BD C3s (microcams) now for sale

[Blake]

http://www.bdel.com/gear/c3.php

 

$70 for a cam that seems to lack improvements over aliens and TCUs seems a bit steep. Maybe they pack a hidden punch.

[Figger_Eight]

They're about a third narrower than aliens or tcu's.

[Alex]

.

[catbirdseat]

They're about a third narrower than aliens or tcu's.

"30% narrower than any other three cam unit on the market". Aliens are narrower than tcu's.

[tomtom]

But the webpage says "Available Spring 2006".

[Figger_Eight]

They're about a third narrower than aliens or tcu's.

"30% narrower than any other three cam unit on the market". Aliens are narrower than tcu's.

 

Take an alien and TCU at a given range, average the width of the two from end to end, adjust for rotation of the earth and position of the moon on your birthday - add 1 cm to accomodate for universal entropy. If a dog is barking while measuring, subtract 417 microns. If Bush says Nucular within 24 hrs: add 3 cm.

 

Divide the result by 1/2 the radius of your standard tube of horsecock and then add 1.3 cm if it's Tuesday.

 

This would be the width of a BD three cam unit.

 

If you're wondering.

[Dr_Crash]

Wow, dude, you forgot to compensate for parallax errors as you look towards the bottom of the crack.

 

And still no doubled sling... That is the one thing I wish my C4s had.

 

drC

[cman]

that does seem pricey compared to aliens & tcus, even the new #3 is a buck cheaper.

[AFIVE]

Not the new ultralight TCU's and ultralight powercams which should be available to some shops prior to 2006. The new Metolius cams have gotten rid of the little blob that soulders the cable to the axle. The U cable is now soldered into the axle directly. The new design is about the same width as Aliens. A set of #00 to #8 have lost more than 3/4 of a pound over the current design for the same sizes. The new C3's are rediculously light!! The total width of the head is one inch! That is narrower than anything out there. The C3's have a soft flex over a horizontal edge but are nice and stiff for pushing into a crack. You can get them into cracks quite easily with out pulling on the trigger. I found this quite helpful in placing gear while doing a layback. I have only been using them for a few months now. They deffinately have their little niche over Alien's, Zero's and TCU's. Like any aid climbers rack......it's nice to have variety. For free climbing, it sort of depends on your location as to what you would want. Indian Creek cracks that don't bottom out you would want as much head width as you can get (FAT CAMS), in a place like Paradise Forks or Oregon Basalt you might not get something that wide in due to the irregularities. The narrower head profiles will excel in those tight spots. Everyone will have their own preference in pro. They should....they are the ones who will be lobbing off onto the thing when they get spit! I am liking them so far and I do own TCU's, Alien's, and Zero cams. I will most likely add at least one set to my rack when they come out in 2006. Different variations of the prototypes in use can be seen at the U.S. Outdoor Store if anyone is curious in checking them out and their wear.