|
mustclimb69
Mar 3, 2004, 7:10 PM
Post #1 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 5, 2002
Posts: 479
|
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3663772888&category=50814
Any thoughts?
|
|
|
|
|
caughtinside
Mar 3, 2004, 7:14 PM
Post #2 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 8, 2003
Posts: 30603
|
Looks ok. A deal for someone, but not me.
|
|
|
|
|
j_ung
Mar 3, 2004, 7:15 PM
Post #3 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 18690
|
Yeah, keep walkin'. Too many ifs and too much money for the old style stem.
|
|
|
|
|
stick233
Mar 3, 2004, 7:18 PM
Post #4 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 18, 2002
Posts: 339
|
U-stem, been around awhile, i wouldn't bid over the current price of $26, but thats me...
|
|
|
|
|
monopocketmojo
Mar 3, 2004, 7:20 PM
Post #5 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 4, 2003
Posts: 184
|
I'd never buy gear from someone that I don't know, especially online and when you can't inspect it. You never know what it's been through, how much it's been used, etc. Spend the extra cash for good gear...
|
|
|
|
|
jumaringjeff
Mar 3, 2004, 7:25 PM
Post #6 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 30, 2001
Posts: 1838
|
ick...u-stem
|
|
|
|
|
tucsonalex
Mar 3, 2004, 8:02 PM
Post #7 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 11, 2002
Posts: 1689
|
U-stem cams rule!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
steelmonkey
Mar 3, 2004, 8:32 PM
Post #8 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 10, 2002
Posts: 145
|
Yeah right. The U-stems tend to be more stable and walk less than single stem design. Companies are looking for cheaper (and playing up the lighter part) ways to produce with less material, so single stem pays off. I would much rather have the u-stem design of the old Camalot Juniors than the ones that are out there now. I have both and I like the U's way better. One of the reasons you see plastic sheaths around the stem on cams like the technical Friends is to increase the rigidity of the stem.
G.
|
|
|
|
|
fredo
Mar 3, 2004, 10:15 PM
Post #9 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 27, 2002
Posts: 501
|
I would bid on it... I like the U-stem Camalots..BUT before bidding I would ask the following questions to the seller...
1. How long was it used for?
2. When was it last used?
3. Was it used for Aid?
4. Will the seller guarentee(sp?) it?..That is..If you win and send it back to BD to be checked and re-slung etc.. and they say it is crap, will he/she refund your dollars
Has the seller sold any other cams on E-Bay...check the feedback is it good?
I have sold cams on E-Bay before and prior to selling had the manufacturer check them out. If it is truly a good deal and the seller is an honest person they should not mind the above questions and money back guarentee.
my $0.02
|
|
|
|
|
jsh
Mar 4, 2004, 6:34 PM
Post #10 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 24, 2003
Posts: 118
|
Steelmonkey's right - the U-stems are more stable.
Further, this one looks pretty darned new (shiny stem cables even!) for its age - and the seller specifies its use history (as in, not very), why he's selling it (new baby, a perfectly reasonable excuse), and has a good feedback history. In short, whoever got it, got a darn good deal.
I just sold 3 cams on Ebay. One, a very-slightly-used 4.5 Camalot, went for $56 - almost retail. The other two were used Trango 4cams. I specified that they were used, but not abused - perfectly fine cams - I was only selling them b/c my sister gave me an Alien for Christmas, and that matches my other pieces better; otherwise, they'd still be on my rack. After I posted the Ebay link here, some loser/newbie wrote in to say "Pass on those (they might have held - gasp- a fall!) - just buy new ones!" Sheesh, if you replace everything on your rack every time it "looks old" or takes actual body weight ... it's gonna get awfully expensive, dude. In the meantime, someone looking to build or supplement their rack, gets a good deal.
|
|
|
|
|
davidji
Mar 4, 2004, 7:53 PM
Post #11 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 30, 2003
Posts: 1776
|
In reply to: Steelmonkey's right - the U-stems are more stable.
I still use both, but I'll place a modern cam of same size before a u-stem Camalot (I hang doubles from each other, with the better cam clipped to the other cam, so the better one gets placed first and more frequently).
|
|
|
|
|
tucsonalex
Mar 4, 2004, 7:59 PM
Post #12 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 11, 2002
Posts: 1689
|
In reply to: I've never heard from anyone who preferred the old style, and some people don't consider them safe.
I prefer U stem cams over single stem cams. Just easier to use IMO. And why would anyone not consider them safe?
|
|
|
|
|
davidji
Mar 4, 2004, 10:08 PM
Post #13 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 30, 2003
Posts: 1776
|
In reply to: In reply to: I've never heard from anyone who preferred the old style, and some people don't consider them safe. I prefer U stem cams over single stem cams. Just easier to use IMO. And why would anyone not consider them safe?
As far as the unsafe claim: Who knows? Maybe it's the thinner cams.
|
|
|
|
|
dirtineye
Mar 5, 2004, 10:57 PM
Post #14 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 29, 2003
Posts: 5590
|
In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: I've never heard from anyone who preferred the old style, and some people don't consider them safe. I prefer U stem cams over single stem cams. Just easier to use IMO. And why would anyone not consider them safe? Like I said, this isn't a generic u-stem vs single-stem issue, this is specifically old-style Chouinard Camalots (like what the guy was selling on Ebay) vs new-style BD ones. Never heard from anyone who specifically prefers the old-style Camalots [I have now: I found that while I was searching for safety/preference comments]. Here's someone who doesn't like 'em. As far as the unsafe claim: Who knows? Maybe it's the thinner cams.
Actually, the thinner cam lobes AND the more brittle metal are two things that BD changed on their Camelsnots. PLUS, the shape of the cam, that is the spiral curve that makes cams work, is different on later models. That's three things changed.
I don't think they did all that just for looks.
|
|
|
|
|
steelmonkey
Mar 5, 2004, 11:20 PM
Post #15 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 10, 2002
Posts: 145
|
In reply to: I think it's widely accepted that single stem BD Camalots are better than the old style u-stem Chouinard Camalots.
As far as I know, we were talking about a Camalot Junior and I'll say without a doubt that I like the old style Camalot Junior's better than the new single stem designs for the same sized piece. I have a full set of the new Camalots up to the .75 Junior size and mostly they stay on the shelf in favor of Metolius TCUs of the same size, which I personally find to be a lot more stable per given placment.
In reply to: handling issues with the old ones. I've never heard from anyone who preferred the old style, and some people don't consider them safe.
The only handling issues I can think of would have been with the much older multi-piece stem design where (typically the #4 was the worst) the whole thing was prone to flopping around unless you sort of cinched the whole thing together with a piece of 3mm cord (that could also be used for removal using a nut tool). That design was out of production for the most part by the time the u-stem style Camalot Juniors were produced, so I'm not sure how that got to be part of this discussion. If that's going to be brought in, then lets also bring in the fact that the original single-stem tech Friend designs tended to flop and spin all over the place after they got a bit of mileage on them, making them not only hard to place, but hard to remove. Man, I hated those things.
Re: the generalization about the old Camalots being unsafe: I disagree with that perception, but not a big deal. In my view, whatever your personal preferences are regarding any type of climbing protection, if you're using a piece of gear you don't think is reasonably safe, then you're either nuts or a fool.
|
|
|
|
|
davidji
Mar 5, 2004, 11:31 PM
Post #16 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 30, 2003
Posts: 1776
|
In reply to: In reply to: I think it's widely accepted that single stem BD Camalots are better than the old style u-stem Chouinard Camalots. As far as I know, we were talking about a Camalot Junior |
|
|
|
|
timstich
Mar 6, 2004, 3:53 PM
Post #17 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 3, 2003
Posts: 6267
|
The plastic on the old style Camelots appears to get brittle with age. A quarter inch piece on my #1 cracked off the other day. Upon inspection, the rest of the plastic looked less pliable than one would hope for. YMMV.
|
|
|
|
|
sbclimber
Mar 6, 2004, 4:26 PM
Post #18 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 2, 2003
Posts: 444
|
I dont like the U stem at all, but I'm not sure if I would buy that piece.
Single stem all the way. Feels better. And in my experience, it doesn't walk any more then u stem. less in fact.
|
|
|
|
|
olympicmtnboy
Mar 6, 2004, 6:37 PM
Post #19 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 4, 2003
Posts: 270
|
Anyone else notice the lack of a sling on this cam? I'm generally leery of used slings, but I do find they can be informative about the use and storage of the device they are attached to. If you have a bleached ratty looking sling on your cam it might mean it's been sitting out in the sun somewhere and the plastic may be getting brittle, or if it's new and bright it can back up that claim that someone has "only carried this cam twice" or whatever. I'd say the $26 was probably reasonable if not a tad bit more than I might pay.
|
|
|
|
|
jackscoldsweat
Mar 6, 2004, 10:01 PM
Post #20 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 18, 2003
Posts: 380
|
In reply to: Yeah right. The U-stems tend to be more stable and walk less than single stem design. G.
BAH! You're trying to tell me that a #10 Metolius Power cam is more stable than a WC # 5 Tech Friend?
In reply to: Companies are looking for cheaper (and playing up the lighter part) ways to produce with less material, so single stem pays off.
Do you just make this stuff up as you go?!
U-stems vs. single stems...to each his own. but don't try and feed a load of BS, like that stated above, to me.
|
|
|
|
|
karlbaba
Mar 7, 2004, 6:34 PM
Post #21 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 10, 2002
Posts: 1159
|
There's not a problem with the U shaped design. They can be easier to extract when they are close to stuck.
The real problem with the old camalots is the brittle wire they used on the triggers. Don't buy old style camalots unless you have the tools and experience to replace the wires or know somebody who will do it cheap for you.
Peace
karl
|
|
|
|
|
timstich
Mar 8, 2004, 12:08 AM
Post #22 of 22
(3801 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 3, 2003
Posts: 6267
|
In reply to: There's not a problem with the U shaped design. They can be easier to extract when they are close to stuck. The real problem with the old camalots is the brittle wire they used on the triggers. Don't buy old style camalots unless you have the tools and experience to replace the wires or know somebody who will do it cheap for you. Peace karl
Well, that's not the only problem with them really. The trigger design is to have the trigger wires go through a plastic tab that is not captured by a groove or slot. So this little tab is all over the place and needs to constantly be told where to go. Just a tad inconvenient.
|
|
|
|
|
|
