C3s still good purchase?

Are C3s still a good purchase these days with so many different narrow-head, flexible cams available?

I know they are bomber, but I have also seen a fair number of them become permanent additions to climbs. I'm thinking maybe I should get a set or I should save for the totem basics.

Thoughts?

They were never a good purchase. A unique piece that gets used very occasionally, not a bread and butter type of piece.

John Wilder wrote: Agreed. If you really want small bds, get the x4s. Otherwise, any of the other small single stem cams are a better choice than the c3s. Master cams, basics, etc...

what's wrong with C3s? They have small head, can fit in parallel cracks just fine, so it's not like they don't work where master cams and aliens work.

I'm agreeing with you, but I haven't heard a good reason yet.

I'd take a set of C3s over any other small cam I've climbed on... but that's like, my opinion. I also use mastercams to fill-in gaps and serve as doubles.

Yeah, they're a good purchase. While the C3 is about about the last micro-cam I'll grab, it's nice to have a variety in the small fiddly sizes. Since the weight is negligible, might as well have more options. That being said, my aliens and peenuts see way more use.

Plenty of people around here use them and like them. It's not like they're some exotic piece like a Ballnut or something... Often Gunks climbers have two sets of small cams by two different manufacturers and some swear by the C3 as one of the types. Obviously plenty of people in other camps too. I've actually been pondering adding a second red C3 to my rack because it seems to be useful in so many spots.

Unless there's some legit difference in how the unit performs, it comes down to personal preference.

Im a big fan of the C3, but it's also what I have and what I'm use to. I think the 00,0,1,2 are the most useful. I have the smaller sizes of master cams that i got a great deal on and took them off my rack, opting for the C3s. The 1 and 2 fit great in pin scars and i find generally speaking a TCU like a pin scar more then a FCU assuming its not offset. Also, the 2 goes into the range of the yellow/orange MC pretty nicely.

That said, if i were to buy a new rack of cams Id look at the totem basics pretty hard. They are very narrow and and have an action that's smooth as silk.

I've found the purple & green C3 to fit in places no other cams can (especially since 4 lobe cams in that size are noticeably wider). The larger sizes I've found very little uses for.

i find the red and green ones handy in the desert - they kind of help fill that gap between blue and green alien (or purple and blue metolius).

I carry the #2 always (only one i have and i love it) but the last trip i did to moab and estes I placed the 0 and 00 everywhere.

I find the 000 very good because it will fit smaller cracks, compared to the black Alien and grey (00) Master Cam.

Found this out the hard way when my partner told me that the crux was protected by a 000 C3 and I should grab his. But I thought that I'm good since I had both a black alien and a 00 Mater cam. They did not fit.

tradvlad wrote:I find the 000 very good because it will fit smaller cracks, compared to the black Alien and grey (00) Master Cam. Found this out the hard way when my partner told me that the crux was protected by a 000 C3 and I should grab his. But I thought that I'm good since I had both a black alien and a 00 Mater cam. They did not fit.

+1. The 000 can be the money piece at times. I did a couple lines this summer which required 2 greys and 2 purples and nothing else would fit. I've also placed blue and yellow mastercams in spots where the barely smaller red C3 or barely bigger .4 would pull with a tug. Don't believe the dogmatic majority on here, if an alien/totem/whatever the fuck they're called these days doesn't fit but a C3 does, the C3 is what you should place, regardless of how much you like spraying about your aliens.

I have some X4s, and I have the three smaller sizes of Metolius TCUs (00, 0 twice, 1 twice).

But I've honestly been thinking about getting some C3s just because I like a certain consistency on my rack. It's silly, I know...

I've never used a C3, just TCUs. How do they compare? (Not how do C3s compare to Aliens or X4s). I'm curious.

Because I find that I like the tiny head width of a small 3CU sometimes.

the smaller C3s can fit where nothing else will .. in the green and below sizes they have the smallest width of any microcam, great for pods

some sizes also have a bit of a higher rating than the TCUs if you are looking at 3 lobed cams ... for example the green C3 at 7KN has roughly the same size as the purple TCU, 5 KN .... the extra 2 KN, or 40% more strength can make a difference with force at that range

the disadvantage is the same as the any dual stem cam ... stiffer and more prone to rotating

also the trigger wire securing system at the trigger end isnt the best IMO ... ive had the wire come loose with aggressive cleaning and the plastic piece holding the wire break ... a metolius TCU is pretty bomber in this regard with the metal bar and the simple trigger system

every microcam is a series of tradeoffs ...

and the C3 can fit where no other cam can ... they (or other 3 lobbed cams) work well as doubles with a set of flexible micro cams

;)

It's all personal preference (as demonstrated by the above comments), and will also depend on what kind of climbing you're doing and where. I love my C3s. I Also love my mastercams, my offset mastercams, and my camalots, all for different reasons. Try some and see if you like them!

They are great in some places, others not so much. I love them in Eldo.

I wouldn't want a full rack of them, but I have them in the smallest 3 sizes and they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Plus the 3 lobe head works well. THAT being said, I LOVE my Metolius TCU's and probably place them more than any other cam besides the BD 1-3.

And I'm not jumping on the X4 bandwagon yet. Wasn't overtly impressed; certainly not enough to get rid of any of my cams.