Edelrid Eddy

The big advantage of the Eddy is revealed when you start to use it. Somehow, the device seems to recognise the difference between a fall and an energetic payout of rope - it locks cleanly during the former whilst allowing the rope to pull through unhindered for the latter. The device locks when you apply force through the brake-hand on the dead end, when you are feeding rope through, the lack of braking force allows the device to remain open. A proper sharp tug will lock the device even if you're not gripping the dead rope, but you can unlock it, simply pulling at the dead-end will unlock the device and you can carry on - alternatively, you can manually unlock the cam with your thumb - as for a Grigri - but the design makes it impossible to hold the cam open in this way - it's simply not big enough to hold.