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bandycoot
Sep 10, 2010, 10:37 PM
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This review is posted on http://www.pullharder.org with pictures, measured specifications, and a movie. Below is a copy of the text.
Totem cams have come up with a truly innovative design that holds much potential to provide excellent holding power in tricky placements while at the same time maintaining a large expansion range and light weight. For a link to their website: http://www.totemcams.com
How do they do this? Well, there is no “stem” on a Totem cam, and the axle is not what bears the load. While the cams rotate around an axle, load bearing cables wrap up and around a pin on the back of each lobe, and extend down past a trigger to a loop below. There are at least four unique aspects of this design.
1. It is possible to isolate and load only two lobes of a Totem Cam. While Totem recommends this for aid climbing and body weight placements, it is not recommended for holding falls. This halves the strength of the cam and adds instability to the placement. To see a picture of this configuration:
http://www.totemcams.com/...75&ap=1242136439
For instructions on how to maximize holding power with two lobes:
http://www.totemcams.com/...les/JustTwoLobes.pdf
2. Due to the unique design and the direct loading on each lobe, there is equalization of each loaded lobe.
3. The camming angle of the lobes relative to the axle is different than its effective camming angle, since they rotate around an axle but are loaded on a pin on the back of the lobe. Due to a larger camming angle, these cams have the potential to hold in downward flares of up to 40 degrees. For Totem’s technical explanation of this, click HERE.
4. Due to this unique design, Totem Cams have the largest expansion range of any single axle symmetrical cam on the market, comparable to Black Diamond’s C4 double axle design.
The cams come in a set of 5. From smallest to largest, they are blue, yellow, purple, green, and red. They are roughly the same size as the blue and yellow Metolius, and the purple, green, and red C4s, which works perfectly for me since those are the cams I’ve climbed on for years.
I work in a quality control laboratory and brought them in for a few quick measurements. I threw them on the calibrated scale, and measured them with calibrated calipers. The results were pretty close to what is claimed on Totem’s website: http://www.totemcams.com/...75&ap=1274250854 The exception was the blue (smallest) cam which was a full millimeter larger, when fully cammed, than claimed, so it has a smaller range. Just to confirm, I measured this three times and had 0.01mm difference between the three measurements. Other than that discrepancy, the cams generally had slightly more range than claimed, and the weights were within about a gram of what was claimed.
Someone asked me to measure the head width, which I did, because these cams probably have the narrowest heads on the market. If you’re curious about how other cams compare, then just grab a ruler and measure whichever brand you’ve got handy.
So far, I have taken them out for a few days on the rock at Mt. Woodson, Tahquitz, Suicide, and the Needles, all granite areas. I replaced one set of blue and yellow Metolius, and purple, green and red C4s on my double rack with the Totem Cams and used them head to head with the other cams. They’ve taken falls by my friends and I, and held every time. I’ve hung on them using only two lobes, but overall I haven’t gotten around to really pushing their limits for two reasons: I don’t want to break one early in the review process, and I haven’t had time yet!
So, what are benefits of Totem Cams over other cams on the market? They have an innovative elegant design that increases holding power in flares, and increases camming range for a single axle design. They have a similar expansion range to Black Diamond C4s but are slightly lighter. I believe the smaller sizes have more expansion range than most competing small cams, like for example Metolius TCUs. The color scheme matches at least some of the popular brands on the market. The thumb loop is large, easy to use, and would work well with gloves. The sling material, while bulky, is quite good for French free climbing (yes, I got completely shut down on a climb in the Needles). The narrow cam head width has helped in some placements, and is definitely beneficial. Also, without a proper stem these cams are obscenely flexible without compromising on usability at all.
I know this is subjective, but these cams just feel damn solid when they’re set. We’ve fallen on them repeatedly and they’ve held every time. So far, in my opinion, Totem Cams represent a true improvement in cam design and functionality. I’m impressed.
While the upsides to the cams are many, there are downsides as well. As of yet, there are only 5 cams to a set. This is a limited range, and so a typical rack would require more brands of cams. Intentionally or not, they have done a good job of sizing the cams with some other popular brands, so this problem may be minimized depending on what brand of cams you climb on. The Totem Cams are currently expensive. They retail for $80 a piece, and if you purchase less than a full set the shipping fee is nearly $30.
The design, while light, is relatively bulky. It is not nearly as low profile as many other cams on the market when hanging on a gear loop. There are a total of 12 wires descending from the head of the cam. 8 are from the 4 load bearing loops, and there is a trigger wire for each lobe as well. This part of the cam can interfere with rare placements, and I did find a great placement for a cam with a constriction under it that I had to switch to a TCU instead of a Totem Cam because the wires did not fit through the constriction as the placement required.
When the trigger is pulled and the cam lobes fully retracted, the bottom of the cam lobes actually wraps all the way under and contacts the load bearing wires. My first thought was that there is no additional “play” for the lobes if the cam becomes overcammed. I assumed that this would make cleaning the cams more difficult, if not impossible, in such situations. While this still raises red flags for me, my partners and I have plugged these things desperately, overcammed them, and climbed on. Each time whoever was following was able to retrieve the overcammed units out in under a minute, just like any other cam.
This is a relatively preliminary review. I’ve had the cams for over a month now, and I haven’t had nearly the time I would like to fully evaluate them. However, may people are VERY curious about these and so I thought I’d release my findings so far. There are multiple things that I intend to investigate going forward. The four things that I’d like to continue to look at are as follows:
1. I would like to know how these things work for aid climbing. While I have aided in the past, I just don’t really aid climb these days. I thought I lined up someone to take the Totem Cams up a wall in Yosemite, but that has apparently fallen through. However, serendipitously, a representative from Totem will actually be in Yosemite allowing climbers to demo them and take them up climbs. A link to sign up for the demo on rockclimbing.com is here: http://www.rockclimbing.com/...rum.cgi?post=2386953 While these cams have impressed me so far, I believe this is an area where the cams may truly shine. I look forward to hearing what aid climbers think of these things in the near future!
2. I would like to see how robust the cams are. The blue Totem Cam has held our largest fall to date, and it put a decent bite in the lobe. Perhaps they are softer metal? Someone more knowledgeable about metallurgy may be able to clarify. Like Aliens, this could increase holding power but decrease life expectancy. It could also have just been bad luck since the cam was set behind a crystal. It didn’t affect functionality, but my 00 TCU looked less dented after Roberto took a 25’ fall on it on the same climb. I won’t really have an opinion about robustness until I’ve spend more than a month and a half with the things and there’s not much of a point in putting a lot of stock in a single data point. Note: I learned that the aluminum in the lobes is 7075-T6, one of the harder alloys.
3. As mentioned above, I’m concerned about cleaning the Totem Cams. I’m less concerned with cleaning them since we’ve been able to retrieve overcammed units every time so far with little problem, but I feel that I need data points to have a final opinion.
4. Lastly, I’d like to really test these things out in some poor placements: flares, two lobes, etc. I’d like to set them with two lobes and take some small falls on them. I know it’s not recommended, but the curiosity is killing me. I need to be patient, however, since if I break one I can’t review it anymore so I’ll save that for last.
For the moment, I’m happy to have them on my rack. They are much lighter than the old style Black Diamond Camalots the larger three are replacing. While the smaller two are heavier than the Metolius TCUs they have more expansion range and the weight difference isn’t huge. I really like having a single set of these on my rack. Due to their bulkiness on the harness, and the larger weight in the smaller sizes I wouldn’t want to carry more than a single set. Due to their different design, I can fit them in some places better than a Metolius TCU or BD C4, and vice versa. Having a different brand of cams on my harness is opening up more quality placement options.
In conclusion, if you have the cash, you’d be very happy to have a set of these on your harness. Due to cost, bulkiness, and a lack of information about robustness, I wouldn’t recommend getting more than that yet. If you’re an aid climber who likes “toys” I would DEFINITELY pick up a set. Expect a sequel to this review at least a few months from now once I’ve had the chance to put a lot of mileage on them.
Josh Higgins
P.S. I apologize for saying that this review would come out sooner than it did. I’m working full time and going to school full time so it’s been brutal finding time!
Note: These cams were provided free of charge under the agreement that a review would be written and posted on the internet. Before they were sent, I specifically informed Totem Cams that despite receiving them for free, I would not favor the cams in any way in my review. This is my honest opinion of them with no strings attached.
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caughtinside
Sep 10, 2010, 11:02 PM
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cool. thanks for posting and doing that video, very informative.
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lvpyne
Sep 10, 2010, 11:32 PM
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Great review -- thanks for your time and the write-up!
I realize that you said that, as of the review, you hadn't placed the cams in anything but granite -- have you taken them out in other rock types yet?
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MS1
Sep 11, 2010, 12:20 AM
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This is fantastic -- thanks!
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bandycoot
Sep 11, 2010, 5:50 AM
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lvpyne wrote: Great review -- thanks for your time and the write-up! I realize that you said that, as of the review, you hadn't placed the cams in anything but granite -- have you taken them out in other rock types yet?
I live in San Diego. As a full time student and full time employee with no vacation, I haven't made it past our radius of granite for a while. I know of at least one individual who lives in Vegas who should be taking them out on the sandstone in the cooler weather. He'll have a review posted up on RC.com eventually, I believe. As of right now, I don't have any plans to hit sandstone in the near future (but wish I could....).
Josh
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blondgecko
Moderator
Sep 11, 2010, 6:35 AM
Post #6 of 20
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Those look very cool - the best features of a tricam and a SLCD combined into one nifty little unit.
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lvpyne
Sep 11, 2010, 11:18 AM
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bandycoot wrote: lvpyne wrote: Great review -- thanks for your time and the write-up! I realize that you said that, as of the review, you hadn't placed the cams in anything but granite -- have you taken them out in other rock types yet? I live in San Diego. As a full time student and full time employee with no vacation, I haven't made it past our radius of granite for a while. I know of at least one individual who lives in Vegas who should be taking them out on the sandstone in the cooler weather. He'll have a review posted up on RC.com eventually, I believe. As of right now, I don't have any plans to hit sandstone in the near future (but wish I could....).
No worries. As I said, awesome review.
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johnwesely
Sep 11, 2010, 2:05 PM
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Thank you for taking the time to do a write up.
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bandycoot
Sep 11, 2010, 3:16 PM
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You are all very welcome!
Josh
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acorneau
Sep 11, 2010, 8:45 PM
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blondgecko wrote: Those look very cool - the best features of a tricam and a SLCD combined into one nifty little unit.
Heh... Greeny said unit.
(This post was edited by acorneau on Sep 11, 2010, 8:47 PM)
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vegastradguy
Sep 12, 2010, 1:44 AM
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I have been playing with them a bit on sandstone- they seem just as good as any other cam in terms of placement and whether or not its good.
I have yet to take a whip on 'em- just getting back into the swing of things after a month and a half off- may get around to that in the semi-near future.
My first impression of them so far is that they are VERY bulky because they hang the wrong way on your harness/sling....makes racking up kind of a PITA. Otherwise, they're fun so far and i'm enjoying using them.
Thanks for the write-up josh!
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bandycoot
Sep 12, 2010, 3:58 AM
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vegastradguy wrote: I have been playing with them a bit on sandstone- they seem just as good as any other cam in terms of placement and whether or not its good. I have yet to take a whip on 'em- just getting back into the swing of things after a month and a half off- may get around to that in the semi-near future. My first impression of them so far is that they are VERY bulky because they hang the wrong way on your harness/sling....makes racking up kind of a PITA. Otherwise, they're fun so far and i'm enjoying using them. Thanks for the write-up josh!
John,
I think the bulk is one of the main reasons that I only recommended buying one set. I'm lucky because I don't climb with much gear, so I didn't really notice the bulk too much.
My buddy and I definitely fell on them in the Needles. They hold great, like any other cam!
Josh
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socalclimber
Sep 12, 2010, 12:30 PM
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Does anybody know why they were not at the OR (Outdoor Retailer) show this year? According to my wife, they went looking for them and they were no where to be found.
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vegastradguy
Sep 12, 2010, 4:08 PM
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The cost of the booth alone prevents them from coming to the show in the traditional manner- booths are ridiculously expensive at the summer show.
This is actually the first show they havent been at- they usually hold meetings at friends booths most shows, but this time I believe they were back home getting the production line ready to go as the cams were scheduled to begin shipping right around the time OR was happening.
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bandycoot
Sep 27, 2010, 6:59 PM
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Did anyone try these out during the demo in Yosemite? What were your thoughts? So far all of my friends either like or love these things.
Josh
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bandycoot
Sep 27, 2010, 11:11 PM
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Your review is much more succinct than mine...
Josh
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j_ung
Sep 30, 2010, 1:09 PM
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I think I still want to try them out first hand. Mostly this year, I seem to be drawn to FAs. Considering that the cherry trad lines have already been mostly plucked around these parts, I'm left with the facey trad climbs. No worries; I like those better anyway. But, that means lots of cams in horizontals. The flexibility of these things is what I'm interested in seeing up close most.
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kachoong
Oct 1, 2010, 2:56 AM
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j_ung wrote: I think I still want to try them out first hand. Mostly this year, I seem to be drawn to FAs. Considering that the cherry trad lines have already been mostly plucked around these parts, I'm left with the facey trad climbs. No worries; I like those better anyway. But, that means lots of cams in horizontals. The flexibility of these things is what I'm interested in seeing up close most.
Hey, did anyone ever work out something to share shipping on a set?
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j_ung
Oct 1, 2010, 12:19 PM
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No, I dropped the ball. And now vegastradguy will be here in October with his set, so I'll wait to try them out then.
J
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