thin_air_aaron Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 I'm looking to buy a set of some lightly used BD Camalot C4's (0.5-3)and am trying to figure out how much has changed in the last 5-7 years in terms of their development. Has their been significant development in terms of extended range, weight reduction, reliability, etc. that a version from 5-7 years ago wouldn't have capitalized on? How much should any of these issues determine how much to offer? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrogdortheBurninator Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 C4 refers to only the most recent version of the 4 lobe camalot. They are easily recognizable from the molded thumb loop compared to the metal stub and u-stem of the earlier generations. I think c4s have been available for around 5 years. The previous generation are slightly heavier and handle slightly worse in my opinion. I'd say that C4s in good USED condition should fetch around 55-65% of retail. Previous generation (metal thumb stub) are probably more like 45-50% of retail. I wouldnt bother with the much older U-stem cams. I also probably wouldnt buy used gear that doesnt appear to be in goof condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldfinger Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 There has been a VERY significant development in Chinalots, er Camalots, in terms of weight, cam angle, quality of finish and slings--it's called a DMM DRAGON! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boadman Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 actually, the slings on the dragons are the skinny ones that will wear out pretty quick. It would annoy me to have to re-sling my cams every couple of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldfinger Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 Huh? It annoys me to have to carry a boatload of draws, but to each their own, can't go wrong with either really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grinter Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 (edited) I also probably wouldnt buy used gear that doesnt appear to be in goof condition. The gold standard in climbing gear. Edited December 1, 2010 by grinter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thin_air_aaron Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Thanks for the advice. It looks like the cams I'm looking at are in fact the older version with the metal stub. Are the weight/angle issues significant or would they be alright to use as a beginner set until I get more experienced using cams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 they are probably fine. You may want to have new slings put on which runs about $5/cam from BD warranty dept. Just reslung mine which were a generation older than the ones you are looking at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thin_air_aaron Posted December 1, 2010 Author Share Posted December 1, 2010 Awesome, thanks everyone for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 There has been a VERY significant development in Chinalots, er Camalots, in terms of weight, cam angle, quality of finish and slings--it's called a DMM DRAGON! Amen to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lodestone Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I wouldn't buy the Dragon cams for a few reason: They don't have a thumb loop (my biggest gripe). They don't cover the range I want so I'd still have to buy C4's at the small and big end of the spectrum. The small ones are expensive. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldfinger Posted December 2, 2010 Share Posted December 2, 2010 I hear ya on expense, but I'm using TCU's to cover below .5 (and eventually to double the .5 and .75) and they are both way lighter and way cheaper than C4's and especially c3's. The new stem works just about as well as a thumb loop, I was really surprised by that, since it is WIDE. I'm not touching offwidth so I'm fine with 3.5 and 4 Tech friends which are cheap and light. Love those doubled slings and 13.75 cam angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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