This system helps the cams take up less space on the rack. Shoreline Business Park, Sandside, Cumbria, LA7 7BF.
Metolius only recently started making the Ultralights in sizes 7 and 8, so perhaps that explains why those units didn't perform as well as the others regarding stability and trigger durability. The cam head on the Ultralight Master Cams is slightly wider than the Black Diamond X4s (left) and significantly narrower than the Black Diamond C4s (right). The trigger wires are made with Kevlar, thus avoiding the fate of metal cables used in most trigger wires which became frayed and broken with extensive use.
Well, everyone also climbed on hemp ropes with hip belays before we had dynamic climbing rope and belay devices.
Advice.
Durability is good with solid cam lobe and stem construction and tough Kevlar trigger wires. 
While similar in function to the X4s, the Ultralight Master Cams take up less room on the harness and are dramatically lighter. The cams offer an unprecedented level of solidity in placements. The Ultralight Master Cam also features updated lobes with a new grip pattern for a better bite in soft rock, as well as all the other features youd expect from a Metolius Cam, like the classic range finder, super-flexible stem and on-point craftsmanship. Backcountry Advocate ProgramBreaking Trail, Master-class camming device from Metolius for trad and alpinism, CNC-machined cam lobes are 40% lighter than the original Master, Range Finder assists with finding solid placements, Color-coded trigger, thumb, and webbing ease identification.
Metolius gives you the usable range representing the range in which cams can be safely used, rather than the deceptive industry standard of reporting the absolute minimum and maximum expansion range which covers so overcammed that you will never get it back to completely tipped out. When I started climbing, I picked up the seemingly ubiquitous Camalots.
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But the Ultralight Master Cams werent the least stable cam in our testing and particularly during in-house testing we were able to observe the freely moving stem of the cam that allowed the cam lobes to stay in place while the stem moved as rope was pulled through a carabiner attached to the sling.
What you see at the checkout is what you'll pay. Pros: 8 cam, its lopsided design and low-tension trigger made the unit especially prone to walking. "Once we got two to three units back, we immediately looked at the issue and addressed the sharper radius." Awhole20% lighter than the original range, theMetolius Ultralight Master Cams offera hugeweight saving when compared to other cams on the market, whichcan be massive if you need to carry a double set. EU fuss-free delivery! When first switchingto the Ultralight Master Cams, this system makes finding the proper size a breeze, and when you hand your rack to a partner who is unfamiliar with the cams, he or she will surely be thankful for the feature. Door to door. These cams are 40% lighter than most cams, and their lobes use stops for extra security in cracks. Ultralight Master Cams are made in the USA.
This is where the Ultralight Master Cams truly shine. The Ultralight Master Cams retail for the same $60 as the original Master Cams, cheaper than DMM, Black Diamond, Wild Country, and Totem Cams. 7 unit. If [we find a unit is] not safe, we'll still send it back, and tell people to not use it anymore.".
"Light.
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Regarding other broken parts of the unit, such as damaged cam springs, "if it's fixable, we'll fix it," he said. Some people argue that Camalots have a greater range and its true, but theyre also a lot heavier. One drawback is the lack of a thumb loop, which aid climbers may scoff at as it prevents the ability to clip in short when moving in aiders. The Range Finder dots and shark fin grooves are prominent features of the Master Cams. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Orbayu A Climbing Odyssey with Nina Caprez and Cdric Lachat, WTF is Dry Tooling? When you take these cams up, instead of the equivalent sizes of Camalots, you will have one more piece to place on the pitch. He explained that the cams in my set were from an early batch, within the first few hundred units made, and that the hole where the Kevlar cord passed through on the No. Hence, they can be a good option for climbers on both single and multi-pitch as well as more far flung adventures in the alpine where weight is key.
Bill Dodd following P1 on Sunburst Arete, ADK (5.8, 200'). For example, the Camalot Ultralights start at $90 and go to $130 for a #4. "All our cams can be re-slung for a nominal fee," he said. My partners climb on Black Diamond Camalots, and chances are, youve got them on your rack too. The above factors caused the Ultralight Master Cams to score lower than many other cams for ergonomics. Looking at the cams side by side, I noticed other differences are noticeable: the swages are smaller on the new units, for example.
When compared to a full rack of Ultralight Camalots (including a .3 Camalot, which is not available as an Ultralight), the Master Cams still emerge victorious, with a slight advantage of 24g.
The same size range of Camalots (.3-3) tips the scale at 868g, making a full rack of Master Cams nearly 25% lighter.
For a full rack of Ultralight Master Cams thats over 5 ounces in weight savings. Looking down on a perfectly placed #5 Ultralight Master Cam high on The Fastest Gun (5.10b, 500'). And in a time when the need exists to resonate across all, simply Press Play; you'll never be at a loss for what to say. EPICTV, the EPICTV logo and all other EPICTV marks are trademarks of Elisa Oyj. According to Metolius, the Ultralight Master Cams are twenty percent lighter than the original Master Cams.
2.95 Shipping for Orders up to 30. Banana Fingers and the Banana Fingers logo are trademarks of Banana Fingers Ltd. We use cookie on this site to enhance your user experience.
7 (hand-size), outright broke while I attempted to use it as part of the belay. Conrad Anker, leader of The North Face climbing team and world-renowned alpinist, relies on these cams while making first ascents in the toughest conditions on earth. For larger cams in which the difference is greater, so is the sweet spot in which cams can be safely placed. The cable stems thicken with the larger sizes, so even the largest cams are a breeze to place (climbers with .75 X4s are probably familiar with the floppy feeling of cams that lack this essential feature). We looked for signs of walking and stability when placing cams in various cracks of all different sizes. email: support@epictv.com, Company information: Banana Fingers T/A (trading as) EpicTV, Unit 8 Whitehall Trading Estate, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol BS5 9DF, United KingdomVAT GB930689110. The Ultralight Master Cams proved to be a durable and tough cam, scoring second only to the DMM Dragons in terms of durability. Another time the Kevlar trigger on the second-to-largest unit, a No. Durable components including Kevlar trigger wires, Less stable than the double axle cams tested. The colour coded slings help for easy location and are easily replaceable after a couple of seasons of use. The downside is that they arent suited to DYI repairs and will require most users to send them into Metolius to do a like for like replacement. [Photo] Chris Van Leuven. 1 Ultralight Master Cam placed in a vertical crack between dirt clumps.
The cam stops are milled into the lobes, making the cams more resilient and difficult to damage even in the event that they do pull out. The wide cam lobes create more surface contact with the rock. In exchange for this small sacrifice, the cams give you increased holding power, and thus are more likely to stay in the rock than competing cams with higher camming angles. EpicTV Shop Returns: EpicTV, Unit 8 Whitehall Trading Estate, Gerrish Avenue, Bristol BS5 9DF, United Kingdom. They are lighter than an average rack of quickdraws (900g for 10 draws vs. 669g for a rack of Master Cams).
He is not sponsored by Metolius; he uses the Ultralight Master Cams because he considers them the best tool for the job. 8, an equivalent size of a No. Red dots indicate a placement that is too tipped out or open to be effective, yellow dots are in the middle and the green dots show the prime placement range for the cam.
So try the Metolius Master Cams, but be warned: your friends will always want to climb on your rack instead of theirs. Light, low profile A subtle curve on the thumb bar createsa feeling of stability. Small cam range The subtle design features of these cams are seemingly endless.
Posted by Joel Ryan | Gear Feature, Journal, Trad. An updated version of the original Metolius Master Cam, the Ultralight Master Cam can now claim to be the lightest cam on the market, thanks to new holes in the trigger, a slightly shorter sling, and a redesigned thumb-piece that doesnt require a cable loop.
Later, while jamming hands/wide hands routes like On the Loose (5.10), in the ADK, and The Rose (5.10) in Bolton, Vermont, I discovered that my least favorite size was the No. ", He also explained that users who break cam triggers or need the slings replaced can and should send them to Metolius for repair. With knowledge and practice across the varied spectrum of commerce, our entrepreneurial spirit, aptitude coupled with a deep commitment to results are what sets us apart. The only piece of plastic on the entire cam protects metal trigger wires. The thumb bar has essentially been completely redesigned to save weight. In comparable placements the Ultralight Master Cams were more likely to move than its double axle competitors. One note on the color coding for the sizes of cams thats neither good nor bad and up to the buyer to decide: Metolius cams dont copy the color coding popularized by Black Diamond. Free Shipping over 70.
[Photo] Chris Van Leuven. All of which combined to create a cam that held up despite extensive testing in the field and during in house testing. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Moja Gear.
This movement was more pronounced on the bigger cams and careful use of extended slings or quickdraws was key to keep the cam in good position. I called the company's Vice President, Brooke Sandahl, to learn more and to address their repair policy.
Hence, for the next few months, I ended up climbing with a near-full set.
We thoroughly tested the Ultralight Master Cams in the field and during in-house testing for its stability and resistance to moving or walking after being placed and had mixed results. No additional delivery or customs fees will be added by the courier. Note: The small stereo hanging on Scott's harness likely weighs more than the rack of cams we brought on the route; so much for "light is right." We paid close attention to how cams handled when being placed or cleaned and by various climbers to gain a sense of each cams ergonomics and ease of handling. Placing the No. Our robust yet cost-effective offerings are both tactile and experiential and support a myriad of corporate objectives. At 65 grams (2.3 ounces) for size 3 (orange), the Ultralight Master Cams are some of the lightest cams tested. The lack of a thumb loop is a drawback for many but instead Metolius uses a thumb piece that has a lot of surface area and is surrounded by an 11 mm sling to help provide purchase when racking or placing. Jonathan Siegrist plugs a green Master Cam into a crack at Smith Rock. Home Gear Reviews Climbing Climbing Cams Metolius Ultralight Master Cam. New to Metolius, the Ultralight Master Cam takes the weight off alpinists and trad climbers. [Photo] Chris Van Leuven. A cursory glance at the ranges listed by Black Diamond and Metolius is shamefully deceiving. When I climbed with a mix of the Ultralight Master Cams and Camalots, I consistently found myself reaching for the Ultralight Master Cams first, and Camalots second. They're also very flexible, which helped me wiggle them into placements, and they were generally easy enough to clean. I like that," my partner said as he threw my gear sling over his shoulder. When this discrepancy is accounted for, the difference in range is close to 10%.
Metolius Range Finder system is included on sizes 2 through 8 in which colored dots along the edge of the cam lobes provide visual guidance for good or poor cam placement. When the pitch calls for doubles in certain sizes, you can carry, on average, three more cams and still have the equivalent weight of a single rack of Camalots (and this number does not include the extra cam already in the set ofUltralight Master Cams!). Though the most important endorsement is not necessarily a public one. The unique Range Finder system uses colored dots to instantly show you whether the piece is properly cammed. [Photo] Chris Van Leuven. 60.00 Sandahl first addressed my concerns about the broken trigger on the No. This piece will be sent back to Metolius for repair. Clipping these cams inspires confidence, and this is no accident; Metolius has designed these cams to be a perfect placement every time they leave your harness. You save: 15% (
This sling is also threaded into the unit instead of being attached below the thumb loop. 10 sizes: #00 - 8, sizes 7 and 8 are new and very light for their size, Colour-Coded 11 mm Monster sling, thumb piece and trigger, Range Finder system assists you in choosing the correct size cam, CNC machined for much greater precision than stamped or extruded cams. Our team is highly motivated, fast-learning, task and detail-oriented with a proven ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems. Now throw it away, because the #4 Ultralight Master Cam covers the same size at almost the exact same weight. This sacrifices a small amount of range, though after comparing the numbers, we know that the range lost is mere millimeters on small placements.
Answers. The trigger bar is the narrowest trigger bar of the cams tested and proved more difficult than other cams to use. senses.
They are less stable than the other double axle cams tested, particularly in the larger sizes, and their ease of use and ergonomics scored lower with testers due to the lack of a thumb loop and a small trigger bar. Sierra climbing legend Peter Croft had this to say about the Ultralight Master Cams in this interview: The reason I really like Metolius cams in the first place is how light they are.
The solidity of Ultralight Master Cam placements may be tough to quantify, but it is no mere accident. The cams quite literally feel like they bite into the rock. Ethically sourced Polish goose and duck down, combined with lightweight technical fabrics for exceptional warmth, weight and durability. They nowhave two new larger sizes to compliment your rack too! And, now that I'm aware of Metolius's repair policy, my broken units won't have to collect dust. The Ultralight Master Cams have a number of features that may pique the interest of shopping climbers in addition to their lightweight. Please provide your cell phone number for shipping purposes.
Over several months of testinglet's just call it climbingfrom the sharp cracks in Vermont's crags to the sustained splitters in New York's Adirondacks (ADK) to Boulder, Colorado's smooth granite, these svelte units performed as well as single-axle cams are expected to. The Ultralight Master Cams are sleekly built units with a slender profile that fit well in narrow cracks. With ten sizes offered, climbers will benefit from significant weight savings when carrying a full rack of Ultralight Master Cams. Sign up toour newsletterfor first refusal on all thebiggest and best deals as they come in. Through Press Play, companies have an opportunity to massage customers??
Everyone climbs with them, so arent they obviously the best choice? Gear You Ought to Know is a series that showcases underrated, under-appreciated, or just plain innovative gear in a discussion-based format. Color-coded by size, the Ultralight Master Cam is easy to find on your rack so you can plug and send. These cams went through a number of in-house tests for controlled and measurable metrics and were used by a number of climbers in the field with varying experience levels and interests. The trigger bar retracts an upper trigger bar but the cables connecting the two are protected by plastic. Our expertise is founded upon the core principles of learning, however, our promise to deliver is founded squarely upon our achievements.
To find out more about our privacy policy, including use of cookies, please visit our, #0: 45g, #1: 52g, #2: 55g, #3: 65g, #4: 75g, #5: 85g, #0: 10.0 - 15.0 mm, #1:12.5 - 18.0 mm #2: 15.5 - 22.5 mm, #3: 18.5 - 26.5 mm, #4: 23.5 - 33.5 mm #5: 28.0 - 39.5 mm, #0: 5kN, #1: 8kN, #2: 10kN, #3: 10kN, #4: 10kN, #5: 10kN. All cam stems will move once placed but the Ultralight Master Cams had a more freely moving stem than other cams tested.
Ive grown accustomed to that question during this fall season. Well, the lovely folks at Metolius were so busy shaving weight, they forgot to raise the price.