Buying RE Cams

[cheamclimber]

I'm in high school working with my Dad over spring break and I want to find a good deal on cams, I looked around at lots of cams and decided that the best I could get with my little money were the RE cams. I tried a couple that my friend has and they felt fine and I read some good reviews but i want to here if you guys have anything to say about them. Whats good, whats bad and so on.

[ivan]

never heard of them - maybe not the best of signs?

 

i'm a poor boy meself - and as one, i'll say that cams are one of those kinds of gear that are actually worth spending the money on - keep in mind that you can often cobble together a decent rack if you're climbing w/ another dirtbag - keep an eye on the yard sale forum here and maybe even post a "want to buy" thread - check ebay - you can and should get decent cams - all the shit cams i bought when i first got into climbing are still moldering in my garage b/c i quickly figured out that, when freaked out and near death, i didn't want to dick around w/ a flimsy piece of shit

 

don't be afraid to be like the patriarchs too and learn to use nuts for as much shit as possible as they cost 1/10th as much

[cheamclimber]

yeah, ive climbed many 5.10 finger cracks with mt set of stoppers, I just really need cams for the hand cracks and stuff, the cams im getting are the Rock Empire durango flex cams and are the same as the trango flex cams btw

[Dannible]

I too am young and poor and have a rack of whatever was cheap at the time. I have one RE robot in the .5 camalot size. It works just fine, and I like the fact that it has a doubled over sling that can eliminate the need for a draw, but their range is very limited. They look like Metolius cams and have almost the same range on paper, but at least with the one I have the action isn't as smooth and I would only want to place it in the middle of it's range. When I am taking things off the rack for weight it is almost always the first thing to go. I would say either buy some of those and wait to get better cams in the future as your second set, or better yet look for something better on sale or used.

[robpatterson5]

I really like the Durango's but IMO the largest is a little too narrow and a little unstable in some placements. I might consider getting a blue camalot in that size.

 

Really liked them in Squamish granite but the smaller ones seemed to have less range then the small Metolious cams or Aliens. Still they seemed to fit 90% of the spaces the other two cams would.

 

 

[rob]

I've got a set of RE comet cams, they're fine. The bigger sizes are somewhat limited in range, but the smaller ones have been fine for me.

[jfs1978]

They were my starter cams too (Robots). They're ok...any issues/shortfalls have already been mentioned - but they are totally functional. I'll second the stability and range comments...more likely to walk/twist than my normal C4s. As a result, I only use them now if I need triples/quads of a given size.

 

As a starter set...they're fine. But they will eventually get relegated to the bottom of the gear horde/pile. Buy/save accordingly.

[cheamclimber]

ya, I ordered the set of durangos, they seem pretty good, Im gonna need to get some big ones tho or even a couple tube chocks for my next project... a 15 foot horizontal roof with an offwidth running through it, after pulling the lip you get to climb 30 more feet of arm locks and gresy fist jams! cant wait to get on that!

[cheamclimber]

well, I got the RE Durango cams and I went to the bluffs and managed to lead a beatiful 5.9+ hand crack. It was the same size for a lot of the climb so I had to leapfrog my gear a little 9 and the crux was a tad wet) but it was great! I love trad climbing!

[111]

yea, dont think nuts are going to cut it for your little OW problem. But having a big pair of balls might help on that climb

[cheamclimber]

yea, dont think nuts are going to cut it for your little OW problem. But having a big pair of balls might help on that climb

 

I was checking it out/cleaning more yesterday and halfway through the roof is a wedged chockstone, you can grab it like a jug and sling it for pro which maked things easier but getting into the roof is also hard.... it also has a 25ft slab start where pro is either going to be crap or none at all, I dont want to put a bolt in tho... it might just have an R rated start... Im gonna pinkpoint it first as placing gear will be very difficult in the OW, the climb also ends in a 30ft leaning fist/offwidth with only 3 or so good places for pro, im worried about falling and going just the distance to end upp bashing my face into the lip of the roof.. its gonna be a frigging burlfest.

 

There it is, its signifigantly cleaner now.

[DRep]

But I thought you climb 5.12???

[cheamclimber]

and that look easy??? ^

[G-spotter]

have you done the 12d roof crack at E*bow L*ke?

[cheamclimber]

not yet, i had a good look at it tho. I did the 12b overhang right at the bottom.. like the first wall as you go down the trail. Its pumpy and ends in a big dyno... its a really good climb. Why do you put stars in the E*bow L*ke? so Mike doesnt find out you posted that and hire a hitman to get you?