Posted by simonty on 7/26/2007
Omega Pacific cams + Colorado Custom alien cams are just coming available in the UK i was just wondering if anyone uses these and what they are like and the best way to use them and are they worth investing in.Currently have a wide range of Wild Country technical friends + some black diamond camalot c3's for tiny cracks.
climbingtrash says:
I've never used the Omega's but Aliens, I can say, are the poop! (that means I like them) They were pretty hard to get in the US a while back, I guess they've caught up with all their back orders. I'd say get a set of the Aliens for sure.
simonty says:
Took your advice bought a orange alien placed it unloaded at a belay perfectly within the range and the wire snapped at the crimp first time out luckily i managed to get it out & am returning it to the dealer for replacement
doubleD says:
simonty, this is significant and really should be addressed by the manufacturer. Please post pictures if you have them and the date it happened. Also, if you can check to see if the alien had a dimple punched in the metal where the cable gets inserted it will tell you if this was one of the recalled ones. There have been some serious failures lately with aliens and the more info put out by the people that experienced the failure the better for everyone. Details of how it failed, where it failed, the stress on it at the time, whether it was over an edge, etc are all important. PS: I still use mine all the time but did some jump testing to see if the very type of failure you describe would make mine fail. Not a perfect solution but enough for a little piece of mind.
woodchuck07 says:
Guess I don't mind carrying a couple cams for less money than an Omega. 95 bucks and I can cover several other sizes 3 times when on sale. No way I part with that kind of money for only one cam. I don't climb that good to need it in the quick emergency mode it is intended for I guess.
simonty says:
Ok thanks will look at the aliens & wait and see about the omegas.
Thanks guys
woodchuck07 says:
they are technically a great piece of work, don't get me wrong. But for the cash, I would spend it otherwise.
simonty says:
ok thanks will hang onto my money for the time being and pray for some sunshine.
doubleD says:
I love to keep my link-cams for belays since they fit such a wide range. And, when in doubt about size and your are wanting something in quick, they are great. I also love my aliens and carry green trough red with doubles of red. I find that the red alien is the most used piece on my rack. In Red Rocks I used both reds quite often on one pitch.
simonty says:
ok thanks for the help just ordered a Alien in Red so will see how they go modern technology still prefer a big nut though.
climbingwall says:
You said "nut",
Cheers!
woodchuck07 says:
hey nutjob, I love 'Alien Nation' by the Scorpions. It rocks and is one of our favorite tunes to play at our climbing wall late at night under the stars.
climbingtrash says:
The Scorps eh WC. That reminds me of a story from my wilderness therapy days. I had picked up a couple of field staff and we were headed back to town, I had the music cranked up and the doofus in the front seat started to nod his head and was like "yeah...I love the Scorps!" I turned and said "that's cool, but you know we're listen to the CULT." "OH, yeah-yeah...I knew that" he said. (pffft...sure he did...Idiot!)
Anykineclimb says:
ooh. The Cult.. now THATS a band!
simonty says:
The Cult great band
woodchuck07 says:
No, it's Klaus and the boys for me, and some old Def Lep or even Boston. And Jimi, Morrison, Floyds, Moody Blues and of coure Zeppelin at any time of day. That's my play list for the weekend again.
Anykineclimb says:
Sounds like Camp Woodchuck will be jamming along nicely!
"pink floyd? I thought he was dead?" Quoted from my sister tonight. restrained myself from slapping her on the head!
woodchuck07 says:
Yeah, some may think 'he' was father to current star 'Pink'. Full name was Floyd Turbo, but just went by Pink Floyd I hear.
katie says:
I don't know about Omega Pacific, but a set of aliens is definitely worth the investment, particularly if you're climbing on a lot of granite or other type of rock that lends itself to small constrictions.
simonty says:
Thanks Katie for the tip unfortunatly i bought one and the wire snapped on its first placement without any load on it at a belay luckily i managed to get it out and the dealer is going to replace it.
Was having a bad day lost a pair of Oakleys too.
Hope you had a great time in South Africa.
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