Black Diamond C4 Camalot

These are the best cams you can get for .5 inch to 6 inch. They have a good range, good holding power, and are well made. I found that under .5 inch, TCUs or C3s work better because cracks tend to be shallower in that range. 0.5 inch works well for small cracks (as well as #1 TCUs and C3s). I don't trust the holding power of cams below the #1 TCU and C3 size and prefer passive pro (stoppers, not hexes) in that size and smaller. 0.75 inch and 1 inch are great for handwidth cracks. 2 inch is for offwidth cracks. 3 inch and up are used for large cracks, gaps between boulders, and the base of a boulder when it's sitting on another boulder (The best placement for top roping is usually the backside of a boulder at it's base if it's sitting on another boulder.). I have seen small cracks expand and crack the rock in two when using small cams on weak or overused rock placements. The base of a large boulder will always be a stronger placement than a small crack which is why the larger cams are so great for top roping. These cams don't overretract like Metolius Power Cams so they clean better and are less likely to get stuck and left behind. The C4s also have the cams spread apart more so they don't walk out as easily. They don't have hinges like the more expensive Link cams so they won't break under torsional stresses (this is a flaw that company is currently working on to fix). If you think passive pro alone is good enough, wait until the first time you rappel from a stopper only anchor and see the front stopper start to pull up and out as the start of your rappel changes the direction of pull up. After that, you realize that you don't want to go without at least one cam in the front position of the anchor. I don't go climbing without taking my C4 cams with me anymore. They have earned a permanent place on my rack.

Black Diamond C4 Camalots are simply the best cams out there. Specifically sizes 0.75 - 3 are undisputed bests. People quibble over the larger sizes (especially the number 6) as to whether Black Diamond or Wild Country makes the best large cam. As far as the small sizes are concerned, I don't like them. The heads are too wide to fit into many small placements. I feel this is the major drawback to the double axle design on micro cams. I also still think the C3's need some work. The workhorse sizes (0.75-4) are simply great though. With the double axle design they have a greater expansion range than single axle cams. BD completely eliminated a cam in this revision by creating cams that overlap efficiently. This saves weight on the rack for sure.

In short, if I were to have the ultimate cam rack sized micro through large I would personally have a set of Aliens to cover the small range (get 'em pull tested), then BDs 0.75 - 6.

There is not much to say. I just got back from 7 days of straight climbing at Indian Creek and I can safely say that the black diamond c4's are amazing. Not only are they light, but the double axle design gives them an impressive expansion range which REALLY makes a difference when you are pulling a crux move and need to plug and chug without fumbling around trying to find the perfect size. I took multiple lead falls on my lucky c4 #2, and it did not budge an inch. Among the group of 4 rock climbers that I climb with we have close to 80 years of climbing experience, and we all agree that c4's are completely dependable and durable.

I have found that the C4 cams are easier to locate on my rack thanks to color coded slings and heads and available matching color coded biners (neutrino) that are available in the same colors as the C4 cams. Once located on my rack they are easier for me to place thanks to the oval wire stem. All this results in less time fumbling through gear and placing gear, and more time actually climbing. The end result, I get less pumped placing gear when I use my C4 cams. Since buying the C4s, I have hardley used anything else. I have also noticed that these cams are less prone "walking" out of crack once placed. Ill never buy anything else!

I have only trad climbed for a few years, but have been slowly building my rack. I have acquired other companies units through friends, family, and gifts, but always go for the Camalots when purchasing my own. They have a burly feel to them which gives me plenty of confidence on my placements (maybe too much). They do have a better range than others I have tried. Definitely worth the priceCons: Price (Thats hard to complain about when they save your life), #5 Cam trigger wires hang up on part of the milled out section on the cam lobe (no big deal)

Once upon a time you had to choose between Friends (lighter, cheaper, but smaller range) and Camalots (heavier, more expensive, but larger range, so you didn't need as many).

But now they are the same price and weight, give or take, and the camalots simply work better. The range numbers don't tell the whole story, cams simply fit better into more cracks than friends. So for normal sizes there's no reason to buy anything else.

For very small sizes I don't know, C3 vs Aliens vs Zeroes... it's less clear.

What else is there to say that hasn't been said by the couple hundred people who have written virtually identical reviews before me. So I'll just add my voice to the choir -- an excellent piece of gear that has always performed flawlessly for me under virtually any condition. Love that there are now hoodwire biners in various colors to match these cams so I can just look down and know which cam I'm pulling to use with fussing around with all the crap on my harness. Bomber protection. Love them.

I have been climbing through all the generations of the Camalot, and they have always been high quality gear you can trust. The newer versions are even more refined. If I'm on lead and sketched out, I reach for a Camalot, especially after seeing a buddy's LinkCam fail on a lead fall. When I find a used Camalot while climbing that's been left behind, after an inspection I clip it on and use it, and trust it.

I love the BD cams. The only problem is that the wires are very thin. If BD made thicker wires, it would be perfect. I've got a whole rack of BD cams with rigged up wires. I'm sure if I didn't slam them into the rock, then tug on them at funky angles, the wires would last longer.

All commercial cams have lousy wires.

These cams are better than 10 year old Trangos.

I haven't had these too long but they have a lot of use in them already. Like any piece of gear proper care and treatment will go a long way. I'm glad when me and my friends are up on the rock we have these BD Camalots to trust in. Nothing better out there yet and when that day comes I'm sure it will be a new species of this wonderful pro right here.