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caughtinside
Social climber
Davis, CA
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+1 what bandycoot said. I read a few of those reviews and found them to be of relatively low quality... like most 'professional' gear reviews. Just regurgitation of numbers and specs for the most part. A meaningful gear review requires extensive use of a product. Not just a freebie that gets used 4 days and then written up.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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If I ever did one? Ignore it!
Damn. Now you tell me. If only you'd told me earlier, I might not have believed the ads quoting "Dingus" and wouldn't have a broken Link Cam on my desk, waiting for return authorization.
Well, actually, I probably still would. And when I get the replacement I'll continue using it, cuz I like them.
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Mr_T
Trad climber
Northern California
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The blog piece gets a bit too loud (ie ending every sentence with !!). Perhaps provide a tad more factual info in a more objective manner. You may like the cams, someone else may not. Present the facts in a more balanced manner and let your reader form an opinion rather than trying to force your own.
The "issues" with recall could refer to the fact that more than one single camming units (ie my #1, my friend's #1 were recalled) or that more than one person had to send back a cam to you. Further, it would be worth pointing out the anodized gripping issue and comparing it to competing cams that have anodization.
Keep a level, factual argument and don't let your emotion (and !! at the end of every sentence) take over. Accept any limitations you may have - $70 is not a cheap cam. Instead point out the quality you provide over competitors.
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okie
Trad climber
San Leandro, Ca
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I think a lot of folks are going to want to get their paws on those "basic" cams. That's the horse you should be riding.
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mapeze
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 2, 2011 - 08:03pm PT
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Mr_T,
The anodizing gripping issue comparing to other manufacturers is cited in FAQ at the recall post.
And it's true that the post was written with emotion. However, most of judgemets (not the price) are not only emotive. I think are justifiable.
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Sixth: “hard to find in the U.S.” and “expensive”. You can easily find them at totemcams.com at $70 and we ship from U.S. for free. The Totem Cams in U.S. are cheap! Much cheaper than in Europe! Our strategy of trying to sell directly to the climber is just an strategy for survival!! We do not decide how the dolar/euro exchange ratio varies.
"hard to find in the U.S"
What the review said is: "These widely available in Europe but very hard to find in the U.S. or at U.S. online retailers."
If they are ONLY available from a single web site (or a few web sites), then the review is dead-on accurate.
I'm not going to buy any unless I can handle some first. So unless a friend of mine gets a pair, I wouldn't even consider buying them unless I could see them in a climbing shop.
"expensive" - What the review said is, "Value: Expensive. At $70 a piece these cams are among the most expensive cams out there"
Totem's (incredibly LAME) response is that they are "cheap" because they are even more overpriced in Europe. We don't care what you are charging for them in Europe. They are expensive in the U.S. market compared to their competitors.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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I'm not going to buy any unless I can handle some first. So unless a friend of mine gets a pair, I wouldn't even consider buying them unless I could see them in a climbing shop.
Sounds like a road trip is in order for you then. Yosemite Mountain shop has racks of them hanging there (I ws there in May). Its the Glacier point shoppe next to the store.
As Rgold mentioned, the heads are very narrow so as to fit in small pockets (jtree or Red Rocks anyone?). Coupled with the uber flexible stems, bigger camming range, and good gripping performance, they seem to do very well. I think that they may be doing another Yosemite session soon. Last time they just gave them out on loan to try. Nice to try before you buy. I'd seriously suggest getting some mileage with them. It changed my mind.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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A few additional observations about Totem cams.
(1) The cam faces are knurled rather than toothed.
I've never understood the tooth configuration. If a cam doesn't pop out, the limits to its holding power are determined by the material's sheer yield strength. It always seemed to me that studding the cam surface with a bunch of little buttons would contribute to lowering the sheer yield levels, since the buttons will sheer with less resistance than a solid surface.
Although you wouldn't think so, the knurling gives the cams a unique feel when you insert them. I think you could tell blindfolded whether or not you were using a Totem cam.
(2) The actual cams on a Totem cam are a little thinner than the ones on a Camalot. This might be a negative consideration for soft rock.
(3) A feature of the Totem cam geometry is that the cam will, at least in theory, hold in placements with too little friction for a conventional cam. I've heard various reports of poor ordinary cam performance in European limestone; for that medium Totem cams appear to have an advantage. The same advantage would also apply for granite that is wet or unusually polished for some reason. What isn't clear is the magnitude of the theoretical advantage in practice, but one could take the position that any extra holding power is a good thing.
From my limited experience with the purple unit, my appreciation for the flexibility and narrow head width, and from my understanding of the theoretical advantages of the geometry, they seem to be a better mousetrap. As I've said before, I think the ultimate deciding issue will be the durability of all those wires and springs just under the head.
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Bump for great cams. I finally saved up enough to get a double set. These things are great.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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If you check out the Outdoorgearlab review https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/climbing/climbing-cams/totem-cam and scroll to the end, you'll find a point-by-point criticism of the comparative ratings I posted in 2011.
Subsequently, OGL seemed to change their individual review of Totem Cams, but not the bizarre scoring that placed them at #10 in the ratings list.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Gold, pure gold in the funky fissures.
If I had money I would have 4 sets.
2 ea will have to do.
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protour
Trad climber
Yosemite, CA
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Mucci Joe Marley has 4 sets, I think we're all a bit jealous
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Bet he keeps a close eye on em too!
Walls in a push, so they don't "get lost" at the bottom of a grade VII bag lol!
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Mucci - better than BD in your opinion? Honest question, haven't used (or seen them in the wild) yet.
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MisterE
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Better than BD, I say.
I have two in the same sizes as BD, and I almost always go to the Totems - they just set easier.
MyTwoCents
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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I think they're better than BD in the comparable sizes. They walk less, their heads are significantly narrower, and they're more likely to hold in flares. I have them paired with BD's on my rack, and I always use the BD first if I can, because the Totem will go in all kinds of places the BD can't, which means place the BD first if it fits.
The downsides are the relatively bulky frame everyone mentions (which I've never found to be a problem with a free-climbing rack that has doubles of each cam size) and the potentially less burly design, which doesn't seem to be much of a problem.
If they do last like BD's, reslinging them might be problematic.
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MisterE
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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An interesting thing I have found is that the Totems are bulky at the trigger, and most of the other cams are bulky at the cam-end.
This dove-tails nicely by staggering your rack with Totems - more cams, no increased rack bulk.
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Lebruce- they started out on the aid rack, now I wouldn't free climb without em.
The purple green pink seem to fit better in weird spots. A mix of cams is always good, but doubles to purple then singles from red bd and singles of bigger totems is how I rack now.
I guess I trust them because I have made them work where nothing else would have.
Hudon has photos that prove the goodness, repeatedly.
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skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
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Look, I've only been doing Trad for a year and building anchors for 2 now. I first got the C4's and noticed when placing them that I should give them a wiggle to see how stable the placement was. Somethimes they'd seat right away, and sometimes they'd just keep on trucking. I ordered a set of the Totem Totems 2 months before I could even get them. When I saw the engineering that when into them, I was very interested in them. After I read the "other" reviews on the Outdoorgearlab page I was sold. Particularly Rgolds review. I save the Totems for those spots where I want to make sure I have my best piece in there, particularly in flares They rack just fine for me, and the metal with the knurled surface seems to grip better than the C4's. I alternately rack Totem/C4.
When I first picked these things up, my much more experienced partners were skeptical. Now, one has purchesed a full set of the basics and totems, and another would like to. They ARE expensive. And the only question I have is how long will they last.
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dhayan
climber
los angeles, ca
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I have a double set now and got my first set about 3 years ago. They are the best cams in my opinion. They seat really well and I don't recall a placement ever walking. With the large range like c4's but the narrow head width the seem to fit perfectly in pin scars, wavy cracks, pods etc. with the larger sizes you can even protect those big old pins scars where nothing else will fit (like first pitch of serenity). Also, because of their large range, large camming angle, and holding power in flares, I find they fit where you'd previously need an offset cam. I hope they make a smaller size in the future. So far I have had no durability issues. As far as racking, they do look bulky but I've never found it to be a problem, as they are actually a bit lighter than c4's. Oh, and I just use them for free climbing. When I need that bomber piece, 99% of the time I'm reaching for a totem.
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