Metolious Cams = SH#T

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 1 - 20 of total 83 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 7, 2014 - 08:05pm PT
Sorry for the rant, but I noticed Metolius cams are complete garbage. Aside from their offsets cams they are garbage. At least ones that I have. This weekend I lost my 2nd (!) green mastercam (#6). Why? Not because it walked and got stuck, not because someone dropped it, not because I took a fall and got it fixed. All I had to do is press the trigger to take it out and both of the cables snapped!!! What the hell? How does it happen? I wasn't even yanking it and it wasn't a tough placement to get out (I placed it on lead and was cleaning on rappell). Snapped at first contact. Tried to get it out but it got further stuck. It is on Sherrie's crack if anyone wants to see.

I also have a yellow metolious Master cam and yellow (#2) metolious TCU. BOTH of them had a problem where lobes on one side were stuck and not functioning at all. After soaking both in lubricant for a night one resumed working. The other is still shut.

I don't think there are many stories like my first, but do other people out there notice that they tend to lose their mastercams quicker vs BDs?

TREED

Trad climber
Gunks
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:08pm PT
Dibbs!
thebravecowboy

Social climber
Colorado Plateau
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:08pm PT
very interesting Vitaliy. I have recently fattened out my rack to full BD cams and was thinking of going with Metolius next. In fact, I also happened to nearly fix a big one (sage BD) in a too-small placement the other day. I jacked those cables HARD and fought the thing out. No problemo for the cables or other parts of the cam. I have also worked pretty hard on many or most of my other BDs with zero trigger cable problems, or breakage more generally.
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 7, 2014 - 08:13pm PT
Cables shouldn't break. I think it is a freak accident. But I have too many metolious cams that have problems. This last one was just ridiculous.
Sheets

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:22pm PT

Good to know, I've been debating master cams vs aliens for awhile now.

Crap, hope someone get's V.'s cam out. I (or my partner) fixed three cams on three popular climbs in the Valley & always feel bad about leaving garbage on routes.

Matt's

climber
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:22pm PT
"I wasn't even yanking it"

yeah, i'm sure vitaly
Johannsolo

climber
Soul Cal
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:30pm PT
I have many small METOLIUS cams on my rack and love them. Grey, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Red. Never had a cable break and no other problems. Probably got them over 10 years ago. Maybe they have changed but the old ones were the bomb.
I see your problem, you got the cheap Chinese knockoffs spelled METOLIOUS.
RyanD

climber
Squamish
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:31pm PT
Lets all chip in & get V one of these for his birfday :-)


http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1955042/CAM-EXTRACTOR




Blue/yellow offset master cam is a good piece around here. Yellow green alien is preferable. Can't say I'm a big fan of TCU's though but that's more of a personal preference.
WBraun

climber
Jan 7, 2014 - 08:38pm PT
Stupid cams

Why even both placing them,

just run it out ......
whitemeat

Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
Jan 7, 2014 - 09:37pm PT
wow, that sucks man... I LOVE me metolious cams though... the only ones I dont like are the TCUs and the black and green master cams... the other small master cams are golden though!!!

switch to totem cams bro... they are THE BEST for aid/free/gym hehe :)
Russ Walling

Social climber
from Poofters Froth, Wyoming
Jan 7, 2014 - 09:44pm PT
I just got a bunch of Mastercams and really like them. Too bad you are having some troubles with yours, but the dudes at Metolius are top notch and most likley will take good care of you if there is a problem.
apogee

climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
Jan 7, 2014 - 09:44pm PT
"I think it is a freak accident. "

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my impression, too. I've always found Metolius to be pretty damn good gear...certainly better than BD sh#t.
Salamanizer

Trad climber
The land of Fruits & Nuts!
Jan 7, 2014 - 09:47pm PT
Metolius cams indeed do suck to a certain degree. Besides the small expansion range and ridiculously hard aluminum that doesn't bight into sh#t. I too and many others I know have had various problems from lobes sticking due to the extremely tight tolerances between lobes, tendency to want to get stuck in every irregular placement or walk it's way back at even the slightest movement and the cheap ass way homo string (read "lace") the new mastercams have, which is hard to impossible to replace. Other than all that... they get the job done.
Greg Barnes

climber
Jan 7, 2014 - 09:53pm PT
That's funny. I replace trigger cables all the time on BDs, Aliens, and sometimes even my old HB Quadcams - and I never replace trigger cables on my Metolius cams (mostly TCUs). Must have been a bad batch or something.

That upper crack on Sherrie's Crack used to have a green Metolius stuck there for years & years. Think it's just the wrong size crack for getting that cam stuck, sort of like the top of Moby Dick center and old #4 Camalots.
bigbird

climber
WA
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:10pm PT
Vitaliy have you talked to Metolious customer service? They are generally big on safety, at the very least you can make them aware of the issue you experienced.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:29pm PT
Over the years I've had far more problems with wires on BD cams than on Metolius, but most of mine are at least several years old, so I don't know what the quality is like on either manufacturer's newer cams.
ms55401

Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:30pm PT
enter "BD", "China", "C4s", "Peter Metcalf", and "Sabretooth crampons" in …

three,

two,


one,
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
Maybe you shouldn't use them to scrub the terminals on your car battery.
NA_Kid

Big Wall climber
The Bear State
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:42pm PT
Cool story bro, but I'm pretty sure I've had trigger wires on many brands of cams break. I like my purple and orange master cams. Metolius cams and all their other gear is NOT s#!t
nature

climber
Boulder, CO
Jan 7, 2014 - 10:43pm PT
black mastercam is my favorite.
Messages 1 - 20 of total 83 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta