Product News at UKC presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. They are not gear reviews and are provided by companies that advertise with UKClimbing Limited.
Friends are the most iconic protection ever made. Throughout their 38-year tenure, although the construction has changed, their essence remains the same. At the heart of each iteration has been the definitive 13.75 cam angle; described, refined and developed by Wild Country and proven in thousands of miles of cracks climbed since 1977!
This New Friend is no different, built with a twin axle it remains a Friend. At its core our 13.75 constant cam angle provides the axis around which future climbers will place their trust. Robust and reliable this Friend combines classic features and significant additions to create an intriguing mix of old and new.
Externally, stylish with significant design flourishes mean the eye is drawn to any number of clever upgrades: hollow axles (Patent Pending) are stiffer for less weight; wide, skimmed lobes grip better yet are kinder on the rock; new 12mm dyneema is agile and easily extended, saving time and the weight of having to use a quick draw on each.
Internals are based on classic Wild Country foundations; our legendary holding power and the consistency of overlap between units, whilst the twin axle has allowed us to increase the range per unit.
Never defined by how it is built, but by how it performs, the Friend's iconic status is simply enhanced by this twin axle version.
Crucially, this is design at its most practical making the new Friend the only twin axle cam that combines the convenience and comfort of a thumbloop with the speed and utility of an extendable sling. Faster, smoother, lighter in use and superbly fi nished; our clever combination of key features with innovative engineering makes the new Friend the most complete cam available.
They lack the refinement of better established and more expensive brands, but if you are building a trad rack on a budget then these functional Czech cams do the job perfectly well, at a price it may be hard to resist, says Tim Hill.
Making Friends Since 1977 – The Heritage of Wild Country
The story of Wild Country is the story of two strong-minded and visionary individuals from totally different backgrounds, but who shared a common passion. It was a chance meeting between two climbers in the summer of 1972, one...
Doubled sling, different (better?) camming angle? I think they look great and until I have fondled all of them, would be my choice on paper out of the new Camelots, the new Dragons and these. However, I seem to be drawn to the holding power of Totems these days....
Yes, commercial suicide. Just their own version of Camalots - same sizes and colours. I really liked having the Friend sizes interleaving the Camalot sizes; a set of each is much more versatile than a double set of Camalots. I shall certainly be buying up and stockpiling the Heliums once shops start selling them off cheap (I've already picked up a few from the gear shop at Joshua Tree which said they no longer saw any point in bothering with Friends). Why do Wild Country do these daft things? I still havn't forgiven them for changing the colour coding on Rocks.
Perhaps because they didn't sell very well, Helium Friends started to be quite heavily discounted very soon after they came out, retailers generally only do that when they have stock they aren't shifting. When comparing cams the first thing people look at is probably the range, larger twin axle designs have a considerably bigger range, whether that is really better or not it's what sells. If enough people want a doubled up sling or a lower camming angle (i.e. theoretically more bite) they will command that premium, otherwise the price will fall to match the Camalots, I predict the price in a year's time will probably match the price of Dragons and Camalots.
They've been around the £35 mark for some time, how much cheaper do you want them? Currently £29 at Rock + Run, even at that price I won't be getting any though, Wild Country trigger wires put me off, too flimsy and wear out before they should. Are they still expensive in the States, although your profile says you're in Scotland?
Thanks, I'll check that out. Wild Country trigger wires put me off, too flimsy and wear out before they should. I've had just as many issues with Camalot wires. No, I got some cheap on a trip in the autumn.
Product News at UKC presents climbing, walking and mountaineering equipment posts that will be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to comment about the post and products on the associated thread.
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