grey CCH Alien/ poss. WTB

Hi MP folk,

recently ive been able to acquire a full set of the original CCH Alien cams, primarily for use in the gunks....well almost. I have all sizes except for the grey (which I understand falls between the red and yellow).
Im about a year or two into trad climbing so im slightly ignorant on the Aliens since they were before my time. but I do know that people swear by them for the gunks. I got them as a set of doubles/overlap for my BD C4 and X4's and have found them very useful.
my question is, do I need the grey for the gunks and elsewhere (I get to the new once or twice a year and any other trad I can get on) or does it not see much use? where does it fall in line with the BD sizes?
also if it is a worthwhile cam is there anyone looking to sell one?

thanks all.

You have a set of BDs. IMO you don't need the grey Alien, which is a bit of an in-between size anyway. You definitely do want the green, yellow, and red Aliens though.

Thanks Mike

Keep in mind the original CCH Aliens were plagued by quality control problems and may or may not be safe. Several users have experienced failures of CCH Aliens and written about it online. CCH had problems ensuring consistent brazing of the head and maincable which resulted in a cam that appeared okay but would fail at loads well below its stated rating. As such, it's impossible to determine if any particular CCH Alien is safe for use beyond load testing. Accordingly, you would be much better off scrapping your old collection (preferably to the garbage) and buying Aliens made from the modern-day Fixe Faders or Totem, or choosing a different brand all together.

20 kN wrote:Keep in mind the original CCH Aliens were plagued by quality control problems and may or may not be safe. Several users have experienced failures of CCH Aliens and written about it online. CCH had problems ensuring consistent brazing of the head and maincable which resulted in a cam that appeared okay but would fail at loads well below its stated rating. As such, it's impossible to determine if any particular CCH Alien is safe for use beyond load testing. Accordingly, you would be much better off scrapping your old collection (preferably to the garbage) and buying Aliens made from the modern-day Fixe Faders or Totem, or choosing a different brand all together.

thanks 20. I was aware of the quality issues and was planning on staying away from them but the set I bought had been reslung by mountain tools and he had them pull tested by FISH so I felt comfortable getting them. also the money im saving compared to new alien cams is pretty nice too.
but it doesn't sound like I need the grey cam from what mike said. I was just curious because on the main page for the gunks it lists the grey as being a common size for there.

I have a grey if you want it...

Matt Carroll wrote:I have a grey if you want it...

PM me with a price and condition if you want. any pics would be great too