kiwigreg Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 i am looking at buying lead gear and was woundering if anyone knows about acme gear it seems to be half the price of the mainsteam gear, just would like to know if people think its up to the same standard???? Quote
Ryan Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Eh...my friend bought a set of the Acme cams, and they were a far cry from the quality of BD, Alien, etc. They walked easier, and overall seemed kind of cheap...I have found the higher end cams to be much more user friendly, but that's not to say that the Acme cams are worthless. I'd say sack it up and buy the more expensive cams- just my two cents. Quote
Doug Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I saw some strange looking creature buying a box of acme climbing products. Mumbled something about chasing some weird bird up some desert cliffs...... Quote
catbirdseat Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 (edited) ACME Cams look a lot like the Clog cams I use which are a knock off of the old Flexible Friends which have been replaced by the Technical Friends. In fact I am told that Clog is a subsidiary of Wild Country. The ACME is priced similarly to the Clog. While I have not used the ACME, I can say that the Clogs are satisfactory, although I would prefer the Costalots if I could afford them. $30 is a lot less than $50 and money talks while bullshit walks. Note that there is a lawsuit against ACME filed by one Wile E. Coyote concerning the ACME Rocket Sled: Mr. Coyote states that on December 13th he received of Defendant via parcel post one Acme Rocket Sled. The intention of Mr. Coyote was to use the Rocket sled to aid him in pursuit of his prey. Upon receipt of the Rocket Sled Mr. Coyote removed it from its wooden shipping crate and sighting his prey in the distance, activated the ignition. As Mr. Coyote gripped the handlebars, the Rocket Sled accelerated with such sudden and precipitate force as to stretch Mr. Coyote's forelimbs to a length of fifty feet. Subsequently, the rest of Mr. Coyote's body shot forward with a violent jolt, causing severe strain to his back and neck and placing him unexpectedly astride the Rocket Sled. Disappearing over the horizon at such speed as to leave a diminishing jet trail along its path, the Rocket Sled soon brought Mr. Coyote abreast of his prey. At that moment the animal he was pursuing veered sharply to the right. Mr. Coyote vigorously attempted to follow this maneuver but was unable to, due to poorly designed steering on the Rocket Sled and a faulty or nonexistent braking system. Shortly thereafter, the unchecked progress of the Rocket Sled brought it and Mr. Coyote into collision with the side of a mesa. Edited February 27, 2004 by catbirdseat Quote
Bug Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I buy most of my clothes and cookware and stuff like that at value village. When it comes to holding my fat ass off the ground during a leader fall, I buy the best I can find. Quote
Rodchester Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 It is my understanding that the Acme cams and the Clog Cams are made by the same manufacturer, and are the same Cam with a different label. . .though I can’t say that for sure. I am not a fan of the little metal stem tip. If you are looking at inexpensive cams, you may want to consider Rock Empire. They are usually around $30.00 and are DECENT cams. I’ve used a couple and for basic rock I can’t complain, but I don't really love them either. They are dual stemmed, which some don’t like. I don’t have a problem with them. I have, use, and love Trango Cams, both the older model (dual stem) and the newer flex cams (mono-stem). I think that I prefer the mono-stem flex cams. For the price they are hard to beat. They are lightweight which is great, especially on alpine routes. Solid performance at the crag or in the mountains. From the Trango Page: Which brings us to weight. Take a look at a popular cam, known for its expansion range, and compare it to our FlexCams™. In the popular hand size, this cam has 12% greater expansion range. That sounds great, until you look at the numbers and realize this is a whopping 3mm: the thickness of a tortilla. That same cam weighs 20% more than our comparable FlexCam™, meaning you can carry 10 FlexCams™ for every 8 of the “expansive” ones. We use a double-looped 12mm Ultratape™ sling, so you can clip in directly, at 4 inches or at 8 inches. That means you’ll rarely need a quick draw, which saves even more time and weight. At $39.99 they are still priced nice. Good luck.... Quote
Greg_W Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I buy most of my clothes and cookware and stuff like that at value village. When it comes to holding my fat ass off the ground during a leader fall, I buy the best I can find. Don't go cheap on shit that could save your life. That's my criteria. My ass is precious to me and I want it in one piece - it deserves the best. Quote
RuMR Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Hey...good advice...but seriously, every cam on the market is solid...so these are preferences... If you are on a shoestring budget or looking to double up in some sizes, don't be afraid of the knockoffs...and also look at the forged friends...a good cheap alternative that alot of people actually prefer...also, borrow buddies' racks and check out other mfr's cams and see if the extra cost is worth it to you...at the end of the day, you need a full rack and if you can only afford half of one that is made up of expensive gear it won't do you much good... Shoot my first rack was built by walking the cliff top w/ a rap rope and my brother walking the bottom to spot every monday morning and digging out stuck booty and bail gear...complete hodge podge of crap that served a 15 year old and a 17 year old really well... Quote
catbirdseat Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 The partner I climbed with last week had a set of Trango mono-stem cams and he said he didn't like them. He liked the way the Clogs placed better. Quote
Rodchester Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 CBS: Tell your friend to pass the trangos on to me....I'l take care of them. Quote
catbirdseat Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 The ones he had looked really old. Perhaps they were an old model, or else they were just worn out, but the lobes had a lot of side to side play in them. Quote
jkrueger Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 If they are half the price, does this mean you can only continue using them if you drop them from half as high up? Quote
willstrickland Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Acme will work, but they're not even close to Camalots, Metolious, etc in terms of workmanship, design, feel, and refinement. If you go with Acme, down the road you'll upgrade. So why not buy quality from the start? If your only partner, or regular partner is also just starting out, you could go in on a set of Camalots together...just make sure that it's not "our set" but that you divide them so that some are yours and some are his (i.e. you own the 5., #1, #3, #4 and he owns the .75, #2,#3.5, #4.5 or something) Then you can gradually fill out your individual racks by buying the missing pieces and have enough between you to climb routes in the meantime. You'll also have a combined rack with all the same brand...which is very nice. I hate combining racks for a free climb and looking down at some strange brand of cams that I don't know the sizes by sight. I recommend doing it this way because you can often swing a good deal if you buy an entire set at once. When I bought my first set of Camalots I had a rack built from booty gear, hand-me-downs, and a few cheap pieces. I went into a gear shop in Provo and told the guy I wanted to buy a set of Camalots from #0.5 to #5 and that I could get them for $X.XX from another place by mail order but I'd rather buy locally and support their shop, would they match the price? The price I quoted was about 10% below their price for a set and about 35% below what it would cost to buy the individual cams at MSRP. They said ok, and I walked out with a new set of cams. They also got my business the rest to the time I was there. Don't be afraid to haggle, after all would you pay sticker price for a car? Asking price for a home? Just my opinions, but I prefer Camalots from #0.5 on up. I like Metolius/Wired Bliss/DMM/HB in smaller sizes, and Aliens and Alien hybrids for aid. I still have a few Wild COuntry flexible friends and rigid friends, but I hate 'em. Camalots to Acme is like Lexus to Yugo. Quote
Bug Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 My first rack was a combination of used gear I bought from old climbers in the 70's and from free soloing the Glacier point apron every night for a few months. By the time the 80's rolled around I was starting to spend a little more money and actually bought a full run of friends for $150. Seemed expensive at the time but the number of first ascents I was able to do quadrupled. Quote
Dru Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 my current rack is mostly tcu's, camalots and WC zero's but if i was starting off today and wanted a full rack of cams I would buy DMMs and WC forged friends from MEC where they are cheap. Quote
Jopa Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I would also suggest the dmm's. i think the smaller sizes only cost $39/cam and the larger are $45 (until you get to the 3" to 4" gear, which are $53--still cheap). Quote
Ryan Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I absolutely love my Alien cams for finger sized crack climbing- haven't found a cam that places easier, plus they never walk. For larger sizes, BD is where it's at. Quote
Dru Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 after comparing aliens to WC zeros - the zeros win hands down. Quote
Greg_W Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 after comparing aliens to WC zeros - the zeros win hands down. Would you care to elaborate on why? I love the few aliens I have and those zeroes look kind of fragile. Quote
Dru Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 more flexible, stronger, better slings, place nicer Quote
Greg_W Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Are they as narrow as the aliens? As in, do they work well in shallow cracks? Quote
Sabertooth Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 I must say that I prefer the Zeros as well. No deformed stems after a whipper, and better in horizontal cracks with that super flexibility. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 dmm makes great cams that are light and relatively inexpensive. (not to mention colorful. ) the only drawback i've found is that they are easy to overcam (= get stuck), but if you know that ahead of time and are good with your placements it's not likely to be an issue. at pro mountain sports, if you buy 10 you can get the 11th free. Quote
tomtom Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Ya. My cam rack is zeros (4-6), DMM (0.75-4) and a flexible friend (5). Quote
Dru Posted February 27, 2004 Posted February 27, 2004 Are they as narrow as the aliens? As in, do they work well in shallow cracks? yup they pack four cams into the width of a tcu the same size Quote
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