Aliens may be hard to find now but folk will be interested to know if Master Cams are a good replacement as theirs get lost or damaged or whether to pay the premium for second-hand items on ebay. Same goes for the jump from Orange to Red. Myself repeating Highlander with a set of Mastercams, VII 7 Ben O'connor Croft. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Also, if you like TCUs, aren't they pretty much identical to mastercams in their sizing? Jon You say they have resolved the issue of the kevlar fraying, in doing this have they stopped the lobe tilt as shown in your picture or is this still an issue? And at least the cam lobes don't turn to mush after a season or two. Waaay less flexible, and I've had them blow placements. One of the main selling points of micro cams is how narrow the manufacturer can make the head width. Mastercams in my opinion are unwieldy and hard to place in a panic. A few thoughts. The fraying wires were a worry at the start but it is good to see that this has been cleared up now and am happy to give these cams a big thumbs up. payment or a more substantial payment paid monthly or yearly which includes full access to Rockfax Digital and discounts on Reproduction without permission is prohibited. "It's hard to pick one specific type of climbing that I prefer over the others but I think my heart still lies with big mixed alpine routes that potentially involve a couple of nights bivying. First, name dropping for who uses what and for what reasons isn't really a convincing argument. Pretty much have to diss most cams on that basis. Happy Rocktober, everyone. Hopefully the Spaniards do a better job of it. My only issue with them is that the lack of range. When I contacted Metolius I was told that it was not an issue that they had seen before - it often happens that when you review gear you get prototype kit meaning that there are often modifications before it is released on the market. If I basically never touched my Power Cams, TCUs, or two sets of Alien Hybrids again after Master Cams came out. True, but I personally like that, and the fact that they are way more flexible than C3s. I see people place wiggly cams in a perfect v shaped slot where a wired nut would hold a truck i am psyched for some new aliens. It all comes down to which fits more places. Metolius has created a very lightweight camming unit that will serve you well on lightweight backcountry adventures and big walls alike. Climbing Events November and December, 2012, International Mountain Day Fundraiser - 2012, November & December Climbing Events, 2012. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. The green alien is far far better then any other cam in that size. No ads. -disingenuous marketing about "holding power", - spring tension that relies on the cam stops, (this is in comparison to correctly-assembled aliens, not the ticking timebomb models that failed under bodyweight). and there is no reason to get anything bigger. I do not feel as secure with a C3 because they are so damn stiff and the heads are way smaller and sliperier than mastercams. Conditions in the mountains are constantly changing, and no guidebook or computer web blog can take the place of solid training and experience. Still the same old community of climbers, skiers, and people who love to get outdoors. The light and compact design makes them ideal for back country adventures, or any application where traveling light is key. It's a bit too much. This past weekend, I found myself going through all my rock climbing gear to clean, sort, and decide what's still good for use. Add on top of this the range finder, which Metolius has on all its cams nowadays, and you can feel really secure with your placements. I'm going to wait until people have been climbing on the totems for a couple of years before I spring for them. To me, out on the rock is where they shine and 20 feet out when all you can find is that shallow pocket or flared slot, you will be super stoked to have them. The new engineering that allows you to load a Totem cam on just one side(2 lobes) and hang off it(no guarantee it will hold a lead fall set like that but good for aid), should tell you something about their holding power in other then perfect placements and also their resistance to walking when both sides of the cam are engaged. In practice, the Master Cams worked really well and felt even more secure than the Power Cams that I had tested earlier (OK, pretty unfair to compare as there is one less lobe on the Power Cam). As mentioned before, we weren't actively cognizant of using the rangefinder, but we think that it does register in our brains when placing the piece. At first I really missed my aliens, but after the withdrawl, I haven't looked back. I thought it unusual that you did not compare these with either Wild Country Zeros or Aliens. You help support OutdoorGearLab's product testing and reviews by purchasing from our retail partners. The "u" stem four cam metolius units seem very stable and able to grab uneven shaped cracks. Jon Griffith's first climbing days were in the Avon Gorge at Bristol. Whilst they are a very different build to the C4s and therefore a little hard to compare I am equally happy with either one on my rack. Next, up are the C3's. Three cams fell foul to this and it's a shame as I really liked them.
Check out our Guest Map and mark your location. If that's the case, what do like more about tcus. UKClimbing Limited. Since they use the smaller 13.25 cam angle they have a smaller range. 4. The BD C4s took the cam market by storm and there are die hard fans all over the world, including myself, but recently I've been really appreciating the extra holding power of the Metolius cams. The downside versus the old metolius tcus is that the quad cams will not pivot in an upward pull. -Powercams on the right, new Mastercam on left. layton, November 16, 2011 in The Gear Critic. McKinley ClimbsAlaska Range ExpeditionsSt. The heads are narrower on the master cams in these sizes and I feel I can wiggle them into narrow seems and still see in to inspect the heads. In a nutshell, Metolius cams are built so that they have a smaller camming angle than their competitors, meaning that they have a higher holding power but sacrifice camming range. We really liked the fact that the cams are so light and compact compared to other cams that we tested. Basically rendered it useless in 2 climbs. (Ed's note: Aliens are now difficult to find because the company Colorado Custom Hardware Inc. is up for sale). I alway concidered a C3 a "specialty piece". print publications. Instead, Metolius Cams always seem to have gaps. Gene, I think Nate was referring to the argument stated in both threads that 5.12 and beyond climbers don't like mastercams. I also prefer aliens (that work) except in snowy/icy conditions. 1.) The CCH/Fixe rating being higher is due to a different testing regime. I love the blue fcu's for index cracks (clean and parallel) and I don't hate the master cam but the green alien rocks. It makes no sense to diss the one and praise the other on that basis. 2.) The range of clothing and equipment from Troll expands for spring '21 with a new climbing trouser, some T-Shirts and some new chalk bags and buckets. My partner took a 7 foot fall on it on Lazybum in the valley, held fine. Stickers. But oh wait, master cams suck and this guy was a total moron because nobody that climbs hard trad uses master cams. There were no issues with this, so it was decided to add this to the new range of cams to make the most of the benefits. Big Wall Rock Climbing Yosemite | I was a bit skeptical as normally I'm a big fan of C3s on granite and basalt, however I had a green C3 fail on me last week in a body weight situation while at IC. We also found that the u-stem cams are much easier to clean with a nut tool if they get wedged in there. I read that Totem tweaked the range to make the grey obsolete, but when I add up the numbers, it still looks like Fixe wins. I like my mastercams, but I do have a couple of things that I don't like as much: 1) the mastercams only come as quad cams.
Where we found some flaw in the design on these cams is that the middle cam lobes are too close together creating somewhat of an unstable placement prone to walking with the movement of the rope. Rock Climbing Zion | WELCOME TO THE CASCADECLIMBERS.COM FORUMS. However I wanted a cam that works long term and I didn't want to have to worry about resetting the cam lobes every time I wanted to place it. I watched a guy send the ". I've never had one snap or heard of it being any widespread problem since they fixed the degreasing issue of the first few runs. what does the grade matter? Points: 50, Latest All trademarks property of their respective owners Jon, thank you for your review. In fact, due to the rather stronger springs and more aggressive camming angle they actually feel better than the C3s, as when I put a micro in place I want to make sure that it is going to walk as little as possible as there is very little margin for error on these ones. This is obviously a minor issue, but it is annoying. As another of the UKC gear reviewers, I've had this problem as well; I'm going to be writing the DMM Dragon review, and I can compare them to the 4CUs that I've had for 4 years, and the Friends, flexi friends and quadcams I've had for 15 or more years - but I've never owned Camalots and I bet lots of people will want to know how they compare to them! It's the size you WANT between Blue and Yellow. When seated correctly the lobes really held in place. The idea is that the wire does not kink (like metal wire) and there is no feedback between cam lobes, creating a safer unit. The cam-angle statements that backup those claims aren't disingenuous - the Master Cam cam lobes are cut from the same cam stock as their TCUs. After good use in both summer and winter conditions in the Alps I've really enjoyed having these on my rack. First, name dropping for who uses what and for what reasons isn't really a convincing argument. I'm glad I waited on the link cam and the supercam. I think until you actually go out an use the Totems crack climbing for a weekend, anyone is resistant to them and how they look, which is kind of funky at first glance. And a rough survey of 'well-assembled' aliens showed many had randomly mis-drilled axle holes which rendered their holding power an inconsistent crap shoot. Rock Climbing Red Rocks | We found Powercams to be admirable performers as far as durability goes, and the u-stem is flexible enough for horizontal placements. Metolius Mastercams: weak point Jon Griffith Not massively convinced that this would do the job I took them out again for a good alpine beating and surprisingly enough they are still completely intact after all this time. Below a Green Alien the Master Cams and other designs are better. 2. This means that each unit will have less possibility of fitting, increasing the chance that you'll be turning back to your gear sling or harness for a different piece. "Mikey, Sol, or Blake - So since the three of you all are not on the mastercam bandwagon, can you please specificy detail why? The cam lobes are nice and wide making them a decent option for softer rock types. I am far from immune to this, but I agree with Nate. From Yosemite to the desert Southwest, to the Northeast and Southeast, it seems like everyone is out craggin' in Rocktober. How can we improve SuperTopo? The triggers are small and slippery. Zeros are widely available and a similar price to Master Cams, the natural comparison surely? If you must have something light these are going to be your best value option. I don't want to speak for Jon, but at a guess it might be that he doesn't own either of them. 3 cam units (TCUs/C3s) don't do very well on soft sandstone. Enviromental sustainability has been one of the main driving forces behind EDELRID products for many years and the #climbGREEN range continues that trend. I don't hate 'em, I just think they need some serious refinement. There hasn't been one "name dropping" on this thread. I prefer the sculpted trigger to the triggers on my Aliens. In terms of the wire, the cord is a nylon and kevlar mix which is lighter, (theoretically) stronger and more flexible than wire. I have several friends that climb 5.12+ trad, and they LOVE their Metolius cams for crack climbing, so I don't think there is some group concensus that 5.12 crack climbers don't like Metolius cams. I've got aliens that are 12 years old, probably 30 days/year? Home | Climbing Areas | Free Got feedback? They are THE state of the art gear protection available right now, and I can't emphasize enough how well they work in what are questionable or sketchy placements with BD or Metolius cams, whereas Totem cams lock in and you can just feel when they aren't walking or coming out, just awesome. If you appreciate UKClimbing then please help us by becoming a UKC Supporter. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. includes discounted products from Rockfax. I am still getting used to the whole Chamonix 'get back in time for the last lift' style - I still include bivying as a part of any decent mountaineering experience. Those skinny wires running over the lobes seem like they'd wear out pretty fast. I was still using both of them a couple years ago, they hadn't even broken a trigger wire. In fact, they even appear to wear better because of the dual axle they seem to clean easily, so you don't have to yank them around as much to get them out or in a tight placement. Rock Climbing Sierra I HATE the spacing between BLUE and Yellow.
You couldn't do better then with a rack of Totem cams. Photos | Articles If you try to shove them in without pulling the trigger, they flex and wont go in. These are the closest competitors in design (small 4 cam devices). Rockfax You need to be a member in order to leave a comment.
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