By Stymingersfink
Jan 24, 2008
| I don't think BD pull-tests used cams, though they will inspect, lube and re-sling them. They will also tell you if in their learned opinion/experience the cam is no longer safe to use.
divnamite wrote: Errr, what are you talking about??? RE cams aren't bad, no one say they are better than BD, as long as they do the job, why wouldn't you use them?
I'm not saying I wouldn't use RE cams if a random acquaintance had them to loan during a situation of need, that was what was available, and there were no better options.
I'm just saying that I'll not be purchasing any myself for my own rack. If I happen to booty non-BD/Met cams, I usually sell them at the local gear swap. I've currently got enough cams I'll probably not be purchasing more any time soon, so it's kind of a moot point, but when the time comes to replace a cam like replaces like. |  |
By John Langston
Jan 25, 2008
| divnamite wrote: as long as they do the job
Because they don't!!! That's the point everyone is trying to make. Or at least so piss poorly it's barely worth dragging them. | |
By Bryan Hylenski
From Longmont, CO
Jan 25, 2008
| Crisp, I usually don't do much with forums, but I think I met that guy at Indian Creek! I had just finished my warm-up on SuperCrack and that feller came struttin buy. I thought he was some sort of lost tourist. Until he freed SC 4x. To be honest, my ego took a large hit that day. The only thing he had in his arsenal was a set of old homemade nuts. I believe two of them were just chunks of 2x4 and his "Bohemians" (RE's for anyone who loves a life of abbreviations, instead of their true calling!).
Personally, I had never seen them before, so he gave me the whole shpeel, u fired off in this forum. I watched him fly up 5.11's all day with those damn things. Inspired me to go purchase my own set of Bohemian's. I personally find them very effective. Like red bull....they gave me wings! | |
By TP in SLC
Jan 25, 2008
| Nate Johnson wrote: I was wondering if anyone could give me input on Rock Empire cams. I was on the internet looking at all the gear I can't afford, and i stumbled across the Rock Empire site advertising cams starting at 29.99 per unit. Has anyone used these, and if so are they worth buying? -Nate
You get what you pay for. Rock Empire cams are only good for booty-ing,then selling. I wouldn't climb with these units if I was paid.
Poor range, floppy action, not impressed. Always bummed when a partner exclaims "hey I just got some new cams for cheap". Great, I guess I'll bring the rack.....
Kyle vH wrote: I like my rock empire cams. I bought them in 2003 and still use most of them. In that time I've retired as many BD's as RE's (one each-and the BD was a 6month old, no-falls C3 unit that started sticking closed! Still bitter).
You know you can boil those things then lube em' up and they won't stick closed. It's a great trick and works wonders after desert rat-ing it for a few months.
chrisp wrote: I think it is better terminology when at the creek mostly because requesting a couple of blue and orange bohemians implies completely different sizes then the black diamond sizes. Cant say it any more- The Bohemians RULE!
Friends work better | |
By Charles Schoney
From Joshua Tree, CA
Oct 1, 2008
| divnamite wrote: Easy, take a deep breath, have a coke and a smile. My point is, between buying used gears without knowing their history vs buying new rock empire cams, I would pick new rock empire cams anytime. I have rock empire, they work fine. They aren't as nice as BD, but if you want to climb and short on cash, they are a decent substitue for BD.
I am a fan of a good deal, but from my past experiences with climbing gear, i feel as though climbing is a serious activity, and should not be degraded by cheap substitutes. I too would buy used BD cams (fully inspected) before buying RE. I have seen cams of lesser quality just flat out fail. (wires,springs, welds) Who wants the possibility of something like this. Just my honest opinion | |
By Aric Datesman
Oct 1, 2008
| Looks to be an old thread dug up again, but what the heck... I'm new here. :-)
I'll agree with the sentiment that you get what you pay for, but in the case of RE Durangos they're actually not all that bad. The action isn't as smooth and the range is less than BD, but they work fine and are much cheaper (at least, they were before the $ took a dive and they became hard to get in the US...).
Bit of history... Prior to Trango switching their Flexcams over to using the Splitter design for the 5 smallest ones, Flexcams were actually rebadged Durangos. Apparently the larger sizes are a bit on the unstable side of things (too narrow), which seems to be one of the reasons Trango stopped using them.
I've not used Durangos extensively, but have played around with them a fair amount (I have almost 2 full sets, so my 'fair amount' is more than most people...) and have had no issues with them. Yes, the range is smaller and they don't collapse as far as BD. But as a double/triple for a size or a first set of cams, they work and are cheap.
On a side note, it seems that their 12kN rating is on the conservative side of things.... I accidentally pulled a #3 Durango to failure a while back on my pull tester and it held multiple 14kN loads before the cable pulled from the head (cable would pull out a bit and then stick again, still managing to hold 14kN several times).
Second side note, if you're interested in making your own hybrid cams its possible to disassemble Durangos. Several of the sizes have the same axle diameter, so swapping around lobes and reattaching the trigger wires isn't that big a deal (provided you can get the screw out of the axle without stripping it, which is made much easier with a small blowtorch).
-a.
EDIT- One other thing.... my main rack is Trango MaxCams and to be honest, much as I like them I prefer a #5 Durango to the #3 Maxcam (similar maximum size) when the placement puts either on the extreme upper end of their range. | |
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