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the_shoe
Jul 31, 2006, 4:18 AM
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Looking for some So Cal opinions on these three types of cams. Who's using what and why. I am looking for a smaller placement cam to my new C4's. I climb a lot at J-Tree and Tahquitz and have been using my partners rack of Forged Friends and Aliens. Not a big fan of either, I dig the three small placement cams mentioned but not enough climbing on them to make an educated decision.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
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chalkfree
Jul 31, 2006, 4:34 AM
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C3s, just used mine a while ago, very pleased.
In Jtree at least, not so sure about Tahquitz.
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petsfed
Jul 31, 2006, 5:11 AM
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In reply to: Looking for some So Cal opinions on these three types of cams. Who's using what and why. I am looking for a smaller placement cam to my new C4's. I climb a lot at J-Tree and Tahquitz and have been using my partners rack of Forged Friends and Aliens. Not a big fan of either, I dig the three small placement cams mentioned but not enough climbing on them to make an educated decision. Thanks in advance for any comments.
And you don't like aliens? Because they are superior cams than the TCUs and the Zeros for granite (can't speak for C3s). Don't get me wrong, I like TCUs in sand stone, and zeros are way tiny. But for my money, aliens are the best. If you don't like them, you really won't be pleased with your other options.
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charlie_benton
Jul 31, 2006, 5:39 AM
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Im not comfortable leaving the ground in jtree or tahquitz without my aliens...
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the_shoe
Jul 31, 2006, 6:07 AM
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Thanks for the responses so far. I must admit that the recent developments with Aliens has turned my attention to other options. I can however say that the Aliens that I have been climbing with instilled a boat load of confidence when climbing on them, but I believe them to be over ten years old.
I am glad that it was mentioned that the zeros might be to small, I suspected the same. My concern with the TCU's are the U stems and how they would react to a whipper in a vertical crack.
I am intrigued by the C3' but as mentioned they are quite expensive and there is not much known about them since they are relitivly new.
Any opinions on the newer model Aliens or are you guys climbing on some of the older units?
Thanks for being honest.
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thegreytradster
Aug 2, 2006, 2:26 PM
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I've used TCU's at J Tree and Tahquitz since their avalability. Never owned an Alien and haven't really liked them when I have used them.
The most useful pieces for both areas are the 0.5 and 0.75 Camalots or equal. I wouldn't bother with the 00 (gray) (the 0, purple is mostly psychological pro anyway) or anything larger than the orange TCU. The #1 thru #3 TCUs are darn useful though.
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trenchdigger
Aug 2, 2006, 3:37 PM
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Registered: Mar 9, 2003
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In reply to: Thanks for the responses so far. I must admit that the recent developments with Aliens has turned my attention to other options. I can however say that the Aliens that I have been climbing with instilled a boat load of confidence when climbing on them, but I believe them to be over ten years old. I am glad that it was mentioned that the zeros might be to small, I suspected the same. My concern with the TCU's are the U stems and how they would react to a whipper in a vertical crack. I am intrigued by the C3' but as mentioned they are quite expensive and there is not much known about them since they are relitivly new. Any opinions on the newer model Aliens or are you guys climbing on some of the older units? Thanks for being honest.
C3s are actually a U-Stem design as well. They are a bit more flexible than TCUs, but they don't even compare to Aliens. I have sets of Aliens, TCUs, and Zeroes. I hardly ever use the zeroes. The TUCs get out when I need a second set of small cams or when I know I'll be working with smoother walled cracks and pin scars (Tahquitz/Yosemite). My Aliens get the most use. They are ideal for JTree.
If I had no small cams right now and money was no object, I'd still probably get Aliens Blue thru Gold, then go for the C3s instead of TCUs. The C3s are truly amazing. They blow away TCUs. But they're different than Aliens. Not necessarily better or worse, just different (Aliens: super flexible, C3s: stronger, narrower, and smaller).
Hope that helps a bit...
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chalkfree
Aug 2, 2006, 3:56 PM
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C3's aren't really a U stem, but they aren't really a single stem either. Either way, the U stem design is not a huge disadvantage in a vertical placement, and the c3's is less problematic.
I would've bought aliens, but they seemed to handle their production issues like they didn't want to admit there was a problem. That and the already limited availability made me explore other options. I already had tcus, and I wanted to try the c3's out, and I must say I'm quite satisfied.
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