Hewbolt Single

I instruct Boy Scout climbing directors and supervise a summer camp climbing program. For a "fail safe" device to be used with experienced belayers or short attention span/focus younger Scouts, this device is exceptional.

I have used this a good deal at the gym and outside....it works perfectly as stated above, but if the rope is just a little too big, it tends to drag through making it hard to pull the rope through at time....other than that good times!

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??"

I was skeptical, but I needed a device to replace my TRE (I have worn it to the point it doesn't lock up well on ropes 10 mil or skinnier). I was torn whether to get the single or double, but decided on the single based on the size, and that I wouldn't be draggin it up many trad routes. My thoughts were to get a Grigri, wait for the cinch, or get a Wild Country SRC. I gave the hewbolt a shot on an outside chance, and I'm glad I did. I'll base my review by comparing it to a Grigri, since that's the standard in auto locking devices.

Ease of feeding rope is about the same as a Grigri, but that's where the comparison ends. It's lighter and smaller. It has no moving parts. It will still function if the rope is feed wrong. You can easily keep your fingers around the rope when feeding. When feeding rope, it is unlikely that you could prevent it from locking in case of a fall (hard to explain, its a leverage thing). It's not made by a French mega corporation, its made by an American small business. I'll update if I think of more...

Best thing since sliced bread?

This is probably one of the most seriously underrated auto-locking belay devices ever. No moving parts (aside from the bolt you use to lock in the rope) and easy to use; also nice because it's truly an ambidextrous device- I'm lefthanded, so this is an issue for me.

There is also a Hewbolt double for rappelling for $78.

Okay... I need to update my review of this, particularly because I went out and was shown how this does ineed work for belaying a leader, and it's actually pretty easy to do so. This definitely changes my rating from a 4 to a 5 for this product... go buy one! NOW! :)

Definitely something every climber should have!

(edited to correct my mistake about belaying a leader)