Switch from ATC to Jul
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I am thinking about switching from ATC to The Edelrid Jul due to the assisted braking feature that could potentially save a mistake. Anybody have Testimonials? Stories? positives? negatives? |
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I like my Mega Jul for belaying. Depending on the rope, you may have issues feeding for lead belaying, or it may be great. I've had good luck with the 9.8 mammut rope I use. Rappelling is pretty good in the non locking direction, and I don't have any issues compared to an ATC. Guide mode is not so smooth, but can work with a bit of effort. It is light and simple, so I think a good option. I'm sure other people will explain all the potential shortcomings, but I haven't experienced those issues, so can't comment. I've moved to using a gri gri for belaying and bringing an ATC for rappelling, but the Mega Jul is still a good device in my mind. |
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Only issue I have is rappelling. If you rappel in non locking mode, and make a mistake and have to ascend the rope, it will lock every time you try to pull the rope through. Which can make “jugging” back up a few feet of you pass a belay pretty tedious and potentially dangerous if you don’t have some systems dialed. As a single pitch device it’s fantastic, or as a backup on multipitch (its impossibly light) but I still can’t justify it as my only device. |
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Cons:
Figure 1: MJ with the carabiner on the outside Figure 2: MJ with the carabiner correctly clipped both inside and outside. Conclusion: I like it, my partner hates it. But he also doesn't mind carrying around multiple heavy devices and I'm obsessed with carrying less, so it works well for me. *Many thanks to the guy who did this awesome video! |
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I have never used a jul, but have been used by one. My partner for the day swore by it and heaped praise upon it, but kept short roping me, and being lowered was herky jerky start stop, kept locking up on him. I expect there are those who can actually belay well with it, but I wasn't impressed! |
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OP, you might clarify if you mean Jul2 or Megajul, and are coming from an ATC or ATC XP. Do you need to rappel with it? Use it in guide mode on multi? Just belay single pitch leads in a gym?Makes a difference. Best, OLH |