trad gear

[texplorer]

too bad the tcu's ARE wider than aliens.

[arlen]

ACME cams are made by Trango's Czech supplier for their Flex Cams--Hudy Sport--and they're the same item. They also make Rock Empire cams. Isn't Trango moving to a different kind of flex cam?

[Bill_Simpkins]

I have a set of the DMM TCU's. I love them. They have the doubled up sling, they are solid and lite. I agree that they can over cam and get stuck if you really cram them in. However I've only had this problem with the 0.5 purple. Other than that I use a set of WC tech friends, which are super solid, and doubles with forged friends because they are super lite.

[Rodchester]

ACME cams are made by Trango's Czech supplier for their Flex Cams--Hudy Sport--and they're the same item. They also make Rock Empire cams. Isn't Trango moving to a different kind of flex cam?

 

Yes, and no.

 

It is my understanding that Hudy makes the cams for Trango, Acme, Rock Empire, and others. But they aren't all the same cam. Click on the Acme site and then the Trango site...(or just pick up the cams and look at them) They are clearly different cams.

 

I have heard from others that Trango is remodeling the Flex-cam.

 

Also...check out these for cheap cams:

 

STP-CASSIN CAMS

 

More

 

 

Edited February 28, 2004 by Rodchester

[cracked]

When you're scared and about to pitch, and you fumble a cam because you saved a few bucks rather than buy what you wanted, you'll be bummed. Money doesn't mean much in a nasty situation. Buy the best (ie what works best for you). I love my Camalots. YMMV.

[RuMR]

fumble a cam? Honestly, you ever really screw up stuffing a cam in?????? Where one brand, you woulda got it in, and another you couldn't??? HAHAHA that's funny...

[thelawgoddess]

thanks, rumr - i was pretty much thinking the same thing!

[cracked]

fumble a cam? Honestly, you ever really screw up stuffing a cam in?????? Where one brand, you woulda got it in, and another you couldn't??? HAHAHA that's funny...

Metolius, getting my sausage fingers between the trigger wires and whatnot, I hate the trigger design. Friends and Camalots are much easier to use. I know for guys like you who have girly hands it's not an issue.

[chelle]

I used to have a rock empire cam that I bought because it was only $29.99 and the Camalot was so much more money. I hated that thing from the beginning and was very happy when it finally got stuck and I couldn't get it out. The trigger wires are so short that it is really easy to overcam it and they also walk really easily.

 

Don't waste your money on getting the cheapest gear. Buy more nuts or some hexes if you can't afford to get a full rack of cams, especially for sizes that are "bomber" hand placements like #1-#3 camalots. Generally you can get a good hand placement and spend an extra minute wiggling in a large nut or hex. Unless you're going to start aid climbing and need to build a huge rack fast, you'll be fine getting started with one set of cams, nuts, and maybe a few hexes. You're climbing partner will likely have a set of cams that can allow you to take doubles of desired pieces on climbs where you will need them.

 

My rack is one set of camalots (.75-#4) with Aliens for the sizes under .75, and one set of metolious cams (00-8), BD nuts #2-#13 and a few wired metolious hexes (double for camalot sizes .5-#2) which I have found to be very valuable at times lightweight and very trusty in constrictons. I didn't go out and buy this at one time. I've built it over the past 5 years of climbing. My first purcahse was 2 metolious cams, a set of nuts and a set of wired hexes. It was all I could afford at the time.

Edited February 29, 2004 by ehmmic

[snoboy]

My first purcahse was 2 metolious cams, a set of nuts and a set of wired hexes. It was all I could afford at the time.

 

That's almost exactly what I bought, except my hexes weren't wired. My cams were the red and black Metolius.

 

I led Diedre with that, as my first multipitch.

 

 

cracked - I have really big hands, and no trouble with Metolius cams. Maybe it's how you use it, not how big it is.

[Dru]

too bad the tcu's ARE wider than aliens.

 

that extra millimeter makes such a difference

[Thinker]

the best way to decide if you like the cheaper cams is to try them out and compare them to the expensive ones...head to head. Find a partner who has both or borrow a few cheap ones and take them along on a climb. (I suspect there are more than a few people who have the cheap ones they no longer use who would be willing to loan them to you for a day.)

 

As you've seen in this thread, some people like the exact features that others dislike, and the only way to figure out if you'll like them is to try them. The worst scenario would be to spend your hard earned cash on something YOU dislike, despite how well other people like them.

[catbirdseat]

Do you have to fall on a particular cam to become a believer in it? I am pretty happy with the way my cheap clog cams place and stay in place, but I've never actually fallen on one. I've fallen on a nut, a hex, an Alien and a Rock Empire cam, all of which have held, but never on my Clogs which actually make up the bulk of my placements. Time will tell.

[arlen]

When I was learning to lead I got a #3 Camalot stuck due to simple inexperience. I could have learned the same lesson with a cam that cost a third as much.

 

I prefer Camalots too, but not because I think it's the brand of gear that's gonna save my ass or not. Cheap cams just have a narrower expansion in the fingers-to-fist range.

[ivan]

i've fallen on my clogs a bunch...they hold no problem (and i'm a fat bitch) but they develop permanent bends/warps in the stems which make them more difficult/awkward to place later

[Snowpuppy]

Camalots will forgive you of your sins!!!