Just how strong is the Edelrid Mega Jul? Love it or hate it the Mega Jul is a belay device that has its fair share of fans and haters. I for one am a fan of the Mega Jul. I think it is the best belay device any climber can have, be it for the gym, outdoor sport or big wall climbing. Come on, who wouldn’t like a device that can be used for everything.
Edelrid Mega Jul design concern
As much as I love Mega Jul, I do have one issue with it and that is with its guide mode. Nope, it is not because of the unusual guide mode setup, although that does need a little bit of getting used to. My concern with the guide mode is the ring that is clipped to the carabiner at the anchor. Compare to the Black Diamond ATC Guide the Mega Jul guide mode ring looks…. small and thin not enough girth does inspire confidence. It’s like a skinny arm with no muscles to hold on to anything. Although Edelrid had provided the strength specification for the device when using guide mode, I still have my doubts.
Break testing the Mega Jul
This video by HowNOT2 has proved that size doesn’t matter instead the material used to construct the belay device matter. The Mega Jul is small and light compared to most other belay devices. The reason why it can be this light and compare is because of the material used for its construction. The Mega Jul is made of stainless steel. Although steel is much heavier than aluminium alloy its strength can be up to 3x stronger. Because of this reason, the Mega Jul can be constructed with less material. Hence it is smaller and thinner when you compare it with other belay devices that are made of aluminium alloys.
Check out the video and find out what it takes to break an Edelrid Mega Jul.
