Omega Pacific Link Cam

I have been using 0.5 for a bit more than two years and have had only good experience. In fact, I took a short fall on what I considered a poor placement of 0.5 in a flaring crack and, to my surprise and satisfaction, it did hold. So I could have given it five stars based on my experience. I was considering buying other sizes to double my rack. However, I found way too many stories on internet of these cams breaking and failing and I am having my second thoughts. I believe these should not be used as "panic" or "magic" cams. Yes, they will go in easily, but, unless you put a lot of thought and skill into the placement, it may not be as secure as you think. The link cam appears to me to be a delicate instrument; C4 are much more robust and burly. I imagine that if the link cam is pulled sideways it may break due to a fine moving part (and there are way too many such) being loaded in the wrong direction. That can happen even to a seemingly perfect placement, if the cam walks due to rope drag. So I second the reviews that suggest that these ARE NOT FOR BEGINNERS. Since I consider myself still in the learning phase, I will wait with getting more of these. Meanwhile, I will double the rack with other brands (Metolius Ultralight seem appealing) and use 0.5 for what it may be suited best - back up peace for anchor building and in weird places where other cams do not fit.

so someone told me if I got this I would be cool, so I did and I am! I got the yellow one cuz it seems like it would cover the size range I wanted. I feel so cool now. I clip it to my belt every day even when I go into walmart! you never know when this thing will come in handy. Ok so for real.
this is way heavy, but then it's almost a 2 in one. It's so top heavy compared to my #2 BD. This and the lack of a rear loop make it a little awkward to use. If it could be lighter and have that rear loop then I would sell my first born for a set. as it sits I love that I have it and I like knowing that it will almost always fit when I go for a placment. Did 5 stars because it's a work in progress, but it does work and really well so I gotta give props.
So final thought, Not much out there is like the quality, build, and stability of a BD cam thats been placed proper. This has a beautiful build quality, but for now if you're a real rock climber then your rack should be 70-90% BD. A few of these wont hurt you too much, but two BD cams or one of these? You make the call. I'm happy with mine and still undecided if I will end up buying more. not sure if this will help you at all, but it's where I stand today.

I have only used these cams a hand full of times and they definently have pros and cons. Going from the Black Diamon C4 cams to these is a bit tricky, I mostly found myself missing the large thumb loop. These cams lack a definite thumb loop to help place opposing pressure in order to use the cam; leaving you to try and place your thumb on a half inch thick steel rod while holding on with one hand and fighting the wind. The pro for these cams are their ability to stick in nearly any crack within its range. Unlike other cams where even after finding the right size crack you have to place several times to make sure its solid, the Link Cams are near perfect every time. If Omega Pacific incorporated a loop hole for these they would be amazing.

Ever been on a really sketch layback, and you just know that if you lean in to look at the crack your feet will skid and you will whip? Get the link cams! Ever get to that spot where you are just pumped, and you just have to get a piece in on the first try, or you will take a 20' onto that piece that looked sketch about 5' ago? Carry the link cams. I carry them all, (almost) always. 2 purples. Bomber. And yes, they are bomb for building fast safe belays, if you didn't plug them on the way up! Ever been on a line and wish you had that piece of gear you had been thinking about getting, but just did not pull the trigger? Pull the trigger.

Man, these cams are awesome! I know there's a lot of horror stores out there about these cams, but honestly they work amazingly if you use them correctly. You have to be more mindful of the load path direction when placing these since they can pull and walk easier, but are bomber if placed in the right way.
They're a great "Oh shi-" piece and generally stay on my rack but it's nice that the option is there as it allows me to go lighter and carry less gear. Not using one of these pieces during a climb isn't terrible as it's nice to have the versatility of a Link at the end of a pitch when you're low on gear for an anchor. Great utility tool.