Gear4Rocks 2-axle Cam Set Review

Intro

Hello Everyone. Some of you may have read Phil’s or my past reviews for a Ukrainian company called gear4rocks. After I did the review for the metal nut set, they sent me a set of their 2-axle cams for reviewing. I have been climbing with them for the past couple weeks, and have some observations.

Specs

Here are some specs to start us off.
Gear 4 Rocks 2 axle cams
#1 Range 35-60mm Weight 175g
#2 Range 43-72mm Weight 215g
#3 Range 52-87mm Weight 260g
#4 Range 65-105mm Weight 300g

Black Diamond C4s
1 Range 30.2-52.1mm Weight 134g
2 Range 37.2-64.9 mm Weight 158g
3 Range 50.7-87.9 mm Weight 201g
4 Range 66.0-114.7 mm Weight 278g

Wild Country Helium Friends
2.5 Range 33-55mm Weight 122g
3 Range 43-66mm Weight 155g
3.5 Range 51-82mm Weight 178g
4 Range 64-100mm Weight 217g

As you can see from the chart, because of the two axle design, the gear4rocks cams do have a good expansion range. However, on the weight end of the spectrum, they are heavier.

Appearance
From an appearance standpoint, these cams have many good attributes. They are very similar in basic design to the older generation of black diamond cams.

The lobes are vibrant colors (not anodized, but seemingly painted)

They come with colorful nylon slings.

As previously stated, they have two axles

Holes in the lobes to save weight.

Overall the cams feel sturdy, and extremely durable.

Performance
All this is good; however, I thought the highlight of these cams was their performance on the rock. The range really is noticeable, and they fit well in common situations.

The action is surprisingly smooth, and the lobes set well in the rock.

I reach for them consistantly, and feel confident climbing above them. I have also been impressed with the durability of these cams. The only wear is small paint chippings on the lobes. Other than that, they seem good as new.

Conclusion
In the end, these cams do what they are supposed to. They have nice range, and inspire confidence; they are durable, and they are cheap. The only downside is the weight. If you are looking for light cams for an alpine rack, these aren’t for you. But for a new leader, looking to start a rack, or anyone for whom weight isn’t a big deal, these are a good option. If you are looking for cheap doubles/triples for the creek, these could also work. Overall gear4rocks has a decent product, and they perform as expected.
Best Regards,
Michael Neuder

Thanks for the review! Have you whipped on these at all?

I wouldn't go so far to call them cheap.

$55 each

You can find cams on sale all the time. Better cams and lower prices.

I really don't like the webbing. What is up with not color coding. Webbing is inexpensive. What and easy step that is missed.

I am Skeptical of anything that comes out of the old eastern communist bloc.

The CE/UIAA standard has a pretty low minimum. Buy the regulations and find out.

Didn't I hear on n NPR that there are lots of countries over there that BAR human rights watch and groups. Guess they don't want child labor and other abuses documented.

GrandeCorda wrote:I wouldn't go so far to call them cheap. $55 each You can find cams on sale all the time. Better cams and lower prices. I really don't like the webbing. What is up with not color coding. Webbing is inexpensive. What and easy step that is missed. I am Skeptical of anything that comes out of the old eastern communist bloc. The CE/UIAA standard has a pretty low minimum. Buy the regulations and find out. Didn't I hear on n NPR that there are lots of countries over there that BAR human rights watch and groups. Guess they don't want child labor and other abuses documented.

Wow, seriously, I remember a year or two ago when gear4rocks cams were like $25 each and even then I wouldn't have considered buying them. You can find any of the big name cams for that much or less all the time. I see no reason why anyone would ever purchase gear4rocks cams now that they have priced them so high.

The product to price ratio just doesn't work. Almost all of their products are 80-90% the price of quality controlled big names like BD, Metolius, etc.

Sorry but this company still has a long way to go

Another vote for overpriced for what you get. That was supposed to be their one "advantage".

Labor Day sale saw a set of BD c4s .5-3 for $229 on backcountry. $46/ea for something that looks quite a bit more refined/finished.

The unfinished look on these is a tough sell at $30 each; $55 HA!

Oh and this comes from a cheap ass bastard.

I bought one regular and one double axle cam. Cheap construction, it just looks and feels like cheaper metal. Fine points are not resolved, it lacks the final cleanup for display. So far though, no whippers on them, have placed only a couple times as a second backup in a spot where I was saving my REAL cams for the next move.

In older cams didn't the nuts on the sides have a nasty habit of coming unscrewed which is why modern cams don't use them?

BSU_Zac wrote:In older cams didn't the nuts on the sides have a nasty habit of coming unscrewed which is why modern cams don't use them?

Are OP Link Cams not modern cams? :-)

Way overpriced IMHO, especially since they do not have an established reputation.

Since you got them for free, how about sending a few to Aric to pull test?

Thanks for the honest and objective review Michael.

These cams seem like a good alternative to the popular brands.

At $52.23-$55.08, the price point is not quite there for me though.

Michael Neuder wrote:...Conclusion In the end, these cams do what they are supposed to. They have nice range, and inspire confidence; they are durable, and they are cheap. The only downside is the weight. If you are looking for light cams for an alpine rack, these aren’t for you. But for a new leader, looking to start a rack, or anyone for whom weight isn’t a big deal, these are a good option. If you are looking for cheap doubles/triples for the creek, these could also work. Overall gear4rocks has a decent product, and they perform as expected. Best Regards, Michael Neuder

Sorry, but these look like cheap, reverse-engineered junk. Any company that can't afford/doesn't think they need to properly finish a product sure as hell can't/won't do proper testing.

BTW, claims of durability shouldn't be made after only a couple of weeks of use.

I know I have a bias because they were free, but they arn't bad cams. Just overpriced. If gear4rocks cut the price significantly they would be a decent alternative to paying retail for bigger name cams.

Michael Neuder wrote:but they arn't bad cams.

With complete respect, how do you know this?

Have you had them pull tested?

Your review is welcome, anecdotal evidence that they function well and are apparently useful. Another cam that functioned well and was apparently useful was the CCH alien. But, we know that appearances and experiences can deceive us.

If you want to do right by Gear4Rock (give them a review that stands up to scrutiny) and do right by the climbing community (give us a full review), part with a couple of your dearly scored pieces of schwag send them to Aric for destructive testing.

Evan

Michael Neuder wrote:I know I have a bias because they were free, but they arn't bad cams. Just overpriced. If gear4rocks cut the price significantly they would be a decent alternative to paying retail for bigger name cams.

I don't mean to sound harsh and I realize you were just trying to give some feedback, but you can't approach a review with a bias just because the company provided you with free swag. If these things can't stand real scrutiny, then you aren't doing anyone a service by pimping them here. So

Now since they were free, do exactly what Evan suggested and turn them over to someone who can do some objective testing on pull strength and let's see how they fare. That would be helpful both to the climbing community and to Gear4rocks.

-sp wrote: I don't mean to sound harsh and I realize you were just trying to give some feedback, but you can't approach a review with a bias just because the company provided you with free swag. If these things can't stand real scrutiny, then you aren't doing anyone a service by pimping them here. So Now since they were free, do exactly what Evan suggested and turn them over to someone who can do some objective testing on pull strength and let's see how they fare. That would be helpful both to the climbing community and to Gear4rocks.

+1
I agree. It would be one thing if you had done your own tests by backing them up and whipping on them in different placements and rock types but you basically just said "they are good". I (and others) are curious how they would hold up to a real test. If you just did it for the free gear and you want to keep them I understand that, but Id still like to see a follow up review of how well they perform in the real world.