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traverpen
Jul 28, 2009, 9:20 PM
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I love aliens, but heard that anything bigger than red isn't great, no experience with them myself. I already have green through red CCH and .5-4 C4's doubles on the 1 and 2, so this is about which one I should get for a double. I know that a gold alien will be hard to find so I am leaning towards a .75 C4, cam stops are nice too .
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mtnkid85
Jul 28, 2009, 9:34 PM
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Registered: Dec 18, 2005
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I dont have the Gold Alien, but the Orange is pretty close to the .75. I used it for quite a while and liked it. Just recently it has been replaced with the Black Mastercam though.
I use c4s from 1 up.
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sspssp
Jul 28, 2009, 9:44 PM
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I wouldn't say that the bigger aliens "aren't great". Rather, for the bigger sizes, the narrow head is not as critical.
The alien will fit in a narrower placement than the C4, but a narrow head is going to be slightly less stable and the C4 has greater range (doesn't seem to matter as much on the smaller sizes), cam stops, and no doubts about QC.
The gold is actually very close to half way between the .5 and .75. I like having "half sizes". If you want to get a .75 sized alien, the orange is a very close fit.
(This post was edited by sspssp on Jul 28, 2009, 9:45 PM)
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angry
Jul 28, 2009, 9:59 PM
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Registered: Jul 22, 2003
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An orange is what you meant to say. The gold is more similar to a 1.25 friend. I'll respond as if you'd said orange alien.
So I've ran into some weird shit with the sizing of newer aliens.
Lets use the route Optimator in Indian Creek as an example.
I can usually climb it with all orange and red aliens. I can also climb it with all .5 and .75 camalots.
When I've borrowed newer Oranges, I cannot fit them into the same place my older oranges go. The .75 still goes into this spot.
For a time, I thought that was because they'd changed their sizing to make the gold more useful. With experience, unfortunately, I believe the sizing change is just more random BS. Meaning you could buy two oranges off the same shelf and they wouldn't fit in the exact same crack. This would likely only ever be a problem in Indian Creek.
I've found the consistency of sizes to be very good and uniform from red to the smallest. It's the bigger ones that tend to be utterly mysterious.
My solution has been to get two of the oranges that I really like and are consistent with each other in size. I use those and only those. When I want more in that size, I break out the camalots. I've placed oranges in places that a .75 would never go so it is worth owning them. However, one or two would be more than enough and you should get friends or camalots for the extras.
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climboard
Jul 28, 2009, 10:09 PM
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Registered: Apr 10, 2001
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I prefer the .75 C4 over the orange Alien for the same reason stated earlier- stability and range. It is rare that a placement in that size requires the narrower width of the Alien, at least where I climb.
I recommend the Link cam over either as a double in that size, it is lighter than the C4 and has a greater range.
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shimanilami
Jul 28, 2009, 10:30 PM
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Registered: Jul 24, 2006
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I've got orange aliens and 0.75 C4's. There are rare situations where the narrow head on the alien allows for a better placement (e.g. 1st pitch of serenity crack), so I'd give the alien a very slight preference, but both are sweet. You can't go wrong either way.
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petsfed
Jul 28, 2009, 10:41 PM
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I guess camalots have a greater range than aliens, but I've never actually noticed it. In truth, it seems like aliens have a larger usable range than camalots, although camalots have a larger mechanical range.
Still, I've found that once you get above red alien size, the floppiness becomes less of an advantage, although the narrow headwidth still has a lot of utility. Which is to say, the difference between aliens and camalots becomes less distinct.
No joke though, the published gold size is closer to the mainline .75 C4 than the published orange size.
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traverpen
Jul 29, 2009, 4:12 PM
Post #8 of 14
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Registered: Dec 2, 2007
Posts: 5
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thanks for the insights, link cams would be an option, but I don't really want another brand of cams on my rack. I am also too cheap for those. but thanks for the insights.
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scotty1974
Jul 29, 2009, 8:05 PM
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Registered: May 31, 2006
Posts: 248
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It would be great if there was a size comparison chart for the major cam brands. I'm familar with BD/Metolius, but quite a few of the old route guides reference Friend sizes, which I'm only mildly familiar.
Who's bored out there today and would like a project?
(This post was edited by scotty1974 on Jul 29, 2009, 8:05 PM)
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acorneau
Jul 29, 2009, 8:18 PM
Post #12 of 14
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Registered: Feb 6, 2008
Posts: 2889
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Damn, I like your link better than mine!
I'm keeping that one on file. Thanks!
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tradrenn
Jul 30, 2009, 1:18 AM
Post #13 of 14
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Registered: Jan 16, 2005
Posts: 2990
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Phenomenal work man, very nicely done.
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scotty1974
Jul 30, 2009, 5:56 PM
Post #14 of 14
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Registered: May 31, 2006
Posts: 248
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Killer...and that's what I get for NOT doing a search!!! LOL
Thanks for not chewing me a new one!!!
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