Gear : Reviews
Review by lhoriman (1)
Hewbolt Single Average Rating : 4.80/5
In: Gear: Essential Equipment: Belay Devices & DescendersReview
Review by: lhoriman, 2005-08-02
I took a random chance based on the two previous reviews here (it was either this or a Grigri). I'm very impressed, and not just because the hewbolt has a clever design.
The device is super simple and works exactly as advertised. The "locking action" is solid and the release is smooth and easily modulated. The device is fairly large - but since the entire device acts as the release handle, the size works somewhat to its advantage. I've also used a Cinch and the little tiny release handle is painful to push on.
The rigging process is not as trivial as a tube-style belay device, and the hewbolt is quite a bit heavier (although still lighter than a Grigri). But it's nice to be able to relax my hands while my partner is hanging. Since I do most of my climbing in gyms, weight is not much of an issue.
A fun side-effect is that the hewbolt makes a good conversation piece. "What's that??"
The device is super simple and works exactly as advertised. The "locking action" is solid and the release is smooth and easily modulated. The device is fairly large - but since the entire device acts as the release handle, the size works somewhat to its advantage. I've also used a Cinch and the little tiny release handle is painful to push on.
The rigging process is not as trivial as a tube-style belay device, and the hewbolt is quite a bit heavier (although still lighter than a Grigri). But it's nice to be able to relax my hands while my partner is hanging. Since I do most of my climbing in gyms, weight is not much of an issue.
A fun side-effect is that the hewbolt makes a good conversation piece. "What's that??"