Skip to Content

Gear : Reviews

Review by lhoriman (1)


Hewbolt Single Average Rating = 4.80/5 Average Rating : 4.80/5

In: Gear: Essential Equipment: Belay Devices & Descenders

Review 5 out of 5 stars

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??"