Rock Empire Cams
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- This topic has 17 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 19 years ago by
Jamie.
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AuthorPosts
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Ben
Heya,
Anyone got any thoughts, likes, dislikes, etc in regards to the Rock Empire range of cams?
Cheers
Danny
I have a set and find them very reasonable. The cost alone should make them very attractive but people tend to shy away and stick to BD and Wild Country. They certainly offer more bang for the buck, though the other two brands probably feel a bit nicer with their action.
Happy shopping.
Kris
I agree with Danny. Having fallen on his cams in the past they kept my tubby arse from hitting the ground, therfore they must be OK. I am an unashamed Wild Country Fan but these cams do the job they were meant to.
Wicked
John Knight
I’m in no position to give a proper opinion, but Rock gave them 3 stars two years ago, and they were 53 dollars at the time. Untrained on pro, don’t be sure about my opinion, but I’d probably prefer to have 3 reasonable cams for 160 bucks than one good one.
Ringer
I disagree. you are better with one good one you can use for 10 years and be happy with. rather than 3 el cheapo’s. BD camalots are waaaay ahead of the alternatives (except for the tiny ones).
Danny
I have had mine for 5 years and they don’t show any signs of packing up yet…so I’m halfway to your 10 years.
Kris
Ringer,
BD are very very good cams but are certainly NOT waaaaay ahead of Tech Friends. They are heavier to start with. Had the pleasure of talking to both Wild Country and Black Diamond Reps and both agree that each other are the best out there. Interesting to note that Wild Country spend a large amount of money each year stopping BD and other from copying their design. Double axle in BD is nice but is it really essential??
I would suggest when buying cams read up, ask EVERYONE for an opinion, try if you can, and then make up your own mind. Mainpeak have a free book called the CAM Book which has lots of excellent info that is not Pro-Wild Country, but relevant to all cams and their use. When in doubt use ya nuts!
Wicked
Ben
Hmmm, when you look at it all cams must meet certain safety standards otherwise they wouldn’t sell, right? So if all the above manufacturers are above the safety requirements, then choice comes down to weight, survivability, ease of use and personal preference, right? And price of course. Weight is really only a problem on multipitch isn’t it? 40m climbs aren’t going to require enough gear to quibble over a few grams. By the sounds of it any cam will last as long as, you take care and service them, naturally. Ease of use is sought of connected to personal preference.
So it sought of comes down to price and whether or not you want the extra bells and whistles and the BIG name to go with it.
Agreed?
kris
Ben,
Agreed! However there are different safety standards (CE UIAA etc). There are different types of cams, Flexi, fixed or solid, Tri-cams, Quads etc. All perform differently and wear differently. You should research and decide on these factors and the ones you spoke about earlier!
It all makes you want to just toprope now doesn’t it?
Wicked
Ross
Sorry Ben, but disagree.
It does not come down to price and bells and whistles; safety standards for all cams are not the same (for the very small cams there are no standards and for the larger cams the standard only pertains to breaking strength of brand new cam).
I don’t want to go into tedious details but if I was to made an analogy to cars, I would say that a Kia is not comparable to a Honda. Many people are very happy to pay for the superior handling, reliability, safety and “feel” of a Honda, but of course price comes into it also which is why most of us drive Toyotas i.e. something in the middle.
I haved used a huge range of cams (Camp, BD, Metolius, Wild Country, HB Wales, Alien) over 15 years and they vary from superb to horrible.
Gear reviews such as the annual one published by CLIMBING are useful means of gathering info.
Neil
Agree with Ross.
I have used most brands and whether or not they are brand new or old and hammered the same brands come out on top wrt performance. You don’t just pay for the “BIG” name.
Skill in trad placements and rope drag will effect you alot more than cam weight. My preference – go BD (and aliens). You can tell when in you’re in a Hyundai compared to a Honda – even with your eyes closed. Get camalots on special and they cost the same as tthe alternatives… to easy.
Di
Danny weren’t you trying to sell these very same Rock Empire cams? See https://www.climberswa.asn.au/Community/Messageboard/default.asp?view=message&id=313
Ben
Looks like Di’s got you there Danny.
Seriosuly though, thanx for the insight guys and the car analogy helped heaps! I stumbled across a bit of a deal for some RE cams but I think I will continue collecting WC instead.
Just like my next car is going to be a Nissan, not a Hyundai, my next cam will be WC (or possibly BD), not RE.
Nothing against Rock Empire though (I use one of their harnesses).
Kris
I find it disturbing that we discriminate against KIA and Hyundai……what did they do to us??
Don’t Hyundais and Hondas come from the same factory?
What is so special about Hondas anyway, they are just asian Commodores….aren’t they?
Danny
Hey Di,
Yes that was me! They’re actually 4 years old (now) but 5 sounded better for the sake of this discussion!
I had a momentary lapse of reason at one point and tried to sell them but am now glad no one took me up.
Still Kris has fallen on them and they did survive him!
Love threads like this….lots of thought provoking opinions.
Kris
Danny,
BUSTED!!!!
Don’t fall this weekend when i’m belaying…….we may have to report it on the Accidents, Near Misses Page……
Capeesh
John Knight
Oh dude, we used to be a holden family, now we’re all honda. honda’s whip the pants off a commodore, freakin’ quick!
Jamie
got a nice 3/4 rack of rock Empire cams and they are nice to use.. i find they have a nice action and a decent range of size placements…
havent tested the fall factor yet…. grins but hey you never know and for a weekend climber i think they work pretty well…
of course they arent in they same league as WC or BD but value for money two thumbs up…
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