I remember not long ago when it was hip to trash talk a route that was long seen as a big challenge to most. No ads. The green alien is far far better then any other cam in that size. MY biggest issue with Master Cams and all Metolius cams are their sizing choices. It's unfortunate, but obviously we can only do comparisons to stuff we do own and have used plenty. Myself repeating Highlander with a set of Mastercams, VII 7 Ben O'connor Croft. I'm with RyanB. The cam lobes are nice and wide making them a decent option for softer rock types. Also, if you like TCUs, aren't they pretty much identical to mastercams in their sizing? And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. At 50 a cam you do kind of expect this. I like my mastercams, but I do have a couple of things that I don't like as much: 1) the mastercams only come as quad cams. Home | Climbing Areas | Free Thanks Sam. Though this site features descriptions of roads, trails, climbing routes, and other natural features, you cannot assume that because something is described here that it has not changed since last observed or that it will be safe for you or your party. So it does have some advantages. The cams feature a u-stum design that allows for ease of handling while simultaneously providing a high clip-in point for clean aid climbing. Until then, go out and use those cams while the weather lasts! After a few months use some of the cords started to fray and then very quickly the sheath would break apart revealing the inner core. wonder if there is any difference between the Totem and the Fixe? Climbing is dangerous. Big Wall Rock Climbing Yosemite | An issue that can be circumvented by slinging your placements long, but an issue nonetheless. However, the thing that really struck me as a bad idea when I first looked at the Master Cams was the Kevlar cord, which attaches the cam lobes to the trigger bar. No texture. Thumb loop isway too small while using gloves in the alpine making them hard to place. Access to a year's subscription to Rockfax Digital.

My only issue with them is that the lack of range.

Thanks for visiting Cascadeclimbers.com. Yep, we are still going! Just put a new coat of paint on the site. The Official Trip Report, Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 11, 2016 - 10:44am PT, Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2016 - 11:29am PT, Topic Author's Reply - Aug 12, 2016 - 11:19am PT. I am also still getting used to crack climbing - it hurts. a lot.". I love the blue fcu's for index cracks (clean and parallel) and I don't hate the master cam but the green alien rocks. In fact, they even appear to wear better because of the dual axle they seem to clean easily, so you don't have to yank them around as much to get them out or in a tight placement. payment or a more substantial payment paid monthly or yearly which includes full access to Rockfax Digital and discounts on 2021 marks the 10th birthday of 8BPLUS.

Let us know! It's impossible to explain properly so just look at the image below. 1. The Totem Basics are a near spot on version of the CCH Alien with some tweaks and improvements that make it better overall. Weight wise the C4s are on the heavier side but this is due to their dual axle design and therefore they have a larger camming range. "It's hard to pick one specific type of climbing that I prefer over the others but I think my heart still lies with big mixed alpine routes that potentially involve a couple of nights bivying. They have stood the test of time. Yeah, they were unreliable with issues with cams dated before and after the recall.

Instead, Metolius Cams always seem to have gaps. Having scoured the internet for similar horror stories it seems that I got a bad batch and that the versions released on the market live up to the high standard of manufacturing that Metolius are known for. The biggest qualm we have with the Powercams is that the lobes on these cams are pretty close together. Just about any name brand cam on the market is going to safely hold a fall when properly placed, even on 5.hard terrain. there is no reason to get anything bigger. Rock Climbing Red Rocks | Basically rendered it useless in 2 climbs. Not the least or most expensive cam on the market. please don't respond, I don't care what you have to say.". Got feedback? October seems to be excellent for rock climbing in most places in the country. Climbing Alaska. Topos | Guidebooks | Route My partner took a 7 foot fall on it on Lazybum in the valley, held fine.

First, name dropping for who uses what and for what reasons isn't really a convincing argument. Same goes for the jump from Orange to Red. If you are going to basically copy an existing and well-loved product in any industry, you better make something as good, if not much better. Climbing, skiing and mountaineering are dangerous sports. The machine work looks far better than Aliens. All trademarks property of their respective owners In a nutshell, Metolius cams are built so that they have a smaller camming angle than their competitors, meaning that they have a higher holding power but sacrifice camming range. You might ask yourself what the point is in the Kevlar cord at all when metal wire has been the norm over all these years. one more thing I didn't post - if you're complaining about the trigger wires, make sure you didn't get the older ones - they've long been updated and seem to hold up just fine. The added range and narrower head of the alien let you wiggle it into a good placement and the flexy stem and long sling lets you clip it and go. I have several friends that climb 5.12+ trad, and they LOVE their Metolius cams for crack climbing, so I don't think there is some group concensus that 5.12 crack climbers don't like Metolius cams. Let us know! another point? World-wide ascents, expeditions, and mountaineering instruction. Beware of the sandstone! Metolius have managed to narrow the head width by making their cam lobes thinner, which places them in between the Alien and the C3s more or less. But oh wait, master cams suck and this guy was a total moron because nobody that climbs hard trad uses master cams. I've used them when climbing with friends a couple of times and been annoyed because they just won't go in as many places as my aliens do. Hope you had a great 2021, and wish you the best for 2022 and beyond. Thanks again for stopping by. I haven't taken a fall on one yet but they have performed perfectly in aiding and winter situations, with none of the ice/snow clogging up of the lobes that you get on cheaper cams which renders them totally useless in mixed situations. Is one company publishing actual range while the other is publishing usable range? Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming a UKC Supporter, or UKC Supporter Plus which Trigger wires on Master cams get snagged in the crack at times making them hard to remove, I could care less as I'll make my second deal with it. A flexible, single stem unit with an ultra-narrow head width for hard aid or free climbing, 13 mm Monster Sling webbing (36% Dyneema/64% nylon), Range Finder tells you at a glance if you've chosen the right size cam for the placement, Optimized cam angle for more outward force, CNC machined for much greater precision than stamped or extruded cams, Hand built, inspected and individually tested to its rated strength. At least a fall or two a day? Not massively convinced that this would do the job I took them out again for a good alpine beating and surprisingly enough they are still completely intact after all this time. The top two are older and the newest generations of Powercams and the bottom is the newest generation of Mastercam. The range of clothing and equipment from Troll expands for spring '21 with a new climbing trouser, some T-Shirts and some new chalk bags and buckets. Looks like everything here is just personal opinions. Mastercams are less flexible than Aliens, but with a sling, who cares. Pretty much have to diss most cams on that basis. And bottom line, nothing beats a well set wired nut. Im not sure if the problems were related or not. Check out our Guest Map and mark your location. The "u" stem four cam metolius units seem very stable and able to grab uneven shaped cracks. We're proud to say that most of our products are still made by our small team in Skipton, North As climbers we strive to make UKClimbing the kind of website we would love to visit, with the most up-to-date news, diverse Points: 50, Latest This was always a feature that I loved about the original metolius, but with the quads, the upwards pull has the potential to allow for the cam to walk. Given that you'd expect them to have MORE sizes for more overlap and better "Coverage". Ultralight Powercams are Metolius' response to climbers' constant and ubiquitous call for lighter climbing gear. Ol' Blue has fit into more little tips cracks than I can remember, and held more falls than I'd like to admit. If it were really a problem then aid climbers would be up in arms about it on ST. Metolius Mastercams: weak point Jon Griffith Photos | Articles Yellow and up it is close to being a wash with a slight edge to aliens. I also prefer aliens (that work) except in snowy/icy conditions. But what caught my attention, placing all three generations side by side, is the evolution of cam design. AAI assumes no responsibility or liability for your use of the information presented in this blog. However I wanted a cam that works long term and I didn't want to have to worry about resetting the cam lobes every time I wanted to place it. Below a Green Alien the Master Cams and other designs are better. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. I am a manufacturing engineer, but my asessments are based on climbing regularly and placing gear and not dyanmic testing or working in the lab with them. The finish and handling seem nice though, like all metolius products. At first I really missed my aliens, but after the withdrawl, I haven't looked back. American Alpine Institute - Climbing Blog, Rock Climb Red Rocks - Las Vegas, Nevada, Climbing Events December and January 2012, Win a Free Copy of Andy Kirkpatrick's Cold Wars, National Geographic: Adventurer of the Year Award. I'm going to wait until people have been climbing on the totems for a couple of years before I spring for them. Granted I don't lead 5.12 and I haven't broken one (which would shake my faith in them, as blowing a couple placements on a C3), but I feel like I've climbed enough, and had to make some pretty creative placements from "marginal stances". But, I don't aid climb at all, maybe that bashes them up worse. Excellence in guiding since 1975. Green-Red Alien are their sweet spot. Another area where we found the Powercams lacking was in that they had one of the lowest ranges of all the cams that we tested. Waaay less flexible, and I've had them blow placements. do cracks fundamentally change at a certain grade? The cam-angle statements that backup those claims aren't disingenuous - the Master Cam cam lobes are cut from the same cam stock as their TCUs. -Three generations of #1 Metolius Cams. These are the best cams for you if you are obsessed with weight, but overall, we prefer the flexibility of a single stem cam like the, GearLab is reader-supported. When I contacted Metolius I was told that it was not an issue that they had seen before - it often happens that when you review gear you get prototype kit meaning that there are often modifications before it is released on the market. Rock Climbing Tuolumne | However, they have not used the Totem cams YET! I watched a guy send the ". I don't find it to be more a problem than any other small cam. Jon You say they have resolved the issue of the kevlar fraying, in doing this have they stopped the lobe tilt as shown in your picture or is this still an issue? "Mikey, Sol, or Blake - So since the three of you all are not on the mastercam bandwagon, can you please specificy detail why? Add on top of this the range finder, which Metolius has on all its cams nowadays, and you can feel really secure with your placements. The heads are narrower on the master cams in these sizes and I feel I can wiggle them into narrow seems and still see in to inspect the heads. This doesn't allow for a grat degree of individual lobe movement to account for slight variances in the rock, and contributes to the cams walking. Aliens may be hard to find now but folk will be interested to know if Master Cams are a good replacement as theirs get lost or damaged or whether to pay the premium for second-hand items on ebay. As I did this, I realized that I have three generations of one particular cam - the trusty #1 "Blue" Metolius. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. I had a #5 placed 3 or 4 times and the cam lobes started rubbing against each other. If that's the case, what do like more about tcus. Building a rack of cams can be confusing and expensive A camming device is often referred to as a "camming unit" the world's most carefully tested and objective gear reviews.

Rockfax Those skinny wires running over the lobes seem like they'd wear out pretty fast. UKClimbing Limited. 3.) Rock Climbing Zion | Still the same old community of climbers, skiers, and people who love to get outdoors. I did an initial review here - read down a few posts, I saw I posted on the Strength ratings as well. Red Chili have some exciting new models for 2022. I prefer the sculpted trigger to the triggers on my Aliens. | About Us, Climbing AreasRock Climbing Yosemite | We really liked the fact that the cams are so light and compact compared to other cams that we tested. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. We like the fact that Metolius has taken into account our color-coded mind frame when trad climbing and given us a tool to quickly check whether a placement is bomber or not. This can be a one-off The point of micro cams is that they can fit into tiny placements: with miniscule cracks you don't have much margin for space so the narrower the head the better. You will usually need to sling them due to the relatively rigid stems. Indeed, when I first started to build my rack, the "made in Oregon" helped me to decide. I have the size zero purple master cam and like it a lot. Hopefully the Spaniards do a better job of it. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. Anyone else hear the rumors that BD was going to make a similar cam to the alien? In fact, due to the rather stronger springs and more aggressive camming angle they actually feel better than the C3s, as when I put a micro in place I want to make sure that it is going to walk as little as possible as there is very little margin for error on these ones. Heck yes. We found that the Powercams tended to walk a bit more than many other cams that we tested. Jon Griffith's first climbing days were in the Avon Gorge at Bristol.

), and the *newest* cam to come out (Spring 2013) - the. Master cams aren't perfect but in my mind they are a solid small cam. Since they have fixed the fraying issue the lobe tilt is not an issue any more as well. you appreciate the content we offer then you can help us by becoming an official UKC Supporter. And ditto on the comment about waiting on the regular totem (the non-alien). How many days have you climbed on your totems? -Powercams on the right, new Mastercam on left. And at least the cam lobes don't turn to mush after a season or two. The machining on the lobes looks down right janky compared to c4. I've got aliens that are 12 years old, probably 30 days/year? Posts in all Forums, Free Elias Range ExpeditionsBolivia ExpeditionsPeru ExpeditionsChina ExpeditionsBugaboo Provincial Park ExpeditionsPacific Northwest Climbing ProgramsSierra Nevada Climbing Programs. incredible community has formed around the site - weve provided the framework but its you who make the website what it is today. Privacy | Cookies | Terms. But wait, this route isn't hard so never mind My rack: C3s from purple to green (for basalt and granite). I don't want to speak for Jon, but at a guess it might be that he doesn't own either of them. Weekend Warrior - Videos to get you STOKED!!!

I actually like the grey and purple master cams better then the equivalent black and blue aliens. McKinley ClimbsAlaska Range ExpeditionsSt. Next, up are the C3's. I however avoid woven sheaths Cams in general as much as possible for others reasons From Colin Haley Colin Haley equipment for alpinism, "Avoid cams with woven-sheathed cables (Aliens) for alpine climbing, as they can freeze up and become useless, dead weight.". I don't have all the generations of the Metolius cams, but here are the three I do have: Yep, you can call me a nerd for geekin out on cams, but hey, I use