REVIEW: Edelrid Jul 2 Belay Device

With its soft catch, the Jul 2 is a really nice forgiving indoor and sport climbing belay device that can be used on a wide range of rope diameters, from 8.9-11mm. For less experienced belayers it has an advantage over some of the more complex assisted braking devices with moving parts in that the key action, holding a fall, is basically the same as with standard belay devices, only with the added safety benefit of the assisted braking. There is a flipside to this however, which would be of particular disadvantage to less experienced belayers - that lowering action, which takes practise to get smooth. Lastly, there's the very fair price: I think you'd struggle to find an assisted braking belay device for less than £25.