Some people argue that Camalots have a greater range … and it’s true, but they’re also a lot heavier. The reason I really like Metolius cams in the first place is how light they are. Sierra climbing legend Peter Croft had this to say about the Ultralight Master Cams in this interview: 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 of Ultralight Master Cams!). When you take these cams up, instead of the equivalent sizes of Camalots, you will have one more piece to place on the pitch.
METOLIUS ULTRALIGHT MASTERCAM FULL
These cams have one more size in a full set than Camalots. 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).įinally, the slight loss in camming range holds another unforeseen benefit. The only piece of plastic on the entire cam protects metal trigger wires.
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. 75 X4s are probably familiar with the floppy feeling of cams that lack this essential feature). The cable stems thicken with the larger sizes, so even the largest cams are a breeze to place (climbers with. A subtle curve on the thumb bar creates a feeling of stability. Machined holes in the trigger bars shed weight and help you grasp the cams securely. The wide cam lobes create more surface contact with the rock. The extremely narrow head width allows the cams to fit in tight placements and makes them better to place in certain types of flares. The subtle design features of these cams are seemingly endless. 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. This sacrifices a small amount of range, though after comparing the numbers, we know that the range lost is mere millimeters on small placements. The camming angle, the angle at which the lobes of the cam contact the rock, is slightly smaller than most other cams on the market, especially the Camalots which have a relatively large camming angle. The solidity of Ultralight Master Cam placements may be tough to quantify, but it is no mere accident. The Range Finder dots and shark fin grooves are prominent features of the Master Cams. The cams quite literally feel like they bite into the rock. Metolius has abandoned the use of these grooves and instead has created a “shark fin” pattern, specifically designed to help the cams hold in soft rock. Grooves milled into cam lobes have often been considered more a product of marketing than functionality. When first switching to 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. The unique Range Finder system uses colored dots to instantly show you whether the piece is properly cammed. 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. 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. To put it simply, these cams feel good to place. While similar in function to the X4s, the Ultralight Master Cams take up less room on the harness and are dramatically lighter.
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