UKC

First time cam buyer - Stuck between DMM CU or DMM Dragon Cams? Any advice or preference on each/

Cheers.

In reply to Connolly8684:

4CU: they're light, they're cheap, they work. Not everybody likes U-stem handling.

Dragons: state of the art things of beauty. Not everybody likes the thumb-loop-less handling compared to Camalots.

Consider Totems in the sizes for which they are available. I have Totems and then yellow & blue Dragons for the larger sizes.

In reply to AlanLittle: good advice here, I bought totems to replace the 0 and 00 dragons. Still good cams at that range but I found them very wide. Above that size they're great, some people don't like the double sling with both the 4cu and the dragon but I really like it. You have to remember to pull the side with the tape on when extending them.

I have a couple of 4cus, the wires can bend a bit if you fall onto them a lot on horizontal placements, still good cams.

In reply to Connolly8684: Ive got 2 of the totem cams for sale. Its the green and red (the larger ones). These are the totem cams, not basic cams. I'll sell both for £100 incl p&p. Placed only 3 or so times each they've never held falls and are still clean!!! They're brilliant but i think i got a bit over excited when buying them! dont really need them and as you'll find,m cams aren't cheap.

Thanks
Dave

In reply to Connolly8684: Don't buy 4cu's, folk will tell you there as good as any other cam but they're not, they're shit, that's why they're cheap. They're too wide, the lobes over extend so get stuck easy, they're hard to operate in the bigger sizes and they've got a small range.

By comparison the Dragon's are really good, prefer totems but you won't go wrong with dragons.

In reply to Connolly8684: Go for dragons, they're brilliant.

In reply to shaun l: I have Camelots, but if I was starting from scratch, I'd be looking at Totems.

In reply to shaun l:

I have to say I think you're wrong. They are good cams, I find them easy to use and they have stopped me hitting the ground several times. I'll take your point on the bigger sizes being a bit clumsy (the small sizes are a bit wide too, I favour micro cams below 4cu size 1). They are cheap because DMM have long ago reached payback on developing the 4CUs and are now pushing their new flagship product, the Dragons.

In reply to Connolly8684:

Dragons in the larger sizes (3/4" upwards), something else below that (Totem cams, Demons, Master Cams (but not if climb on sea cliffs a lot) etc.) and something else in the tiny sizes (Zeroes, Totem Basic Cams, X4s).

CUs are naff, a pain to place, walk too easily and the stems on the outside make the heads too wide.

In reply to Connolly8684:

Another vote for Dragons in size Green Red Gold and Blue. Totem Basics red, yellow and green for small placements. Purchase in that order.

4CUs are clunky, horrid to handle, won't fit in small slots. Cheaper for a reason. Buy these and you'll spend the next few years wishing you'd coughed up the extra tenner per cam.

I chose Dragons over Camalots for the extendable sling. Carry each on a colour coded carabiner, Lose 4 draws (250-300g) off your rack.

So easy. Place (extend as required) and climb on...

In reply to Connolly8684: I like the principle of the extending slings but if you rack more than one cam to a biner they are a PIA.

In reply to victim of mathematics:

The Totem Basics only go one size below the Totems

In reply to Jimbo C: If they were the only cams they'd be good. As it is they're the worst cams I've ever used by a considerable margin. I gave all mine away because my conscience wouldn't let me sell them.

In reply to AlanLittle:

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. By 'tiny sizes' I don't mean 'below whatever size the smallest Totem cam is', I mean 'about WC size 1/2 and below'.

In reply to Connolly8684:

What about DMM Demon Cams, instead of camalots or Dragons? How do they compare?

In reply to jack_44:

I have no doubt they are superbly made and work very well. I find it hard to see what niche they are aimed at though. People who don't like the double axle design but for some reason don't want to buy Helium Friends?

In reply to victim of mathematics:

Ah, ok. I thought you meant "really tiny", which Mastercams, WC Zeros and X4s do go down to - FSVO "realy tiny" - whereas Totem Basics don't.

Hi,

Can I just say... in Italy we have Ferrari, parma ham, full bodied reds... in the UK you have things like, amongst the others... the Dragon cams.

First time purchase? Go for Dragon. No doubt.

Nic

In reply to Connolly8684:
Nothing much wrong with 4cus if I were on a budget I'd sooner have a load of them than fewer of the more fashionable models.
I have a total mishmash of makes on my rack including 4cus tech friends, clog cams, hb quadcams . They all do the job they are designed for.