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

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!!!!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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 ?

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.

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.

Cheers Mate.

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

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?

Does it heat on long / fast rappelling?

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?

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

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

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

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?

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!

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?

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

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 ✌️

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

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!

Sold, take my money!

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 :)

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.

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.

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

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?

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?

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

Interesting!

Can you lock of the ropes individually?

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?

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

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

Pukka review jez. Just found my next purchase 😬

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

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

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.

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 😊

the only problem is price !! so $$$

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

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.

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…

Enunciate. And speak louder. I can’t understand a damn word you’re saying.