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benkiessel
Dec 10, 2002, 12:05 AM
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any thoughts?
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valygrl
Dec 10, 2002, 12:30 AM
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Aliens. Cannot say this strongly enough.
The Camalot Jr.'s are WAY too WIDE in the sizes below .5. I like my .5, but the .4 is like 1/3 again as wide as the yellow Alien. I got the .4 thinking of beefing up the rack in the small sizes that way, as there was a potential good deal, but that .4 is one of the few pieces that almost always stays in my pack. You can get all 4 cams of the Alien in cracks where only 3 on the BD fit.
Cheers.
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flying_dutchman
Dec 10, 2002, 12:55 AM
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but but the camlots have the double axis which doubles the weight but it gives u that extra mm of expansion in the small sizes!..
just kidding, camlots my ass. Go with the aliens. or metolius cams are great in the small sizes, tcu's etc.
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radistrad
Dec 10, 2002, 1:23 AM
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Aliens for the smaller sizes. The red Alien is the same range as the .5 Camalot but its thinner.
I own both and the Aliens are the bomb for climbing in Yosemite. If your climbing Sandstone you may want to stick with Camalots.
One thing I can say besides the width is that the Camalots are more prone to trigger wire damage!
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epic_ed
Dec 10, 2002, 1:36 AM
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Ditto the above consensus and refer to the similar thread on Aliens v. Metolius TCUs. I especially concur with the trigger wire damage statement.
I'll stick with the Aliens as my first choice up to the Red (others have indicated similar preference). It's kind of a toss-up between the Red Alien and the Purple Camelot--I usually prefer the Alien.
Ed
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tradklime
Dec 10, 2002, 4:11 AM
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Aliens any size, any day!
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pbcowboy77
Dec 10, 2002, 5:00 AM
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Alliens all the way, and I think that they have a wider camming range.
-Zac
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climber1
Dec 10, 2002, 5:57 AM
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good ? it's a tossup in my book, but would probably go with the aliens.
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pbjosh
Dec 10, 2002, 6:40 AM
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For the smallest sizes black and blue alien VS 00 and 0 TCU vs .1 and .2 camalot:
The Camalot's blow. The aliens are nice but the TCU's have narrower heads and fit pockets and pin scars better, in my experience. I like both.
For the finger sizes, 1-3 TCU and green, yellow and red alien and the .3/.4/.5 camalots:
The aliens and the TCUs are comparable in size and width. I like them both a lot. The microcamalots start to have the double axle in this size range and I like them as well but I don't like them as much as the others.
For the off fingers / tight hands range of 4 TCU vs. orange and larger aliens vs. .5 and .75 camalot:
I like the Orange alien but not the larger ones. Too narrow almost and not enough expansion range. I dislike the 4 TCU most of the time, generally I prefer the .5 and .75 camalot and the 1.5 Friend in this size range...
However this is leaving out hybrid aliens which are the f*cking bomb!
Ideally (and what I usually carry for granite in california), something like this:
- 00 and 0 TCU if needed
- black/blue, blue/green and green/yellow hybrid aliens
- 1, 2, 3 TCU
- .5 through 3 camalot
- 1.5 through 3 or 3.5 friend
For bigger gear I like the #4,5 and 6 Friends and the #3.5, 4 and 4.5 Camalots. I don't like the #5 Camalot. Way too heavy.
josh
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dirko
Dec 10, 2002, 4:13 PM
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I think that if you are doing trad routes, the Camalots are the better unit. OK, OK, the Camalots are a lot wider in the head department. That said, I have taken my fair share of whippers on the smaller Camalots with only two cams engaged. They hold every time. Not that this is the ideal situation.
To me, the best thing about Camalots is their durability. I have found it pretty easy to gunk up the head of Aliens after a few all-day climbs. The Camalots have never had this problem. Also, if your fingers have a unsettling resemblance to sausages, the Alien triggers might be a little small when you are fumbling to clip on a trad crux.
All that aside, I think Aliens are better if you are AID climbing. Buy triples of the blue/black hybrid.
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mountainmonkey
Dec 10, 2002, 4:37 PM
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The only thing that camalots smaller than the 0.75 are good for are perfect splitter cracks. Otherwise they are just too wide to match the irregulatities of the small cracks. Aliens are very nice and TCUs are a good addition to them if you want doubles. Aliens are durable - but sometimes you have to adjust the trigger wires to get them working smooth. I have never had them gunk up, even after two days of crack jugging (ie continuous aiding with the same sizes - red and yellow).
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repete
Dec 11, 2002, 12:49 AM
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www.climberonline.com/COLreviews/rev050300.shtml
I dont know why that wont come up as a link but regardles its good stuff. It gives specs on both.
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repete
Dec 11, 2002, 12:51 AM
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Ok maybe it did come up as a link.
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bsinger
Dec 11, 2002, 12:56 AM
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Aliens are the best bar none.
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bigwalling
Dec 11, 2002, 3:31 AM
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Registered: Dec 29, 2001
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Forget camalots! Go with tech friends. They are cheaper, lighter, and have more sizes.
Aliens are great! I got 12 of the little guys and love each and everyone of them. Hybrids are great for aid.
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baza_arrampicare
Dec 13, 2002, 8:47 AM
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i like camelots and aliens...but stick more to camelots, as that's what i started with.
[ This Message was edited by: baza_arrampicare on 2002-12-13 00:51 ]
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bigwallben
Dec 24, 2002, 7:28 AM
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Registered: Dec 24, 2002
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Aliens are the stuff, however, if you climb LOTS they tend to wear out faster then other cams. I like the small metolius cams (tcus & quads) much more then the camalots and they tend to be what goes on most free climbs- the aliens are saved for aid.
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