UKC

just wondrin what people's opinions were on which of these mini-cams are best for use on grit and why?

In reply to PeteWilson: Well if you want to go back to the old argument of camming angle, according to the Wild Country publication "The Cam Book"[1], 15 deg was originally used (for granite) but then revised to 13.75 deg for other rock types, such as gritstone. I can't find the specific figures, but Metolius use a very similar angle, while BD use something >14 deg. ([2] confirms that BD use a greater angle, as well as a useful review of the Mastercam.)

In practice, you're unlikely to notice this, but in my opinion you're unlikely to find any massive differences.

Another thing to consider is the area in contact with the rock. Sorry to bring another product into your decision making, but I think the Metolius TCUs have a greater surface area than either the Mastercams or the C3s. (These are the units I use at the moment, but I've never climbed on grit so this doesn't help answer your question really.)

[1] http://www.wildcountry.co.uk/download/files/Current_Catalogues/V1146_Wild_C... pp.8-11
[2] http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1776

In reply to nrussell: haha yea ive heard many discussions over the pro's and con's of each type and have generally found theres not much in it, thanks very much for the input (and if youve never tried climbing on grit you should deffo give it a go! always well worth a visit!) i hadnt considered the tcu's before though but generally because i have some of the DMM 4cu cams and find there just as good but at a much lower cost!
...thanks again

In reply to PeteWilson:

I intend to! I spent the last year in New England, and learnt to climb there. That also explains why I have Metolius gear, I guess - it's a lot cheaper and more available over there!