The Black Diamond Camalot is OK in sizes .5, .75, and 1.0. These are the only sizes worth owning because the weight penalty in the larger sizes is significant. True, there might be a wee bit more range in these cams, but climbers on 60M ropes are smarter to carry additional cams rather than rely upon less units with more expansion range in order to complete the pitch. Wild Country and DMM both make lighter, less expensive and more stable SLCDs.

Customer Service

never had to use it

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Wild Country Friends, DMM 4 Cams, Aliens, and Metolius Power Cams

Everyone says these cams are heavy. Sure, they weigh a bit more than others, but if you're that worried about weight then take the change out of your pockets. You'd be better off that way too, 'cause everyone should climb with a set of BD's!

Customer Service

Customer service is GREAT! These guys are excellent and are on top of their crap. This is a company that the user can depend on for, apparently, just about anything. I'm really happy about the respone I got out of the BD guys, so I will DEFINETLY be using them in the future when I could just as easily use another company. A+

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HB Wales Metolius Wild Country

A top preformer. Heavy and expensive even with discounts, but they are worth it. Nicest Cam Iv''e used

Customer Service

Black Diamond has been really good with our store

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Metolious Power Cams which were pretty good for single axle and the TCU''s which I didn''t like as well as Micro Camalots Clog Cams, which I wasn''t impressed with

None

What can I say...they''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve never failed me and I''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''ve fallen a bunch of times on these babys. So easy and smooth, yeah BD Camalots for me...THE best camming device on the market. WC Friends go close but, the camalots just feel better you know. Only drawback is the price...they are now $170- AUD here now!! *eek*

Customer Service

Never had to use it, they are distributed through a different company and I am waiting on a re-cabling kit, which may take a while to come out of the US, but hey, I can wait.

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I guess WC flexy Friends are kinda similar

BD Camalots are by far the best SLCD's on the market. The solid dual-axel makes the sturdy and gives you that sense of security to climb better. Yes, they are a little heavier than the others but match it up with a neutrino biner and the weight equels out. Go CALOUT!

Customer Service

BD customer staff is very helpful, caring and knowlegable.

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I have used metolius briefly and the
CCH Aliens, which are awesome.

I bought the 4 new microcams that BD have released recently. Compared to Aliens HB:s and DMM:s they felt smoother in the store. Out there, my experience is that they have excellent trigger mechanism so far, even the smallest with one axle. Very useful sizes for thin crack climbing. They don't tend to walk either. I like them. More than my old BD:s 0.5-2 with the old triggers. The only downside is the price. But they all cost too much so.... I have to live with it.

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HB quadcams 00, 01

A good cam for the money I think. I really like the one finger feel of the trigger on the cams and if the cam walks it is easy to pull out with a nut tool. I have used them for aid but have not taken any lead falls on them. Would like the ability to place like a stopper with the cams fully extended but not that big of a deal.

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bd camalots

Camalots are among the best cams out there. However, the smaller sizes still aren't as good as their bigger cousins, which is a shame because these are sizes you use a lot! Better to check out the Metolius TCUs, which have a much narrower profile (only 3 cams).
I have the older double stem micros; perhaps the new single stem ones have fixed this a bit!

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None

This review is equally applicable to the 0.5 or 0.75 sizes, and to some extent the single-stem larger sizes.

I engage in all types of trad climbing, from short one pitch craggging, long Grade III free climbs, and multi-day alpine routes. I have not used the Camalots for aid climbing.

These cams are fully functional, have held quite a few falls, and are my favorite pieces. That said, there are some drawbacks. The trigger wires are notorious for breaking. Supposedly BD is beefing them up next year. I've replaced the wires on numerous Camalots. The larger size range can be a blessing and a curse. A given unit will fit a larger range, but leaves a bigger hole in your rack. On longer routes, this can be a problem. Also, the cams are wider than their Metolious and Wild Country counterparts, which can translate to less holding power. The cams are also heavier per unit than other brands.

All and all, and despite the negatives I've mentioned, Camalots are the first ones I grab off the rack.

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I own Metolious, Friends, Trango, Aliens as well as BD. It makes for nice side-by-side comparisons.

The Camalots are the best SLCDs on the market. The double axle construction provides unmatched strength, versatility and cam range. This double axle design also allows the Camalots to be used as pasive protection (like a big nut) which is somthing not possible with any other cam. My rack of Camalots is definetly my most used gear. The only thing I wish is that BD would make some cams smaller than the .5 with the the same quality.

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Other SLCDs such as Metolius 3 and 4 cams are great but do not have the same caming range as the camalots.