In reply to Graham:
I think I have partly lost myself now with the variations so I will try to be clearer. I mainly climb in the UK on all rock types and on my overseas holidays most of my climbing is on granite. I am an alien fan having used them extensively for well over a decade with them being a main part of my normal climbing rack and having held a few falls. I have one recent fixe replacement that seems to be OK but I'll obviously have to wait to see how well it holds up to use. I've been amazed how well the original aliens have performed and held up despite negative reports on safety and longevity. They can get stiff but a bit of oil solves that, like it does with most cams. The other main cam I use is the camelot where my only complaint is the trigger wires usually need replacing every other year.
The new basic to me still looks like (I've never used one on rock) an updated alien but with harder metal lobes (why, as the soft metal seems to bed and be an advantage of the alien?) and a slightly narrower head and reported better build and action (hard for me to believe this is significant as my aliens have worked and lasted so well). Yet you describe fixe aliens as shit above (why? have you used them extensively?) when all I see is an excellent cam and a possibly better cam in the basic that as yet I cant judge properly.
New Totem cams (not the basic) are an interesting redesign I also havent yet used on rock but might well consider to replace my larger aliens or smaller camelots, partly as they can hold on two lobes but I need to try them to see if they hold pins scars on granite slabs as well as my aliens do.
