The Best Small SLCDs?

[shaoleung]

I have always been fond of playing with my nuts and squeezing them into tight cracks. However, my stamina isn't what it was and I am more interested in investing in small cams now.

 

I am looking at the alternatives. Right now I am looking at Camalot C3s, TCUs, Wild Country Zeros, DMMs, Omega Pacific, and Aliens (word is they've survived despite the bad batches).

 

Are there any other small cams I should think about sliding into cracks? I know there are opinions too... bring it on!

[Winter]

master cams

[ivan]

i like having a set of tcus and a set of aliens - what does it matter what my reasons are? i figured my preferences out by actually using a variety of gear - climb w/ folks who have the various widgets and get a feel for what you like.

[davidk]

add Metolius Master Cams to your list.

 

My small-cam rack consists of #2-4 Metolius TCU's and #1-4 Master Cams. I always grab the Masters first, and have been quite pleased with their performance. Like Aliens, but with a stiffer stem and better thumb loop, and a bit cheaper. TCUs have their place too, but I almost never place the #4 (red one) because it tends to walk and rotate a lot unless the crack really restricts its movement. And that's where TCUs shine: pockets and non-parallel cracks because the geometry of 3 cam lobes accommodates more surrounding curvature than 4 lobes.

 

Aliens are great, and have a super solid feel when you place them. I would own a set, but I got a better deal on Metolius cams when I was piecing together my rack.

[S1W]

Red and Yellow Aliens, then C3s for the smaller sizes (Red C3, Green C3, Purple C3).

[jared_j]

I'd start out with an easier question, such as which of the major faiths of the world is the true one.

[shaoleung]

The answer is of course obvious! Scientology! We are all little aliens trying to find ourselves!

[powderhound]

I prefer the older black diamond .2 and .1 pre C3.

 

I am personaly waiting for offset metolius master cams for my next small cam purchase. My aliens are still my fav, don't have any of the new master cams but placed them a couple times and think they are just as good as the aliens.

[jshamster]

Aliens, TCU's, and slider nuts.

[denalidave]

I love the new Master Cams but they seem to get stuck a bit more than my aliens or tcu's. That said, I have not yet lost one due to it getting stuck.

[eldiente]

C3s for the really tiny stuff. Aliens or master cams for the rest of the small stuff you might encounter. For some reason the bigger C3 (yellow) doesn't work very well for me. Too stiff. Anyone else have this problem? I really like the smaller C3s, they seem to fit almost like an offset nut in flares.

 

 

 

 

 

[jshamster]

I bootied a yellow C3 on the first pitch of Prow/Wash. Col.

I ended up using it a ton all the way up the route. Very useful then. Can't say I've used it since.

[G-spotter]

I love ZeroCams.

[marc_leclerc]

I love TCU's.... they fit in shallower placements than 4 cam units and seem to get stuck less often....

[ScottP]

I love TCU's.... they fit in shallower placements than 4 cam units and seem to get stuck less often....

+1

I stuck a #1 TCU straight up into a shallow pocket under a roof on the lower part of Narrow Arrow Direct, clipped a pair of aiders into it, stepped gently into said aiders and watched the #1 TCU pivot back and forth. I fully expected it to rock right on out of there, but instead I moved on up and finished the pitch.

 

[frankstoneline]

TCU's and FCU's for me! love em.

[LostCamKenny]

Love the TCU's but the smaller aliens flex at the stem better and are easier to place if you have larger hands. Plus, the smallest TCU's are rated for body weight only - though if it was a choice between a BW only placement and nothing I'd place the gray or purple TCU every time!