Merlin #8

Just got notice early this morning that mine is finished and ready to ship.  Figured I would start a separate thread on it instead of continuing to hijack the BD vs WC thread.  Post your thoughts and reviews of the Merlin here.  I should get a chance to climb on mine next weekend if it comes in next week and I'll give my official review then.

Here's my review from the dead BD vs WC thread. I'm interested to see how it lines up with everyone else's reviews. 

I actually recently was able climb with a pair of these Merlin cams so here's my review. 

Pro's 

They're so light! 

The springs are really powerful, this makes bumping the cam and the incidental flailing kicks less likely to dislodge the piece and become possessed. 

the stem is rigid and strong, placing this cam and bumping it will be way easier than a flexible stemmed cam with a heavy head. 

The locking trigger bar. No more fumbling with sticks and cords to lock up your devices!

Con's 

The head width profile is quite narrow, hopefully the strong springs will keep the cam from flopping sideways in funky terrain.

The trigger bar is uber tiny, (two fingers only) this combined with the extra strong springs made moving the cam quickly or while pumped really hard.

Ultimately, the price is pretty good, the customer service is reliable, and it's a great in-between size between BD #6's and VG 9's. I'd like to buy some if I can justify the costs..... So who'd like to buy some of my Valley Giants? ;)

Will ya'll please post a picture or two for the MP scientists to view...for science. 

How long, vaguely, do Merlins take from ordered to shipped?

Here’s some photos for the scientists.

Everett wrote:

How long, vaguely, do Merlins take from ordered to shipped?

At the time I got in line it was 3 months.  Could be longer or shorter now, IDK.  He doesn't take payment till it's done though and it's no obligation either.  If you drop out of line at the last second he goes to the next in line.

Having trouble finding info on Merlin. Could someone direct me to a webpage or contact number?

Thanks a lot

kendallt wrote:

Isn't the range of the Merlin 8 supposed to be larger than the VG9?

My understanding it protects up to 10" cracks compared to the VG9 9" max.  Should also go smaller given the double axle design.

Isn't the range of the Merlin 8 supposed to be larger than the VG9? 

Yes they're slightly bigger, however they're also considerably smaller than the minimum range of the VG, making a really nice piece to use in cracks at that horrifically tipped #6, yet just a bit tight for valley giants. 

I got one recently, but haven't had a chance to use it yet.  Very impressed with the build quality.  

Does anyone know if he's still working on the Merlin 12?

Glass Tupperware wrote:

Does anyone know if he's still working on the Merlin 12?

You should send him an email to find out and report back here with his response.  I'd be interested to know (although to be honest I think the #8 is way more useful for me than a 12 would be given my comfort level with squeeze chimneys).

Just got the cam in.  Have to say, this thing is a work of art.  The machining looks beautiful, the overall design is really cool, the trigger lock mechanism is genius and simple and it even appears that he upgraded to a bar tacker for his slings which makes them look just as professional as any production cam maker.

So holding this thing and my BD #6 side by side I swear my #6 is ever so slightly heavier.  This thing is silly light.  I'm sure if you stripped off alot of the plastic on the #6 they would be very comparable.  The lobe width on the Merlin is ever so slightly (like half a MM or less) thinner than the lobes on the #6.  The slop with the lobes is easily less than half that of the #6 though which definitely helps ease concerns about off axis lobe loading.  The distance between the axles is more than twice that of the #6 which gives this thing a crazy big expansion range.  It definitely fills in nicely where the #6 is usually tipped.  The springs aren't crazy strong but they are certainly stronger than the #6.  They feel alot stronger with the trigger action though as there is fairly low mechanical advantage with the way the actuation works.  With the solid stock stem this thing should be really easy to push up a crack too.  As far as I can tell this thing will be just shy of tipped in the smallest squeeze chimney size for my body too which is freaking perfect.  Sadly it looks like I might not get to try mine out this weekend though as the weather is looking crappy for Saturday.  I'm in TX though so it could easily change by the end of the week.  I have two perfect offwidth climbs in mind for this sucker too.

This is Erick from Merlin Rock Gear.  Thanks for the reviews and great pictures!  Just wanted to answer some questions and clear up a few things.  The range on a Merlin #8 is 5.55" to 9.9", which is about 0.15" smaller than a VG9 and 0.9" larger.  Overall it has a full inch of extra range over a VG9.  It weighs roughly 570 g, which is about the same as a BD #6.  As noted, there is less play in the lobes than on the larger BD cams - this is due to tighter machining tolerances.  This does help reduce the tendency for the lobes to buckle but the only one who can reduce off-axis loads that lead to buckling is the climber - place cams in line with the direction of the fall!

It is correct that the wait time on getting a Merlin #8 depends on when you get in line relative to where I am in a batch.  I'm making batches of 20 right now.  If you get in line right after I've sent out a batch then it's about 3 months, however if you get in on the tail end of a batch, then it could be a week.  I just finished a batch so current wait time is a few months.  Current price is $210 + $10 shipping.

As for the trigger and spring loads, the springs are moving the lobes over a much larger distance than a BD #6 so the springs need to be stronger to achieve the same preload on the rock.  The force required to retract the lobes depends on the mechanical advantage in the retraction mechanism, which in this case is the length of the control horns.  I can increase the mechanical advantage by making the control horns longer but this comes at the expense of a longer retraction distance.  

I do send out the slings now to Fish for bar tacking.  

I am still working on a Merlin #10.  I just finished testing the latest prototype and it survived more than 10 kN so it's good to go.  The range on it is 7.3" to 12.9" making it the largest functional cam in the world.  I had to increase the lobe thickness from 1/4" to 3/8" to increase buckling resistance.  I thinned out the walls to account for the extra width but it's not a 1:1 tradeoff and the cam is still a bit heavier than my initial numbers due to the thicker lobes.  It weighs about 820 g, still significantly less than a VG12.  I still need to make most of the parts for the first batch so they're still a few months out and I think most if not all of those are already accounted for.  Price on the #10 will be $300.  Here is a photo of a #8 and a #10.

Contact me at merlinrockgear@gmail.com if you want to get on the list for either cam.  As mentioned, I do not require any upfront payment and there is no obligation.

El Gato wrote:

DMM is coming out with a 7 and 8 cam in May 2018. Just something else to add to the quiver. 

They are the equivalent of the BD 5 and 6....only really handy compared to C4s if you really feel you like using those extendable slings over carrying a few extra alpine draws (which frankly I hardly ever extend stuff in the wide anyway).