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bollduggy
Mar 3, 2008, 6:13 AM
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Registered: Nov 28, 2007
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I was just wondering what the difference is between the old and the new flex cams. Im looking at starting a trad rack and ive been looking at these. Just wondering what your opinions were.
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hosh
Mar 3, 2008, 6:38 AM
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I was actually looking at these tonight in a gear shop in town. They look nice and I would be more than happy to add them to my (if you ask my wife, "over-sized") rack. The larger sizes (2 biggest) look a little unstable, and the smallest 2 or 3 sizes also look a little awkward. They look like a decent option for a rack, but if you can spring the cash, I'd say go with Metolius or BD. That's just my opinion...
hosh.
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notapplicable
Mar 3, 2008, 12:10 PM
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My brother bought a set 2 years ago so I have climbed with them quite a bit, as they are officially part of my rack untill he gets back from Iraq.
Hosh is exactly right, the largest and smallest sizes arent as confidence inspiring as they could be. Not henious mind you, they are a good and light weight cam that I place with confidence.
My rack is a mashup of Metolius, bd and Friends (and now flex cams) and they all have their strengths. All I cans say is, if you choose to build your rack around Trango's, expect to round it off with some tcu's and camalots, one day.
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John_Long
Mar 3, 2008, 1:24 PM
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Whatcha want? A cookie?
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dynoho
Mar 3, 2008, 2:14 PM
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I believe the difference between the old and new is in the smallest 5 sizes which now employ the "splitter" configuration. This design helped Trango narrow the head and allows for aiding off of two lobes. I think they added some sizes as well.
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bollduggy
Mar 3, 2008, 5:04 PM
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Registered: Nov 28, 2007
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SO if i can pick up the old flex cams cheaper i should do that? or is it worth spending the extra 5-10 dollars a cam to get the new ones. And what exactly is wrong with the two biggest sizes? DO they walk alot or do they just feel unstable? thanks agian for the help guys
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herothezero
Mar 3, 2008, 10:44 PM
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Registered: Nov 14, 2007
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The old Flex Cams are being sold as Rock Empire Durangos. I think they go for $290 a set.
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notapplicable
Mar 4, 2008, 3:26 AM
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John_Long wrote: [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=1151[/image] Whatcha want? A cookie?
Yes, thank you for that.
Very helpful.
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waterman
Mar 4, 2008, 4:04 AM
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These were my first trad peices and still a major part of my rack (I have all the four cam units). I matched them with the max cams and tcus, and now that I have a full set of c4 and c3s Im still so much more comfortable with the flex cams and max cams that I grab for them in a pinch (often leaving the Bdels in the car). Point is I have been very happy with the cams, even if they arn't "The best," they get the job done.
Jeff
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takanhase
Mar 4, 2008, 4:32 AM
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Registered: Mar 8, 2004
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I started my rack off with the flexcams, and still use the 5-7 the 8-9 are a little unstable in my opinion (they walk a bit) and as far as the smaller ones go.... I'd take metoulous 4cu's or 3cus over them in a hartbeat. but thats my own preference.
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hosh
Mar 6, 2008, 4:26 PM
Post #12 of 12
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Registered: Dec 15, 2003
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bollduggy wrote: SO if i can pick up the old flex cams cheaper i should do that? or is it worth spending the extra 5-10 dollars a cam to get the new ones. And what exactly is wrong with the two biggest sizes? DO they walk alot or do they just feel unstable? thanks agian for the help guys
The older set had some problems in that there was virtually no overlap between sizes. I don't know if this problem/oversight was addressed in the newer models. Again, not the worst cams, actually rather nice cams. The best on the market? not really. Worth the money? YES. But as has been mentioned, you'll be rounding off your rack someday with other cams. But I would say that if you're a true gear whore, then you'll be filling in gaps with other brands no matter which cam company you settle for. I started my rack with Trango, then BD, then Metolius, then Wild Country. I also have a full set of Aliens (almost) and a few Zeros. It's hard to stick to one brand when there are so many nice cams to waste money on... ;)
hosh.
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