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| Messages 1 - 17 of total 17 in this topic |
Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 5, 2007 - 07:24pm PT
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A friend of mine who has mostly Aliens in the small sizes is now raving about the one C3 he has. It seemed to work well when I placed it but I don't climb that much compared to a lot of you all. Good for aid? Free? Comments?
I've got a pretty big REI dividend this year and I might invest in some C3s. Or I could keep saving toward Aliens.
Zander
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TopRopeGun
Trad climber
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I like mine better than aliens...hands down....but then I didn't pay retail for them either.
Link cams? save up for a porter to carry em for ya too! things weigh a ton...seem a little overengineered to me....I can cary a few c4's for that weight.
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Burns
Trad climber
Nowhere special
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I'm a huge Alien fan, but pretty much only in green, yellow, red and the associated hybrid sizes. Outside of that range, the Aliens lose their sweetness. The smallest two sizes (black and green) are actually wider in the head than the larger sizes. Bigger than red, the BD C4's start to get sweet.
The other difference between the C3's and Aliens is about $15 a piece.
My take is that there's a love-idiot relationship with aliens. Some folks love 'em, and some folks are idiots.
Just kidding. Try to borrow some and use them. You'll find that its just a matter of personal preference. You'll like one more for a reason that is entirely your own and all the armchair experts like me on the tacostand won't make a bit of difference.
Link cams? I'd pay $85 to not buy a link cam.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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I'd disagree that C4s able to fit into tighter spots, their stem is so stiff. You can kind of coax aliens in, because they're so flexy.
because c3s are 3 lobe instead of 4, with the stiff stem, they pivot much easier.
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bonin_in_the_boneyard
Trad climber
Sittin' on the dock by the bay...
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The C3s are a 3-cam unit, so it's not even a straight forward comparison. I've always been an Alien / Camalot guy, but I saw the benefit of adding some 3-cams to my rack for versatility (and maybe some aid), so I dropped my dividend on three C3s.
I went to Sugarloaf the next day and ended up placing one or two on every pitch. I like 'em. Yes, they have a stiff stem, but what I really like is a) a nice, strong spring that keeps the lobes in place, and b) the narrow stems. When I've placed U-stem TCUs in scars or pods in vertical or diagonal cracks, the trigger is too high and wide and rubs on the rock. Makes me nervous. C3s go in, but the stem and trigger stay out of the way.
I don't see Aliens and C3s being mutually exclusive at all. You should have some 4-cams in your rack, and you should have some 3-cams in your rack. The real comparison is between C3s and other 3-cams.
JMHO. Cheers.
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BadInfluence
Mountain climber
Dak side
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i took my blue alien off my rack for the green C#
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rhyang
Ice climber
SJC
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Suppose one already has regular aliens. Any reason to favor C3's over hybrid aliens for free climbing with pin scars, or is that completely ridiculous ?
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Tahoe climber
Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
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I like some of both.
C3 fits in smaller spot; it has a narrower profile.
Aliens are badass for versatility.
Bottom line, buy the aliens first, and fill in the holes with C3s.
-Aaron
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 5, 2007 - 11:23pm PT
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Thanks for all the info . Looks like I'll need to do some thinkin'. I hate that!
Zander
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Old&InTheWay
Trad climber
NC
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I have both C3 and Aliens and like bonin already said, the 3 / 4 cam design is the major fundamental difference. I found the smallest C3 compliment aliens well. I climb in the southeast where most placements are horizontal cracks. 4 cams is more stable, but 3 cams allows you to wiggle in a placment where 4 won't fit. Where the alien flex becomes a problem, the stiffness of C3s work well and vice versa.
The only issue I've have with smaller C3s is that the clear plastic stem/trigger wire protector is too thick. In some placements, the plastic will jam in the crack, making placments difficult to see and feel. Shaving down the thickness of the plastic with a nice razor knife took care of that problem. I do not recommend doing this for anyone unless you've been climbing so long that you fart dust. I think that would be a wise design change for BD in the near future.
I've been using Metolius TCUs for years and the design of the C3 trigger wire/spring system is superior to that of TCU/Powercams especially on the smaller Metolius cams. A broken TCU/PC trigger wire at the cam, where it most often happens, cannot be repaired.
-Bruce
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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While I don't think the price of the C3's comes anywhere near to being justified, and I like Metolius TCU's just as much (and probably like Aliens better for free), I will say this about them: after 30 pitches of C1 aid on both sets, the C3's were in muuuuuch better shape than the Aliens when we topped out. The things are built to last, and will stand up to any beating. Not sure that's true about Aliens.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Do the still make aliens?
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tooth
Mountain climber
B.C.
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The aliens are amazing, nothing changes that. But I was just given a set of C3's for Valentines of all things, and I have to say that I have used them a lot. I like the feel, the strong springs keep the lobes from walking around/moving too much in the crack without totally retracting the lobes. They have been easy to clean, and really good for aid. Buddy just took a big whipper on a Red C3 at J-Tree last weekend, and it held fine. But not much of a comparison. Just buy them all. You will find your fav. uses for each.
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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I wrote the review on mountainproject and I really hated giving the cams back to BD. They a great piece of gear. They inspire confience.
Do they replace aliens? No.
Do they compliment aliens? Yes, they will go places were aliens won't since they have a narrower head. They also stand up much longer to abuse. The price sucks, they should be 10 dollars cheaper.
They're on the top of my list to buy as soon as I have the money to spare and I can find them on sale. Getting that happening at the same time so far has been difficult.
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benkiessel
Trad climber
Gunnison, Co
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I have to say that I love my aliens. C3 might compliment them but will never replace them.
What is with the link cam bashing? Have you guys used them? I have to say that my first thoughts were that they are too heavy and that I would never buy one. Well I got one for Christmas. I used the cam on Bird brain Boulevard (mixed climb) and the thing was awesome. It is also nice in the Creek and as an extra piece of gear on your rack that covers a ton of ranges, plus it's great for aid climbing.
But I have to admit that I took it to the fisher towers and it now desperately needs a cleaning.
I wouldn't want a rack of them but I would like the other size.
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| Messages 1 - 17 of total 17 in this topic |
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