Helium Friends

wildcountry.co.uk/Products/…

Anyone know when they will be on the shelves?

How do you see them stacking up vs other 4 cams? Other thoughts?

I just might upgrade my whole rack of current Friends, just because they look so nice.

They look awesome. I could see them complimenting a set of C4s.

They are supposed to be the successor to the technical friends, which are being discontinued. I have the 3.5 and 4 tech friends and mostly prefer them to similar sized camalots because they are lighter. The thumbloop will be a welcome addition.

I read somewhere that WC is coming out with #5 and 6 helium friends later. They are only showing sizes up to #4 at present .. any idea when the larger sizes are coming out ?

Those are pretty.

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If my calculations are correct, and I would like to think that they are..

BD C4 - 0.3 to 4 (range .55-4.51in) - 8 cams - 40.1oz
WC Helium - 0 to 4 (range .55-4.01in) - 9 cams - 39.75oz

You are giving up some strength in the two smallest sizes of C4's, but this is a pretty damn even comparison.

After looking at the ranges on the specification tables they look like they match up well with C4s pretty close until they get to the C4 #1 and WC #2. Then they start to differ. Those might be the ones to pick up if you want to compliment your C4s in the tight hands to fist sizes. Other than that it looks like the smaller ones are too close to the C4s to make me want to pick them up. I'll be reallllly excited if they come out with a 5 and 6, especially the 6.

Whats the price on these?

These are posted on Hitch and Hike, a UK based retailer. They are priced at 52 pounds including a 20% value added tax. If you subtract the VAT and convert to the dollar the starting price is $70 each.

hitchnhike.co.uk/acatalog/w…

they look longer, both the stem part and the sling part, than the previous friends. to me, this would be a big improvement.

Yikes! They're more expensive on that UK website than DMM Dragons!

coldfinger wrote:Yikes! They're more expensive on that UK website than DMM Dragons!

That's because the DMM Dragons are shit.

Friends are great. I loved having them at Indian Creek, and they compliment my BD stuff well on all climbs. I don't think I'll be in the market for a new set any time soon but I'd get them over the Dragons any day.

Wow! The lead sentence is more run out than Bachar-Yerrian. The marketing department needs the services of an editor, or maybe a poet.

"Wild Country is the company that pioneered cams and made the first ever camming device, the Friend, so there's no-one in an equivalent position to advance the camming cause and by using a combination of proven technology with some fantastic new engineering we are convinced the Helium Friend makes that advance."

And, a "NEW SIZE LABEL"

"FULL FLOATING" (used to describe the trigger) was a trademark of Suzuki MX bikes back in the eighties.

How is the trigger full floating?

TDog wrote:HOW HOW HOW How do they get "UP TO 20% more range" and still using the "Original 13.75 Camming Angle"?? Does not add up. Marketing BS

At the smallest sizes it's the size of of the axle and axle housing that constrain the camming range, because the cams aren't much bigger than the axle. So if the axle is narrower than before then you can get a greater camming range even if the cam geometry is unchanged.

For the larger sizes the camming range seems to be with 1 or 2mm of the old Technical Friends.

Tyler Wick wrote:http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/Products/HeliumFriends1/ Anyone know when they will be on the shelves? How do you see them stacking up vs other 4 cams? Other thoughts?

From Excalibur, "Helium Friends should start making their way to US stores in early to mid-April."

They do look pretty nice.

Is it too optimistic to wonder if retailers' remaining tech friends might go on sale?

Chris Drover wrote:Is it too optimistic to wonder if retailers' remaining tech friends might go on sale?

They are. Check Gearexpress and Mountain Gear.