2017 Belay Device Review: Edelrid Mega Jul Sport Belay Device

The Mega Jul Sport is a tube-style device that relies on its shape to catch the rope in the event of a fall, so it has no moving parts. The belay technique is similar to any other tube-style device, but when feeding slack, the belayer must hold the thumb loop so the rope will run through the device without locking up. The technique felt natural after a few pitches. The Mega Jul Sport takes double ropes, making it more versatile for rappelling and belaying with half or twin ropes. The geometry of the device—how the rope runs over the brake side—translates to the belayer needing to apply little force to catch a fall. Lowering was not intuitive, however, as testers had to reorient their hands and tilt the device back. A second mode for lowering involved releasing the device via the thumb loop, but testers preferred the tilt method as they found it easier to control the speed of the descent. Rappelling can also be done in multiple configurations—either with the device turned around to perform like a traditional tuber or in locking mode, though the locking configuration was not as smooth.