Metolius FCU Cam 4

Review Date
October 15, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Jon Jonckers(Unregistered User) ,  Climber , from Spokane

Price Paid:  $69.00 at Mountain Gear

Summary:
Be honest - on the sharp end, you want the easiest and the simplest unit possible. You might bark about weight at the base of the climb or on the way into to the route, but when you're sweating a placement or your fingers are mushy from blood, it feels so nice to unclip a Four Cam from your harness and set it.?xD;?xA;Lobes and angles are nearly the same with all cams, but range isn't. However, Metolius has one of the best triggers - it squeezes easily, with gloves even, the unit doesn't rotate in my hand when my arm's fully extended, and wires on the trigger don't get tangled as much since the U-frame stem keeps everything aligned.?xD;?xA;When you build a climbing wall, you don't put one brand of holds on the wall - so what makes you think one cam manufacturer will work for every situation. First and foremost, I have BD cams - but if I don't know what to expect on the route, you better believe I include a few Metolius ones (especially the big ones since they are MUCH lighter than BD).?xD;?xA;Finally, although I hate to admit it, the U-frame stem is easier to grab and pull on if you're aiding or you're at a spot that you can't free entirely?xD;?xA;.

Customer Service:
easy-going and totally approachable, very easy to talk to

Similar Products Used:
BD Camalots, Wild Country Friends, CCH Aliens, Wired Bliss and some Hugh Banner units.

Review Date
August 22, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Mark Christensen(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Troy, MI

Price Paid:  $35.00 at REI

Summary:
These are some of the most usefull cams on the market. the u-twin stem works great. In a pinch when trying to equalize anchors or make short clips forget the attached sling and clip directly to the u-stem. Be a man and carry 6 cams and fill in with chocks for the full pitch ride, quit complaining about a couple onces.

Similar Products Used:
aliens, camalot, friends, clog, all types of cams

Review Date
March 15, 2001

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Adam Bramwell(Unregistered User) ,  Climber , from Newcastle, Australia

Summary:
Metolius are similar to HB Quadcams but a tad shorter, with a stiffer spring. Makes for problems with placement / retrieval. The Metolius also need 12 cams to cover the same range as 10 HB's or 8 Camalots, and have a useless larger size - nowhere near big enough!

I always come back from climbing with these, with scratched knuckes from small/mid-sized placements! AARGH!

Perhaps they are made for people who like weight training on the crag, up regular sized cracks, and need to place cams every 2 m like a sport route?

Similar Products Used:
HB, Camalots, Friends, Metolius

Review Date
February 3, 2000

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Ted Coffelt(Unregistered User) ,  Climber , from Pennsylvania, PA

Summary:
Metolious quadcams - although they don't have the range the camalots do I find that they are more stable in their placements - less prone to walking and more secure. The double cable setup is smoother and the trigger is easy to set - even with one finger in a deep crack on those desparation clips.

Similar Products Used:
Camalots, Hugh Banner, Trango

Review Date
January 8, 2000

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Eric(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Pittsburgh PA

Summary:
Nice flexible stem, lightweight, and dependable. Versatile enough for both horizontal and vertical placement. I'm looking forward to getting an entire set of these (maybe two sets )