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General Climbing Discussion

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I Need Cams ! 25-Sep-2003 At 1:19:18 PM dodgy

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OK, maybe I'm biased but I have BD Camalots from 0.5 to 4. Basically, because of the range they cover (the double axle is the difference) you need less of them on your rack. But they are a bit heavier and more expensive than most others. They also have a really nice trigger action. And I've seen a number 4 that was "tested", I really dont think I'll ever see one break...
I also have three small aliens 0, 0.5 and 1 (the 1 is similar to a BD 0.5), they have much more flexible stems than the small BD ones, so less chance of walking. But the aliens are nowhere near as strong, and are not tested like BD or wild Country gear. Both BD and Wild Country use 3 sigma testing. The ratings on Aliens are not confirmed by batch testing like the others, also Aliens are designed for aid use, not big falls. The lobes are quite soft compared to BD (different alloy) and will tear under a big load. REI in the states actually de-rated the Aliens in their own tests. I would only really use the aliens this way in an ideal situation (the #0 has made a nice rest on one route). Interesting that the BD cams are si,ilar in price here to the USA (the improving $A makes them a bit dearer but I can get you about 20% off (BTW) so similar, but Aliens are dearer, in the states Aliens are cheaper than Camalots, so what we have here is a greedy importer...
I think it is very easy to be fascinated by the engineering of really tiny cams, but keep in mind they have very small ranges too. A #0.1 Camalot covers 8.6-13.7 mm, so if you place it in an 11mm crack and it walks into a wider area, say 13mm (a whole 2mm change) do you think it will be reliable? I'll always try to use a nut first, and I can buy a set of RP's or nearly a full set of nuts...for less than one small cam.