Totem cams
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I love my Totems. They feel super solid in weird, and unlikely placements. The durability is definitly there, which was one of the biggest concerns when they were introduced. The range is sweet, and very similar to a C4, same goes for weight. Although they may feel bulky at first, you will get over it. Also, the 'floppiness' hasn't been an issue. If you're thinking of buying them, stop hesitating, and just do it. |
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As a maths/physics/engineering geek, what I find great about Totem discussion is the advantages they have theoretically are significant and important enough that they are observed anecdotally. What I am referring to here is the holding power and flared crack performance. |
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could you elaborate on the lower holding power of aliens? this is the first I am hearing about it and it peaks my curiosity. additionally whats the math for Flared cracks with aliens. my anecdotal evidence is the rock will fail long before the alien pulls out of just about any placement... if the braze holds that is. |
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Rob Warden, Space Lizard wrote:my anecdotal evidence is the rock will fail long before the alien pulls out of just about any placement... if the braze holds that is. thanks in advanceA good cam, in a good placement, in good rock should never pull out before mechanical failure of the cam above the rated strength. Though if you climb on poor rock then rock failure may limit the placements. If the rock is hard and smooth though then cams with lower holding power may slide out whereas those with higher holding power will not. Rob Warden, Space Lizard wrote:could you elaborate on the lower holding power of aliens? this is the first I am hearing about it and it peaks my curiosity. additionally whats the math for Flared cracks with aliens.There is plenty of good information on how cams operate. Familiarising yourself with this is a good start. web.mit.edu/custer/www/rock… indiana.edu/~iubphys/underg… Simply put a range vs holding power in parallel cracks is a trade off that is dependent on the cam angle chosen. Higher cam angles mean more range but less 'holding power'. Metolius used a cam angle of 13.25, WC,DMM have a cam angle of 13.75, BD of 15, Aliens use 16. However flared cracks change things as they effectively reduce the cam angle. For this reasons Aliens can have an advantage in flares. Aliens also have softer metal which likely improves things in course rocks, however this is somewhat contentious. These two reasons go a long way in explaining why aliens perform so well on certain rock. Certainly I wouldn't touch aliens for the rock I climb because the rock is too hard and smooth. The mathematics of totems is FAR more complex. Their design has managed to achieve the range and flared crack performance of a high cam angle (Their camming angle is ~20 degrees) while maintaining a very high holding power (~13 degrees). |
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I just love this video, totem cams might very well be the most innovative cams available on the market today. |
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Smarty Ports/Shants wrote:Does Climbtech own/operate rapbolting.com?Don't think so... RapBolting.com is in Silt, CO; ClimbTech is in Austin, TX. |
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Great video. |
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As if any more praise need be said, I climbed on Totems a bunch in LiMing China and loved them. Rumor is that Kailash bought out Totem, so there were a couple racks of Totems floating around (as well as some of those X4s which are nice from .1-.4, .5 and .75 are floppy like big mastercams). I had no issues plugging Totems in on pumpy finger cracks, regardless of their hyper-flexibility. As for there bulk, it's a non issue if climbing with doubles or less. I'd grab a couple, but at this point, I really don't need more cams. The technology behind these cams is amazing and reason enough to warrant purchase. |
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Brandon Gottung wrote:As if any more praise need be said, I climbed on Totems a bunch in LiMing China and loved them. Rumor is that Kailash bought out Totem, so there were a couple racks of Totems floating around (as well as some of those X4s which are nice from .1-.4, .5 and .75 are floppy like big mastercams). I had no issues plugging Totems in on pumpy finger cracks, regardless of their hyper-flexibility. As for there bulk, it's a non issue if climbing with doubles or less. I'd grab a couple, but at this point, I ready don't need more cams. The technology behind these cams is amazing and reason enough to warrant purchase.Kailash who???? |
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I guess its Kailas, without the h. |
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Hey someone asked if Totem was coming out with smaller sizes. The answer is yes. One size smaller in the Totem which will be smaller than the blue 0.65. Which is about .3 Camalot and green Alien size. |
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Plaidman wrote: They are also doing a blue Basic Cam and a Blue/Green offset which they call a Hybrid. Sometime in 2013. No solid release date yet. PlaidReally!? Yay!!! |
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I purchased the Yellow/Green Hybrid Basic this last weekend and recieved it in the mail last night (thursday). I'm really impressed with the look and feel of it. Comparing it to my Metolius offsets it is between the Blue/yellow and yellow/orange. It is a couple inches longer than my metolius cams, and has a very nice-even feel. The head-width is very close to Metolius, but the cam-lobes are a few milimeters wider which means more surface area. I would like to get a few more, and a few of the Fixe aliens for a true comparison, but it may be a while till I can afford that. |
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Put down Andy Kirkpatrick as another convert: |
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They were the go-to cam for Max Jones and I on Lost in America and then again with Cheyne Lempe and I on Native Son this last fall. |
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I love the totems.. Bought a set half price.. Bran new at the sport recycler in boulder.. So far a month into it .. Used them in eldo, lumpy.. Tricky placement places... Revolutionary... And used them on lurky fear... Fell on a red one and the rock blew ..and the back lobes held .. Only small thing ... Being so flexible .. And usually I place the in the holy shoot moment .. They can be hard to remove... I'm already lookin to get another set 1/2 price of course .. Another thing.. The metal seems soft .. Maybe there design for limestone? |
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I love the totems.. Bought a set half price.. Bran new at the sport recycler in boulder.. So far a month into it .. Used them in eldo, lumpy.. Tricky placement places... Revolutionary... And used them on lurky fear... Fell on a red one and the rock blew ..and the back lobes held .. Only small thing ... Being so flexible .. And usually I place the in the holy shoot moment .. They can be hard to remove... I'm already lookin to get another set 1/2 price of course .. Another thing.. The metal seems soft .. Maybe there design for limestone? |
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I love the totems.. Bought a set half price.. Bran new at the sport recycler in boulder.. So far a month into it .. Used them in eldo, lumpy.. Tricky placement places... Revolutionary... And used them on lurky fear... Fell on a red one and the rock blew ..and the back lobes held .. Only small thing ... Being so flexible .. And usually I place the in the holy shoot moment .. They can be hard to remove... I'm already lookin to get another set 1/2 price of course .. Another thing.. The metal seems soft .. Maybe there design for limestone? |
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Parker lent me a few to try out. I will be getting a tattoo of one on my face soon. They're good. |
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About Totem ownership rumor: |