By chrisIerickson
From Salt Lake, UT
Jul 19, 2012
| Just thought I'd pass along a few thoughts.
I bought a full set of the Totem Aliens last fall, and just added to it the 2 smallest sizes from Fixe (on sale at Mountain Gear for the next couple of weeks for the same price as the Totem ones) to fill in the low end.
My thoughts?
The totem version seems to be better made IMO. The entire unit just seems more finished. The cam wires on the Totems seems more durable than the wire on the Fixes. The action is also smoother on the Totems.
So, if you are looking at aliens, look at the totems. They cost less, and feel great. They also ship from inside the US so they get there pretty fast. | 
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By Josh Kornish
Jul 19, 2012
| Thanks for the review. Good to know.
I'm definitely interested in picking some up |
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By T.C.
From Whittier, NC
Jul 19, 2012
| Where is the best place to buy the Totems? I'll buy some right now.
TC |
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By Guy H.
From Fort Collins CO
Jul 19, 2012
| chrisIerickson wrote: The cam wires on the Totems seems more durable than the wire on the Fixes. The action is also smoother on the Totems.
You should compare the same size cams instead of comparing the small Fixe cams .vs the larger Totem cams. I would imagine that the action is smoother and the wires are fatter on larger sizes for any brand of cam.
I personally haven't handled any Totem cams, so I can't comment on them. |
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By JLP
From The Internet
Jul 19, 2012
| When you hold them side by side and use them for a bit, it's pretty obvious and a no-brainer. They took the Alien design, kept what works and fixed the problems. That was their goal, and the guy doing it isn't confused by manufacturing, design and quality control like CCH was.
It's just a matter of time before this spreads, just like it took a long time for Aliens catch on in the first place.
Totem was just too much of an unknown, everyone fears the new and different, etc - even though it is commonly acknowledged that, at their best, Aliens are fragile pieces of crap that just happen to stick to the rock well. I would like to see Totem come out with more sizes. I expect Fixe to be selling fewer and fewer of Totem's sizes. |
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By mattm
From TX
Jul 19, 2012
| T.C. wrote: Where is the best place to buy the Totems? I'll buy some right now. TC
You order them direct from their online site. They only sell direct.
Totem Cam Site |
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By Mark Mueller
From Flagstaff, AZ
Jul 19, 2012
| i really wish there was a blue basic cam :/ |
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By mattm
From TX
Jul 19, 2012
| Mark Mueller wrote: i really wish there was a blue basic cam :/
They're currently working on it according to their latest blog post. They're even doing INTERNAL springs which will make it even better. I'm holding out for that and a Blue/Green Hybrid.
Blue Totem Basic |
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By chrisIerickson
From Salt Lake, UT
Jul 19, 2012
| I bought mine directly from Totem. Fast shipping.
Good call on comparing the same size...unfortunately I don't have them in the same sizes.
One notable difference is the axle-ends. On the totem cams, they shaved off 1/4-1/8 of an inch on each side making it way better for shallow placements. This is the same on the Fixe green/yellow/red. I've attached a picture showing the blue Fixe and a Green Totem for reference...
I also have one of the standard (non-basic) Totem cams in a ~#1 camalot size. Pretty cool but I've actually started to not like it as much because it is SO flexible I have trouble placing it the way I want to.
FWIW, both of my lead falls in the past 8 months have been caught by my Totem basic cams -- once on the yellow and once on a green. The lobes are slightly dented on the ones that caught me (you can see if you look closely at the picture), but they are still in excellent shape. One of the falls was in a downward flaring crack and it held very nicely.
All of the standard "Aliens rock" stuff applies -- my friend was leading on my rack and couldnt' stop raving about how awesome the aliens were (we jut call em aliens even though they're Totem). They are narrow, place wonderfully etc. |
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By Burghschred
From Bend, OR
Jul 19, 2012
| +1 for Totem Basics.
I agree with most comments above, the action is slightly smoother on the yellow/red compared to the gray which are similar in size. They both work great, the Totems look like they will stand up to more use. Some pics:
| Yellow/red Totem Basic on the left (red lobes showing), gray FIXE alien on the right.
Submitted By: Burghschred on Jul 19, 2012
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| Grey FIXE on the left, red/yellow Totem Basic on the right.
Submitted By: Burghschred on Jul 19, 2012
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| Left to right: Gray FIXE Alien, Green Totem Basic, Blue Totem
Submitted By: Burghschred on Jul 19, 2012
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| Green basic, blue totem, yellow mastercam, gray fixe, yellow/red basic
Submitted By: Burghschred on Jul 19, 2012
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| Gray FIXE alien, yellow Totem cam.
Submitted By: Burghschred on Jul 19, 2012
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By Eric and Lucie
From Boulder, CO
Jul 19, 2012
| chrisIerickson wrote: One notable difference is the axle-ends. On the totem cams, they shaved off 1/4-1/8 of an inch on each side making it way better for shallow placements
This is one of their best design features, I think, compared to the old Aliens (and the Fixe Alines, which are 100% identical to the old ones).
I own several sets of the old Aliens, and so far two Totems. The Totems are an improvement over the old. Smoother, and as Chris pointed out, narrower. My only question is how durable the flexible trigger cables are going to be... too early to tell.
Totem's buying experience is top notch. Quick, easy on-line order from their Spanish site, and the cams get delivered within 3-5 days from Oregon. And they even reply to their e-mail if you have questions!
Cannot wait for the blue and black sizes! |
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By siwel
Jul 25, 2012
| I LOVE my Basic Cams. Played with the Fixe aliens in Desert Rock Sports, they didn't feel nearly as smooth. Basic Cams look more like a finished product. |
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By NorCalNomad
From San Francisco
Aug 27, 2012
| I have all three "iterations" even thought they are different sizes (so slight different designs).
Black CCH
Blue Fixe
Yellow Totem
Totem is WAYYY smoother than either.
Out of all the sheath designs I think that the original metal interior with nylon outside has the potential for being the longest lasting. The thicker threads on the fixe sheath was def a good call for durability.
The decision to go with the wire rope instead of solid wires I think it great since I've found those metal wires are easily bent. |
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By Chris Miller
Nov 26, 2012
| Is the GRAY FIXE size pretty much covered between the RED and Yellow TOTEM BASIC sizes? It seems like Totem tried to tweak the yellow and red a bit in an effort to render the gray unnecessary. |
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By NorCalNomad
From San Francisco
Jan 19, 2013
| Peter Hurtgen wrote: how much for the aliens?
$80 for Fixe Aliens
$60 for Totem Basics |
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By Kenny Thompson
From woodfords, california
Jan 19, 2013
| Hoping to get out and try my new Totem cams tomorrow. I recieved mine in like three days that's pretty good service |
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By siwel
Jan 19, 2013
| Chris Miller wrote: Is the GRAY FIXE size pretty much covered between the RED and Yellow TOTEM BASIC sizes? It seems like Totem tried to tweak the yellow and red a bit in an effort to render the gray unnecessary.
Yes, To my knowledge that is why totems and aliens of the same colour don't entirely match up in size. |
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By Chris Miller
Jan 21, 2013
| I ended up getting the green, yellow, and red Basics to double up on small cam sizes. The 3 cams cover the sizes without any gap. Sense I already have and I am happy with Master Cams, to me it made sense to get 3 Basics instead of 4 Aliens to cover the sizes.
I placed all three of them this weekend. No falls, but I bounced on them a bit. I'm happy with them because the sizes are a bit different from the Master Cams so they compliment each other nicely. Also, I felt confident climbing above the placements. Finally, I really like the giant thumb loops and slightly enlarged slings, it might help prevent walking. |
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