UKC

Hi

I've just been reading the cam UKC review:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/climbing/protection/micro_cams-12837

I'm not sure the sizing of the z4's is correct in either table: the range on the gold must be wrong as it says its minimum size is larger than the minimum of the next cam up.

All the best, D

Yep. Looks like a mistake.

So what’s the best micro-cam set?! The dragonflys or the WC micros....

Yes, that’s the big question...

I don't know, but I'll need to make a decision at some point this year! 

Dragonfly are pretty awesome. Never tried t'other ones.

Same. I’ve got a get of the alien revolutions but the blue one (000) broke and it’s annoying the sizes/colours don’t really line up with the dragons. 
 

i would 100% go dragonfly’s BUT the WC’s make a big green one and also the heads are narrower. I’m not bothered about the tiny dragonfly (green), even the red is probably rarely getting much use...

Il probably go for the DMMs but on paper the WC micros look better... 

I went through this a little while ago, and went for WC Zeros.  Each cam has a rather greater range, size for size, than the equivalent DMM Dragonfly, so your chances of picking the correct cam for the placement are better.  Aliens have an even better range but they're not re-slingable.

There was some question, when I posted about this last, whether the differences on paper were down to the way that WC and DMM measure their expansion ranges.  With both models in front of me and a set of calipers, they are both pretty damn accurate (interestingly, the figures both companies quote are from absolutely retracted at the small end, to about 5% retracted at the large end).  It really does seem that the Zeros just have a bigger range than the Dragonflys.

Maybe throw into the mix... what cams you already have, if your rack is wc some people go for that as an arbitrary decision. 

Also some people mix in politics, WC made in China DMM made in Wales.

Enjoy the mixed blessing of having too much choice

Hi David, thanks for picking that up. I've corrected the range for the Gold Z4. It was a mammoth review and looking at those tables again is bringing up some PTSD!

That's the question that the original review didn't answer. I wonder if the real answer is a mix, rather than a complete set. Personally, think there's still space for a BD c3 0 (green) for its tiny head size and I wish the WC Zero cams had reproduced one of the USPs of the original Zeros, which was a "direct loading axle".

I wanted to like the dragonflies but I do find the width of the head interferes with getting in the fiddly placements (I have the red and yellow), plus they are really floppy which doesn't help with the above. I've considered selling them on and replacing them with Z4s but they're probably a bit bashed up now to be worth it - it's not like I'm climbing anything where the first ascentionist had anything other than rigid-stem friends anyway. If I had my time again they are definitely what I'd get though