Reliability Factor of Lowe Balls

There like all protection, they are only as good as the rock quality and the users ability and skill to place them correctly,

These things rule, BOMBER!!!!!!!!

I don't rack cams that are any smaller than Metolius blue #1, because I consider those to be bodyweight only, ie., for aid climbing. If I need gear in the size of #0 or #00, I believe that a Lowe Ball is stronger than a cam at that size.

I'm a fan of them, they are great for aid. Also when I first got them, I aided a crack that's like a 9+ finger crack with a roof just before the crux, you could get an alien under the roof and extend it but if you blew it your going to land on the steep slab below. If you have a red lowe ball you can place it at the lip for sure the only thing that would work untill you've already commited to the crux and are in it. I used it to aid the route and then came back to lead it, a friend also wanted to lead it so I let him go for it and told him he would want to borrow the red lowe ball. He was slightly skeptical but took it anyway finding I was right. He fell on it and it practically welded, I had to go up and clean it! I still use it and got a second set of blue and red's (smallest sizes).

John Hegyes wrote:After we finished the climb I retired that Lowe Ball

Here is a Ball Nut patent held by Steve Byrne of Wired Bliss Cams.

patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph…

Steve Byrne licensed that patent to Lowe Alpine Systems in 1989 when I was working there. After I left Lowe, Lowe stopped paying the license fee (royalties) and Steve abandoned the patent.

The design is in the public domain and has been since the early to mid 90s.

Mal