Did BD change some of their cam

2021/05/21

Did BD change some of their cam ranges over the year? To continue waxing lyrically about the other benefits of the Totem cams, their head widths are incredibly narrow (rivalling the Zeros), they are very flexible thanks to their stemless construction, their soft alloy grips very well, and you can even clip them on two lobes. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. This stiffness is extremely good in the micro range, and across all sizes allows for even trigger deployment something that is slightly harder with the flippier, flexier stemmed cams in this group test. Blue/Grey (camalot color): Painful tips/tips We haven't deliberately fallen on all the cams but those we have done have held just fine. Right now I have eight of these units on my rack. They also seem solid when you place and then tug them - we think this is the industry standard test for safety; it's certainly the most that UKC would demand of its reviewers. i did have a red Alien but had to retire it after I fell 50 ft onto it. Overall we like extendable slings. Backcountry Advocate ProgramBreaking Trail, Built-in cam stops increase safety in tipped-out placements, Thumb loops make placing easier and provide an additional clip-in for aid climbing, Ultra-narrow heads allow placements in pin scars, Shrouded double-stem design protects trigger wires, Click sizing chart link for range, strength, and weight info. On fast-and-light missions and smash-and-grab ascents when weight really matters, the Black Diamond Camalot Ultralight presents a 25% weight savings over the Camalot. Simple is good. When it comes to whether there's much in it I'm probably not the best person to ask, as I wasn't heavily involved within the Group Test; however, when it comes to what's on my own rack - and what I've used from the products we had on review - I am still eternally grateful for owning a set of Totem Basics. However, it is much better than no cam at all and many other cams won't get in spots so small. It does not flex as much as the Dragonflys, Zeros or Totem Basics but it does a good job of solving the flexibility vs stiffness conundrum. Pros: Great balance between stiffness and flexibility; easy to place; interlocking lobes offer a slim profile; stellar performance in winter conditions If you're an experienced climber you probably have this hard-wired in to your monkey brain by now, but it could be very useful for newer climbers. Wild Country is now introducing the new Offset Zeros the ultimate weapon for wild climbing adventures and thin flared cracks. those which overlap with the Camalot C4 range) also have significantly narrower heads than their C4 counterparts, which would help in building a versatile rack. The smallest cam in the Dragon range is the blue 00, and for our purposes anything smaller than this can be considered a micro cam. All Rights Reserved. For example, in the 0.3-0.75 size range I now find that a mix of C4, Z4 and Totems can cover almost any eventuality on a large adventure trad rack. Stickers. Of all the sets of micro cams they have the largest range and smallest head widths which is exactly what we have been looking for in this review and what makes a set of micro cams, on paper at least, the most desirable. The Black Diamond Camalot C3 has the narrowest head by far, which makes it the best cam at getting in tight spots. But will be rigid when the trigger is contracted. Here is where Black Diamond have taken the flexibility of the BD X4 cam units (once placed), and the rigidity of the BD C3 cam units (for ease of placing). Cons: Heavy; expensive; smallest sizes tricky to place in irregular cracks. The cam lobe material is just the right hardness to allow the rock to bite into them. What are the thoughts on Alien Revolutions? The Dragonflys (flies?) They have a higher strength rating than Metolius cams, but I have never fallen on them. With both the smallest minimum range, largest maximum range and smallest minimum head width the Black Diamond Z4s seem to be the clear overall winners of the statistics war. Added some cool features to give you the Black Diamond Z4 cam. Camalots, Camalot C3s, Camalot X4s and Camalot Ultralights each have their own unique advantages, and a well-rounded rack will likely contain some or all sizes of each cam. Nevertheless, some other models in this review have narrower heads than the Dragonfly. Nice observations there. Are they that much better than than Dragonflies/Dragons/C4s? Micro cams are small. Boy I would love to, but I haven't had the opportunity. A full set of Black Diamond X4 off-sets are available, ranging from sizes 0.75 to 0.1. Unfortunately, they do not produce an off-set cam 0/0.1. print publications. Friends are the most iconic protection ever made. Here's an interesting site I found about cam angles and forces: "if you really don't have any idea what someone is talking about when they say you need a #3" Hopefully tomorrow will be the day to send my ongoing project, and the C3s will be the key to protecting its tricky fingertip cruxes. for God's sake spend a week at Index or the Creek." Another question I have since I've got some old BD Camalots: It's mentioned as important in the Dragonfly section, then not mentioned again? Sorry to see it go but Im still here. Green: Ringlocks . You can see from the above table that the Black Diamond Z4 cam size 0.3 covers the range for the old C3 size 1 and 2. And you can see that the new Black Diamond Z4 size 0, is the smallest cam Black Diamond have ever produced. This review focuses on two new sizes at opposite ends of the range. It fit in a tiny crack and despite the small lobes it inspired confidence a rare thing for me when making such small placements. They can, however, be problematic in shallow, tapering, or irregular cracks, and they weigh more than the other options. A secondary, but important, consideration is head width. However, on paper there's no difference. I personally think Black Diamond are well ahead of the game when it comes to cams. Ever improving them. I'm making a 'rack' part of my data-driven website for storing all of this (and more) and I was planning on regenerating my images dynamically with that data later, among many other uses for having such data accessible from a database with coding skills. Apparently this doesn't affect performance but it's not ideal. In general, the stems of more modern cams are more flexible, and some now also include an extendable sling as part of the unit. I recently placed this piece on the crux pitch of cloud tower and it was bomber. Check out the chart to see how the members of the Camalot family overlap. *The blue Dragonfly is actually smaller than the 00 Dragon (only at full contraction of the Dragon and minimum contraction of the Dragonfly do they overlap!) The spring which covers the stem is really solid and protects the stem itself very well. This video is really long but very informative for the Camalots and Camalot C3's users. 0.3 Blue (12.4-22.6mm, 8kN) overlaps with the blue 0.3 Camalot C4 (13.8-23.4mm) but slightly smaller and much narrower headwidth. Any info on the alloy used for all the different cam lobes? They are in effect an update to the classic Alien, and in use the alloy from which their cam lobes are made just seems to hold magically well (although in reality it's no softer than some others in the review). Unfortunately flexibility is really where the Master Cams fall down. Weve also widened the trigger as well for better handling. It also goes down to a really small size, almost as small as as the Wild Country Zero. Access to a year's subscription to Rockfax Digital. Please support the following outdoor retailers who support. Anecdotally, the lobes of the Totems do seem to have a more malleable surface which bites into the rock, and going on feel alone this might lead us to choose them over the Dragonflys for crucial placements which lack friction. Red: Thin Hands (painful feet) (Nb. This seemed like a good way to cut through that. The springs felt a little less stiff than many others and the head of the unit just didn't sit quite as rock-steady as I clipped. The Camalot C3 uses a shrouded double-stem design to protect the tiny internals while still providing plenty of flexibility for funky horizontal placements. If you are interested in purchasing the new Black Diamond Z4 Cams, Bananafingers sell them: 1 Terrace Cottages, London Road, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2BN, Climbing Psychology Coaching Kalymnos, Hestra Ergo Grip Outdry Dexterity Short Gloves, RigidFlex stem stays rigid in-hand for easy placement, but flexes once placed to reduce walking, Dual twisted cable construction for uniform flex on larger sizes; single cable construction on smaller sizes to avoid buckling and reduce trigger profile, Sandblasted lobes for better holding power, Lightweight yet durable Dynex sling with a unique colour coding, Flexible stem once placed, to reduce walking. When you place a cam that small it can be scary to fall on. Black Diamond have taken their smallest cam unit and their most flexible unit, thrown them together. So, Black Diamond have narrowed the head units, made them super flexible, and put the Z4s on a serious diet, to make them almost as light as the Black Diamond Ultralight camming units. Although, the Z4s dont quite match the weight of the Ultralights (on only two units), I would always go for the Z4s, as these have a longer lifespan, hence a better investment. Because the loop of the Black Diamond Ultralight cams are made from dyneema, these have a limited lifespan of 10 years. Whereas the Z4s can last you a lifetime, with occasionally the tape being replaced, as the loop is made of metal wire. The main thing they have over the micro cams in this group test is that they have the benefits of being full bodied cams: their holding power is exceptional, particularly in slick rock such as limestone, and they are much more durable than a micro cam. The other notable feature of the Dragonflys are their extendable slings which reduce the amount of quickdraws you need to take, and help prevent the cam walking when the sling is deployed. Compression-spring driven with interlocking cam heads for bite in uneven cracks All of the Black Diamond Z4 cams are a single stem cam, where on the 0.3 and larger sizes the wire has been twisted. This allows them to bend in all directions for maximum flexibility. The sizes 0, 0.1, and 0.2 have only a single wire. This means they perform to the same flexibility as the larger units. Innovative trigger keeper for compact racking with sizes #4, #5, #6, #7, #8. That's pretty exhaustive! The Zeros are extremely flexible along the stem, although the spring which protects the unit forces the stem back into a straight position, compromising some of this flexibility - the Zero actively tries to straighten itself when bent. Initially we weren't going to include the Totems in this group test, since their micro cams - Totem Basics - are no longer in production. This version of the Camalot C3 0 is officially retired.You've found a page of history! The trigger is easy to use and has a nice big comfy spot for your hand. But we don't think that makes up for a lack of flexibility, an almost essential characteristic in a micro cam. 0.5 Purple (18.8-33.9, 10kN) overlaps with purple 0.5 Camalot C4 (19.6-33.5mm) but wider range, slightly smaller and much narrower headwidth.

*Pssst, you can subscribe to WeighMyRack's Youtube or Vimeo channels for more gear videos. These haven't got the same rock-grabbing teeth as the Dragons, but DMM say that their raw aluminium surface increases friction, meaning that the cam is more likely to hold on smooth rock types. Subjectively, the C3s feel good in the hand. The sling colour scheme seamlessly links you in with the normal range continuum, and they have a chequered pattern which makes it easy to identify the Z4s quickly on a mixed rack. This is cleaner and more useful, as comparing each brand's microcams with their own regular cams would require you to then compare each brand's regular cams to determine which sizes of micro cams overlap with which. The C3s were, the easiest to actually use. The Master Cams hold well and have good strength ratings. Rather than the thumbloop which is typical of the microcams on this test the Master Cams have a pig nose to hold with your thumb. Because I like BD cams, this is what I know:

This is a series of coloured dots on the lobes of the cam which suggest how retracted the cam should be for the best placement. I'm looking into building my rack and some of your insights are most welcome. The Dragonflys use 6082 alloy in their lobes and the Totems use 6061. In general, we've found with cams that the narrower the head width the better - you can fit them in more places and they're therefore way more valuable. From the blue upwards the Zeros have relatively deep serration on the lobes which really helps with friction, and thereby holding power, on smoother rock types. C3s are no longer available so the Z4 is now the only microcam in the BD range). let tag = document.createElement('script'); With rated passive protection strength in the larger sizes, this is an excellent and versatile range of cams that is an excellent addition to your rack. As such you want the best quality you can get: in this test we take a look at some of the main micro camming devices currently available on the market. Overall these cams are still working great after a year of use and always come along when thin gear is needed. So, we have compared the Z4s with the X4s. How do they fare against the C3 camming units? Please find below a table of the camming ranges, comparing the C3 units with the Z4 camming devices. You can still check out all the specs and claim your ownership. C3s, made by Black Diamond, are a well polished three lobe camming unit. With up to 30% less head width than any other micro cam, they fit in more places, more securely. It was pretty trashed after that. So is the cam angle for the Master Cams at an angle that doesn't push into the rock as well for holding the cam into the rock? Though lockdown has prevented the usual mileage we would have hoped, the Z4s are standing up well after six months no inverting of lobes or bending of trigger wires (a good thing too, as it seems BD don't think they will be able to sell trigger wire replacement kits for the Z4s in the way they do for their other cams). We'll also look at these and their qualities. Don't worry though, we have a lot more .css-1bz53a7{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;color:var(--chakra-colors-txt-link);}.css-1bz53a7:hover,.css-1bz53a7[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:var(--chakra-colors-txt-primary);}.css-1bz53a7:focus,.css-1bz53a7[data-focus]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}Camming Devices in stock than that. You should be able to download the Excel file from this link: The Green Dragonfly is incredibly small, beaten slightly only by the smallest Black Diamond Z4. 0.75 Green (23.1-42.1mm, 10kN) overlaps with green 0.75 Camalot C4 (23.9-41.2) but wider range, slightly smaller and much narrower headwidth. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. Thought they would be a nice addition to your article: Nice! She was super happy that the cam held that real life test made her believe in the cams. They also have the biggest individual camming range per unit compared to equivalent micro cam sizes in this group test. The stem is durable; you can bounce test these and contort them and they generally hold up well. The Cam Research Site. New for 2020, the Black Diamond Z4 range replaces both the C3 and X4 ranges and offers some interesting options to the micro cam (and above!) As well as the Black Diamond Z4 cams having a smaller head unit, and being very flexible, they weigh less than the X4 camming units. Please see table below for comparison: With the smallest weight saving of 11%, which may not seem a lot. Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming a UKC Supporter, or UKC Supporter Plus which Now 10% lighter, sculpted lopes optimized for strength to weight, Variable stiffness of stem, four different stems for equal wobble of head depending on cam size. Posts in all Forums, http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/on/demandware.static/-/Library-Sites-SharedLibrary/default/dwaf34dfb1/images/tech-highlights/tech-highlight_S16_cam-chart.png, Free This makes them especially suited to free-climbing, where dinking around can make the difference between reaching the anchors, falling or yelling, "Take!". The ribbed trigger and thumb rest are grippy and even the #000 fit my big mitts. The ultimate weapon for thin cracks, pockets or pin scars on cutting-edge climbs and extreme adventures. Being tiny things, micro cams naturally don't weigh much, but it's always worth considering the weight of each piece of your trad gear. In terms of grippiness it's interesting to compare the lobes of Dragonfly and Totem Basic micro cams. I can't wait to be climbing above them again! That said, each of the micro cam ranges in this review features models above this size, thus overlapping with the brand's range of regular cams. There is precious little to fault and yet, somehow, I often found myself reaching for other units first. The Zeros have extendable slings which save a lot of quickdraws on your rack and help to prevent walking. A double-axle design allows for the widest placement range possible for each cam device, and colour coding makes for easy identification when quick pro is paramount.

I weighed my X4 units (feel very sad doing this), but for the purpose of the review I thought this may be important. All of the X4 units I weighed, came out to more than what was stated on the Black Diamond website. (Not sure whether I have an older version). Each unit came in 7-10 grams more, than what I have in the table above (see picture below as example, Im certain the electrical tape does not weigh 9 grams).

In 2015 we gave Totem Cams a glowing write-up, praising in particular their high holding power and narrow head width. Thanks to a uniquely narrow head profile, the Camalot C3 fits in places where other cams simply won't go. However, the double axle makes each unit roughly 20 percent heavier than most other brands. At the larger end, Blue, Silver Purple overlap with smaller Dragons, so with the full range of six you're really well covered. Unfortunately the different brands use different names to denote similar size ranges of cams. NO RETURNS ON SAFETY GEARDue to the nature of the safety gear, we cannot accept returns for change of mind or incorrect size choice on the following safety gear and equipment:All personal protective equipment, harnesses, rope, all load bearing equipment and accessories, helmets, slings, carabiners, belay devices and hardware for life support such as ascenders, fall arrestors and descenders.However, if a product fails to meet a Consumer Guarantee, then this exclusion will not apply. Read more incredible community has formed around the site - weve provided the framework but its you who make the website what it is today.