UKC

Hi. Can anyone give me the pros and cons of 3 CU cams compared to 4 CU?

In reply to ElvisMax1:
2 second google
https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=357575

Hope this helps

In reply to ElvisMax1:

4cu is the default option for most people. The 3 has a smaller head width so can fit into smaller pockets. The downside is the 3cu is slightly less stable and may be more prone to moving.

In reply to ElvisMax1:

4CU are well made in the UK, fully featured, reliable, cheap and lightweight but can feel a little 'gritty' and unrefined in their trigger action and the wire frames can be badly bent if levered sideways in a fall.

3CU are the same but better in the smaller <1" sizes. The smallest is still good and usable but if you're getting one cam of each size (as opposed to topping up an existing rack) you might want to look at switching to a range of more specialised micro-cams at this size for the bendier stem/head and a narrow 4-lobe head.

They're both excellent products that lack some of the flashy plastic moldings of their successors but to no real detriment. I've had the 3 smallest 3CUs for ~15years and I keep replacing them when they get lost or mangled.

jk

In reply to ElvisMax1:

get 4cus, 3cus too prone to moving
if you want narrow cams get aliens / totems

In reply to ElvisMax1:

I'm genuinely curious: why would you buy 4CU's and not Dragons? DMM Dragons are the dog's bollocks.

In reply to ElvisMax1:

sorry to piggyback onto this thread but it seems to have been answered.

If they were equally priced, what would you choose over a 4CU and a 2014 Wild Country Helium friends?

Both are single-axle but the heliums have a single stem, and perhaps longer?

I'm guessing the advantage of an extendable sling would bring the 4CU out the winner?

In reply to ashtond6:

I've had two 3CUs for at least a decade. They're excellent, never had them walk out of placements. I've heard this said before but never experienced it myself, are you sure its not just a myth?

In reply to Xharlie:

4cu's are cheaper than dragons

In reply to cha1n:

I have both. Both are great single axle cams. Weight is very similar. The extendable sling is nice on the 4CU, to me the stem is more flexible for horizontal breaks on the 4CU. The action is a little heavier on the 4CU. Anecdotally, I think the 4CUs walk a little more (but this may have just been down to my inexperience - they were my first cams.

It probably just comes down to preference. The demon is also a solid option at a similar price range, with the 4CU head and Dragon stem. Plus, the DMM gear is designed and made almost completely in house, in the uk.

In reply to TobyA:

I like cams that seat well, i.e. camalots seat better than Dragons so I prefer them
My 3cu is very good, but I think an extra £5 is worth it for the extra lobe!

In reply to ElvisMax1:

A 3CU saved my bacon on a big tumble off the Mau Mau a few years back. They work.

In reply to ashtond6:


Do they? Could you explain what you mean by that? I have both http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3213 and can't say I've noticed a difference.

In reply to TobyA:

Feels like a firmer spring so the seating is nice. Wish I preferred dragons though (extended slings and weight are awesome!) though they are worse for aiding since you can't clip the unit itself

In reply to TobyA:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=581535&v=1#x7709027

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=432270&v=1#x6149336

Two other threads echoing my comments and completely disagreeing with them