[Paul B]

The ones that'll do this:



 

FWIW I bought:
Metolius Master
C3

for smalls

Then:
BD
Dragons

for larger sizes.

Having two different types was definitely of benefit in the smaller sizes (although I'd always pick the Masters over the C3s; on one [Aid] route i accidentally placed the green C3 as a passive piece [blind] and stood up on it). Having two different types in the larger sizes had some benefits (placements) but drawbacks too. Mixing aid and free meant we had a good mix but the lack of thumb ring on the dragons made aid slightly more of a PITA than it is already. I'm fairly sure I tested all of them at some point in the trip.

[duncan]

Is there a definitive conclusion about anything lurking in this thread anywhere?

Just get the totems.

+1

If I would buy cams now, I would buy two set of totems up to #0.5 camelot size, 1 each above, and then 2 sets of camalots (BD, DMM or WC) for green and up.

That's interesting.

Chris Mac posted up a Totem review recently, including a video.

FWIW he seems to view them primarily as something for an aid rack. "We don't really take them for free climbing ... "

Not outdoorgearlab's finest moment in my view, the comments following the review are illuminating. For perfect parallel granite or hard sandstone cracks needing a large rack, a single stem and big thumb-loop mean marginally less faff: Camalots, the latest Wild Country, and possibly Mastercams.  Anywhere holding power is remotely important, Totems are your best friend.

I've the blue (smallest) and red (largest) Totems so far and fully intend to fill the gaps and am particularly keen for the black (size down from blue) which have been mentioned in a few places but haven't yet made it to market.

Pictures of Black and Gold Totems are now circulating so you'd hope they will be in the shops soon.

[slackline]

I'd seen some pictures of the blacks here and there and BetaClimbingDesigns have listed them for a while.

I should have spare cash to splurge when they are available but currently saving for work on campervan.

I've been tinkering with getting a website up and running to allow comparison and am close to deploying something but have had trouble doing so on the intended host which I've not worked through yet.  Will update when its eventually online and working.

[Mumra]

Those black things are some of the sexist climbing kit that I've seen in a while 

[duncan]

Sexy new cams

Orange Totem v Gold Dragon





Black Totem v Blue CCH Alien

[Duncan campbell]

Duncan, am I right in thinking the black totem is the same size as a blue alien/basic??

Really looking forward to Totem making a black basic...

[Muenchener]

I'm not seeing the blueness of that "blue" alien. Has it darkened with age?

[Fultonius]

I wasn't sure if an orange totem would be worth it, but that really shows the difference....might have to finish my collection soon ;-)

How does it compare weight wise?

I wonder how robust the black will be? My blue is showing signs of wear (quite mashed!) on the lobes, but still works fine.

[duncan]

The black Totem doesn't go quite as small as the blue (original CCH) Alien, it's still worth having the latter. It is a little narrower so should go where no other 4 lobe cams fits.

I was struck by the narrowness of the orange Totem. This will increase the options in pockets and awkward pods (already a strong point) but may make it feel less stable than a wider head. I've not had a chance to test them properly yet.

[Fultonius]

I thought I would find the red less stable than a red catalog, but it's so flexible that it just seems to stay put. Not yet had one walk.

Sent from my XT1039 using Tapatalk

[Will Hunt]

For the past month I've been using the two smallest Totems (the black and the blue). Really impressed with them so far. They seem to go in everywhere and inspire real confidence when they do. They just seem to "stick".
I've also used some dragons and thought they were the dogs as well.

I'm wondering which to go with as I replace my current set of cams. Is there any real data comparing their holding performance, especially in slick rocks like limestone? This is the most important thing for me as I'd like to be able to place kit in lime and be confident in it.

[Coops_13]

For the past month I've been using the two smallest Totems (the black and the blue). Really impressed with them so far. They seem to go in everywhere and inspire real confidence when they do. They just seem to "stick".
I've also used some dragons and thought they were the dogs as well.

I'm wondering which to go with as I replace my current set of cams. Is there any real data comparing their holding performance, especially in slick rocks like limestone? This is the most important thing for me as I'd like to be able to place kit in lime and be confident in it.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=8352
In this review, DMM claim they've made changes to improve this "stickiness" in limestone, slate etc.

[jwi]

I was struck by the narrowness of the orange Totem. This will increase the options in pockets and awkward pods (already a strong point) but may make it feel less stable than a wider head. I've not had a chance to test them properly yet.

Looks about as wide as the old HB quadcams. The quadcams #2.5 were never great in splitters. Up to #2 they were OK.

[tk421a]

Andy Kirkpatrick's just posted his cam thinking
http://andy-kirkpatrick.com/blog/view/what-cams
tldr
Totems, Totem basic for smalls, Camalots for big.
C3s for small as extras

[Footwork]

Cheers for that link tk421a

Like Will, also looking for cams as haven't bought any since uni! Thinking (for a long time) of getting the green and yellow totem basics for small cams. They seem to get rave reviews. Have the camalot c4's for purple upwards to blue and never had a problem. Having said that, when placed well, the wild country (old model) gave me the most amount of confidence. They just lacked the pumped loop and wide range the camalots afforded when scared.

[Will Hunt]

As far as I can tell, the Basics don't cover a smaller range than the normals, so unless it's all about saving weight I can't see much point in them?

[Mike Highbury]

I was struck by the narrowness of the orange Totem. This will increase the options in pockets and awkward pods (already a strong point) but may make it feel less stable than a wider head. I've not had a chance to test them properly yet.

I'll see what I can do for you.

[Duncan campbell]

As far as I can tell, the Basics don't cover a smaller range than the normals, so unless it's all about saving weight I can't see much point in them?

A blue basic is smaller than a black totem, Will. (as said above by Duncan)

If/when totem make a basic the equivalent size to a black alien that will be smaller again. I keep meaning to buy a fixe one but I keep forgetting.

I personally think basics are a brilliant bit of kit (disclaimer: I got a few for free to review for the other channel - I would say they were shit if they were though like those Mammut harness trousers I also had to review once)

Although on the flip side I am yet to be sold by Totem cams. I find they rack badly and I dont really like the trigger action and have on a few occasions found them really hard to get out of a placement when overcammed.

Plus for me, I'd say its rare that I do a route on a rock-type these are better on where I would rely on their added security; On peak lime I rarely rely on cams, Pembroke I think is rough enough for normal cams, slate - I havent climbed on in years and rarely used cams on anyway. Though maybe if you were only going to trad climb on peak/yorkshire lime they'd be a good choice (money would be better spent on petrol to better crags).

I use all the normal basics and then switch to dragons for green upwards as the red basic is about the same size as a purple dragon. Can't remember the last time I had any gear rip on me... but there have been lots of times Ive been glad to have basics.

Thats just my 2p though Will, you seem to like them...

EDIT: Just saw the pics of those totems in flares which are impressive. Though Id still be sh*tting myself above them! I also have a couple of friends who love them - both for free but especially for aid.

[dr_botnik]

I think there's 2 negatives to the totems; they don't have cam stops and they don't extend. Granted camelots don't extend either, but I find the lack of camstops unnerving.
Once a friend actually snipped the trigger wires because the cam lobes over extended and sliced the wires. A rare event and would probably cause removal problems more than out else, but it does give me pause for thought.
Still, there's some placements I would rather totems than anything else.

[slackline]

Cam Comparison - Range by Manufacturer/Model (free axes) by slack---line, on Flickr

I made progress towards getting this working as a web-page using R excellent package Shiny but life then got in the way.

Someone else has picked up the same data and done it (looks like they've used Shiny/R too)...

Cam Comparison