaying, your choice of assisted or regular rappelling and it can handle single and double ropes. I still use my GriGri primarily for single-pitch sport & trad as others are more familiar with it and it is a bit smoother than the GigaJul and I like to spread the rope wear out across my devices. For any multipitch climbing, however, this is the only device that comes off the ground with me as it serves the purpose of both a GriGri and a guide-mode capable ATC.

I picked one up a month ago and have used the shit out it. It works as advertised. NOT a piece of shit at all and only a few bucks more than a standard guide mode ATC. It also looks cool. Well done, Edelrid.

Have no problem with my Mega Jul in Multi Pitch. Love it!

@WeighMyRack

4 жыл бұрын

I personally agree with you. I love my MegaJul! -Andreas

@abandonshipproductions

Жыл бұрын

@@WeighMyRack I agree. With both my 9.1 and 9.5 rope the mega jul handles really well and raps plenty smooth for me in assisted braking mode. It has become the only belay device I ever use. Love it.

The Mega Jul is an incredible device. No moving parts and the weight are its main advantages. This one does have a moving part. Hopefully that slider holds up to time and debris. Other than that, the description and all of the downsides of the Mega Jul are things I've personally experienced. Having those downsides removed by the slider and the optional tube mode is pretty incredible. If it works as advertised this will be a killer belay device. I absolutely love this Jul series. I feel MOST save being belayed by a beginner with the Mega Jul. Even more so than the GriGri2. The new GriGri Plus is probably the safest single rope device thanks to the anti-panic. I've been dropped on a GriGri 2 by having someone not let go of the lowering lever. Luckily they let go at the last second before I hit the ground. But it was scary to say the least. I've NEVER seen anyone have a problem with a Mega Jul. So if this is just a Mega Jul with a less friction option for repelling and guide mode. That's great!

@heli400

5 жыл бұрын

If anyone drops anyone on a gri-gri, or any other device for that matter, it is because they have not been properly trained to belay - END OF STORY!!... I have a problem with all these new devices getting to market...., jules+vern, gri-gri2+ whatever, yadda yadda yadda, etc... let me explain: When I was trained, I was trained on a tube device, ATC, no moving parts, no switches, no levers. The main point stressed was rule #1- "never let go of the brake hand!,.... rule #2 - "never let go of the brake hand!!!", RULE #3 - IF YOU LET GO OF THE BRAKE HAND SOMEONE DIES!!!. that being said, no one let go of the brake hand, and when you lowered someone all forces relied on YOU GUESSED IT - your BRAKE HAND!, Now with all the new devices coming to market ie gri-gri was probably first. people started letting the device do the work, NOT THE BRAKE HAND, and in a panic situation, people though "press the brake, PRESS THE BRAKE!" (like in a car) and would naturally try to apply MORE PRESSURE, to theoretically apply MORE BRAKE,,.... which works quite the opposite. Now, take someone like me who has been trained PROPERLY on "old school" devices, you always do ALL(AND I MEAN ALL) of the work with your brake hand. thus when I USE A GRI-GRI, I use the lever like everyone else with the exception that, I release the lever to a point where START TO feel the friction on my BRAKE HAND, and then, and ALWAYS then I ALWAYS USE MY BRAKE HAND TO DO THE WORK OF LOWERING THE PERSON!, and ALL, and I mean ALL OF THE LOWERING, is done with MY BRAKE HAND! AND NOT THE GRI-GRI!!! IE, NONE OF THE LOWERING SHOULD BE DONE WITH THE DEVICE EVER!!, LOWER WITH YOUR BRAKE HAND, NOT THE DEVICE!!! If you have been trained properly to belay, and use a Gri-Gri (or any device), then you should be able to hold that device WIDE OPEN while lowering a person, because in ANY SITUATION, WITH ANY DEVICE, YOU RELY ON THE BRAKE HAND AND NOT THE DEVICE, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR????

@MattNicassio

5 жыл бұрын

I've done it both ways. Using the lever to get to a place where it will start to lower and then use your brake hand for speed. Also using 100% lever for lowering and speed control. The device is made to use the lever to control decent. Your brake hand is basically there to guide the rope. I'd personally recommend doing whatever is most comfortable and intuitive. The more you have to think about it the less your focusing on the climber. I naturally do a combination of the two. I hold the brake side of the rope and apply a little bit of friction with my hand but mostly use the lever to lower. You have to use the lever with a grigri in order to lower, there's no option to use it like a tuber. Plus there aren't any brake grooves so if you just dropped the lever and tried to brake 100% with your brake hand it wouldn't work. You have to use the camming mechanism in order to apply enough friction to slow your climber. I agree that everyone should learn on a tube device. While top roping in the gym and at the crag you should always learn on a tuber in order to build the habit of never letting go of that brake line. That's definitely an important habit to build. Once you're a good belayer and are getting into things like sport climbing and multi-pitch climbing I'd recommend finding a device that you personally like and feel comfortable with and use it whenever possible. Switching up devices isn't the best idea. Assisted breaking is paramount in sport climbing in my opinion. You can be pulled so quickly into a rock or wall when sport belaying, that extra safety factor is 100% worth it. We have so many great devices available to us that are safer than a tuber. Not to mention the ease of use factor. If you're projecting you don't want to be pulling on that break line while your climber hang dogs. As a climber I feel badly when I'm projecting and my belayer only has a tuber. I know it's more work for them than if they were using a grigri. I feel way more comfortable hanging and putting in the work if my belayer has an "auto-lock" / "assisted break" device. Beyond that, I ALWAYS have a Mega Jul on my harness. It's the one device I can rely on in any situation. In an emergency rap, being able to use it in lock mode in order to clean or build an anchor point. Or being able to flip it and quickly rapping as if with a tube device. I have on many occasions wanted to rap in tube mode, but also wanted to quickly pull up on the rope in order to get closer to a quick draw or anchor point as he mentions in the video. This was a pain before because it would lock when you tried to pull back up the rope. It's really great that they've fixed the two issues that the Mega Jul had. Guide Mode and Tube Mode.

@BowlineDandy

5 жыл бұрын

@@heli400 please don't scream that much

@nunninkav

5 жыл бұрын

The Mega Jul locks up sooo fast, you can top rope belay with it half drunk and texting on your phone. That is also why it isn't great for rappelling, but for top rope belay it's the best.

I keep.the megajul for lead belaying, with the Hms edelrid biner thats designed not to rotate. For all other things, i use an regular guide tuber. I check the auto lock function with a tug before the leader climbs.

that's pretty cool

I'm living with CT alpine up both in single sport pitches and multipitches, it's bulkier yeah, but I see a problem here that the alpine up doesn't present: here you can use in the wrong mode and not see it until the leader takes a fall, while on the CT the 'bulkiness' of it makes so you'll always look where you clip it, and nonetheless it's quite more obvious where it's assisted blocking and where it's tube. Still everybody should go with his preferred

@somanayr

2 жыл бұрын

I think it’s good practice to always do a function test with any assisted braking - basically just yank the climber’s strand to check that the brake functions as expected I’ve incorporated this in my belay checks, including with an ATC

Looks to address a lot of the frustrations I have with the mega jul. I am worried somebody will accidently have it in tuber mode and think it's going to brake when they go hands free...

@hobbitilius

5 жыл бұрын

That's just bad form though.

@xJae14x

4 жыл бұрын

My partner and I always do a check and show each other it locks up before climbing to prove it’s set correctly. Not sure why anyone would do something other than this.

Humm, I sense a polemic on the "belay the leader straight from the anchor" part! Besides that I missed some close images ont the new device. But great video though!

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback! I'll work on getting more closeups in the future

@blaster2k

5 жыл бұрын

So much kiwi green

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

BTW, it was totally a miss on our part to not get closeups. It was a prototype that we filmed and we just saw pictures of the finalized version (today, after the video was posted) and the closeups could have been quite misleading. Once we get a blogpost up of the difference, we'll link to more photos here.

What is that sling type thing attached at the anchors with some sort of loop? i'm thinking it is some sort of multipitch anchor setup? can someone guide me to the product?

@WeighMyRack

4 жыл бұрын

I believe you're talking about Edelrid's Adjustable Belay Station Sling. It is an anchor setup, made for fast equalization with 2 or 3 anchor points (or you could sling a rock/horn with one). You can find it at Backcountry: snp.link/7ef18157

I hope the given diameter is true, which is not the case for the Mega Jul - it slips through easily and fast with 8.0 mm twin ropes in auto-locking rapell mode :-(

@christopher5087

5 жыл бұрын

I use it with 7.9 Edelrid Apus Pro Dry and never had issues, to be honest.

@Govanification

5 жыл бұрын

Could be the carabiner you are using. The megajul works best with an I-beam carabiner instead of a fat, rounded one as the biner needs to sink into the auto-blocking slot.

I worry on the durability of the slider, especially with dirt/grime that will inevatibly get in the hardware... but looks interesting!

@MattNicassio

5 жыл бұрын

yeah it looked like a plastic piece that slides. but hopefully it is metal at least. It already wasn't super smooth. Hope it holds up to time and debris

@saturdayshanks3753

5 жыл бұрын

Matt Nicassio from what dude was saying, sounds like it’s aluminum.

@Phil8686

5 жыл бұрын

It will be steel :)

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

We confirmed with Edelrid, the slider will be made from steel.

where can one buy oe of those t shirts

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

It's a 2019 shirt and isn't out yet! When it's out you'll be able to find it on Edelrid's German site: www.edelrid.de/de/sports/bekleidung.htm (It won't be available on the US site, as none of Edelrid's clothes make it to the US).

Your second is not lead climbing.

it can get stuck temporarily if the slack is too tight :/

@WeighMyRack

3 күн бұрын

Can you elaborate on this? I'm curious what you have to say but I'm not sure I understand. Thanks.

Really $49.95 and 65,00€, that is equivalent of $73 almost 50% extra for European buyer. Can somebody explain this extra cost?

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

Honestly, you probably found a mistake. If it's not a mistake it is a very unusual, abnormally aggressive, push to get US market share in the belay device category. Normally pricing is quite similar in US & Europe. For Edelrid, first the European price is set. Say for an item it is 60€. Later the US price is set by Edelrid's NA subsidiary. Sometimes, to sell competitively in the US market, they'll to lower the price slightly so you might find the equivalent 60€ price as $60 instead of $65/69 which would be a more direct conversion. This price gap is incredibly unusual and I doubt it will last (whether it was on purpose or not). Note: I talked to a guy at Edelrid who works on the Euro pricing and he was *really* surprised to hear about this large price difference.

@christophmuller3511

5 жыл бұрын

Not explaining the whole difference, but remember that US prices do not include VAT while the european prices typically do.

Can the Prusik or shant be removed when rappelling in assisted braking mode?

@MrAussieJules

3 жыл бұрын

Yes... see vids on this. Always test it with a tug before rappelling.

cool deviec. too complicated for me.

why are they making belaying so confusing

@illduitmyself

5 жыл бұрын

because belaying in alpine and in a gym require dif equip. belaying and repelling are dif works....one item for it all?? hmmm

Making the reverso more complicated , 2019 edition

Wasn´t a fan of the mega jul and most likely that won´t change with the giga jul. I like simplicity and that thing just looks way to fiddly. For me it´s gonna be grigri for sportclimbing and tube for multipitch.

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

I agree this device - or any geometry brake-assist device - isn't for everyone. We happen to love them, especially the mega jul. But each person is going to have their own preferences and that's why it's awesome there are now so many options on the market. We don't all have to agree which is the best, they all work better or worse given the specific scenario for a specific person :) I'm psyched you have your system dialed! Keep it simple and stay safe.

@jcb0trashmail

5 жыл бұрын

@@WeighMyRack I totally agree with you! ;)

3:39 Second carabiner placed wrong. See why: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZWxpxbKYdry0ddY.html

I have some serious concerns about the demonstration starting at 5:02. He essentially takes his follower OFF BELAY while executing this transition. Please edit this video so it's not miseducating thousands of climbers with inappropriate technique. I never comment on others vids but this is exceptional. Thanks for your consideration, Josh

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

Josh, thank you for your comment and concern. I agree that the editing I did resulted in a misleading sequence. I'll look into the optimal way to edit this to make it clear that you should never take your follower off belay while at the belay station without them being directly connected into the anchor.

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

Josh, unfortunately it is not possible to edit the movie once it has been made public on KZread without completely deleting the movie. As an alternative solution I have added a couple of cards stating "never take a follower off belay" to the video just before and during that portion of the video. These cards link to the AMGA's and SIET's KZread channels. I'm hoping that you'll find this an acceptable, although not ideal, solution. Again, thank you for the comment. If you think this still presents an unacceptable demonstration of dangerous behavior, please let me know and I'll remove the video. Thank you! Andreas

@sietschoolforinternational5234

5 жыл бұрын

@@WeighMyRack Thanks Andreas, you've gone above and beyond what I would expect. Keep up the good work!

@lingen2193

5 жыл бұрын

It is absolutely self evident for anyone who has ever climbed a multi-pitch route that the follower would secure himself to the belay point before the belayer does this transition. There is no need to mention that in a video which does not intend to teach multi-pitch climbing but rather demonstrates the use of a belay device to experienced climbers (anyone else would not understand it anyway).

Wait what? It will retail for about 50$ and 65€ ???? 50$ equals 44€. I´m in shock, I feel robbed. Are we that kind of a suck out market? Even though Edelrid is a german based brand? Oh my word, I loved Edelrid until just now :(

@hobbitilius

5 жыл бұрын

Agreed, although the US price probably doesn't include tax, which the European one does.

@thomasbauer656

5 жыл бұрын

+ 19% still does not equal 65.... @@hobbitilius

@WeighMyRack

5 жыл бұрын

Somehow I missed replying to this comment initially, sorry! This is a SUPER unusual price difference. It was either a mistake, or the Edelrid's North American subsidiary is doing abnormally aggressive pricing to get US market share in the belay device market. Normally pricing is quite similar in the US & Europe. For Edelrid, first the European price is set. Say for an item it is 60€. Later the US price is set by Edelrid's NA subsidiary. Sometimes, to sell competitively in the US market, they'll to lower the price slightly so you might find the equivalent 60€ price as $60 instead of $65/69 which would be a more direct conversion. That's typically the max difference; this gap in price is very surprising. FWIW, the US price definitely does not include tax, although that tax would be 0-12% depending on what US state you live in. -AD

@Caoimhin7-4

4 ай бұрын

Then stop being poor

You hipsters and all your fang-jangled new devices to keep up with the "latest trends"...iOS has already updated this device, this new Giga-mega-kilo jul device is already "old school" and is "no longer supported"... why don't you just keep up with the oldies, and just Rap medieval times with a good ol' stitch plate, or if you have the cash 2 solid mallions?

@nhodorek

4 жыл бұрын

hahahhahahahaha