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New BD Camalot

Adam bloc · · San Golderino, Calirado · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 2,184

Backcountry delivered on the new cams in two days. 5 and 6 came in a shoe box sized package. They're light, stronger springs, and the 6 is about as wide as the old 6 Tech Friend. I hope the smaller sizes have has less rigid stems though, helps bumping in these OW sizes but I can see the little ones walking like crazy with all this rigidity and a shorter sling. Played around with the triggers and it was very difficult to bang the cams open. Though, I can see getting a spring loaded surprise in a chimney where I often sit on the cams accidentally.

rkrum · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 61

Pics? A BD 6 almost as wide as the WC with stiffer springs sounds perfect.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
adeadhead wrote:

Here, I made a spreadsheet. 

in your summaries for the weight savings for a set, instead of calculating this as the average of each individual cam savings it would be more accurate/meaningful to calculate the % weight reduction for the set (which comes out to about 7.9%). minor detail, i know, but more accurate. 

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

i hope the new C4's have better action than the ultralights.  i have 2 sets of ultralights and the cam lobes seem to get bound up pretty easily (even when clean).  it's almost like the tolerances were too tight and there is some sort of mechanical interference.

Adam bloc · · San Golderino, Calirado · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 2,184
Briggs Lazalde wrote: So the sizes changed?

Same size, rather the other axis is wider (e.i. More square/stable) 

Sam Sala · · Denver, CO · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 82

In other news: Black Totems are still $4,000/ea and have a 17 month wait list.

Drew L · · Boulder · Joined Jan 2018 · Points: 0
Fritz Nuffer wrote: meh. The new WC stuff is where it's at, one set of those and one of UL Mastercams is as good as SLCD's get these days (except wide). I'm still salty about BD selling out. 

There goes a podcast sponsor

luke M · · Columbia, SC · Joined Jun 2017 · Points: 0

I just got my #6 too from Backcountry

F r i t z · · North Mitten · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 995
Chuffy McChuffface wrote:

There goes a podcast sponsor

haha, I sold all of my BD stuff anyways because we got picked up by somebody else.

Forthright · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 110
Adam Block wrote:  I hope the smaller sizes have has less rigid stems though, helps bumping in these OW sizes but I can see the little ones walking like crazy with all this rigidity and a shorter sling. 

One of the videos, forget which one, Colin talks about how the stem stiffness is adjusted on each size. So the smaller are softer, larger are harder. 

Nathan · · Tel Aviv · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 107
slim wrote:

in your summaries for the weight savings for a set, instead of calculating this as the average of each individual cam savings it would be more accurate/meaningful to calculate the % weight reduction for the set (which comes out to about 7.9%). minor detail, i know, but more accurate. 

That makes a lot more sense, I'll add that to the savings for the full set and to #4 once I get home, the average of each amount was for the original goal of illustrating that the 10% weight reduction isn't whats going on.

Andy Moore · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 0

Just got the .75 off of BackCountry and will be making my rack out of these!!!

F r i t z · · North Mitten · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 995

BD makes stellar gear, especially micros and wide, but I wish they hadn't shipped dirtbag jobs to non climbers overseas. Anyone else? I'm no alt right wenis whacker, but I do appreciate Metolius keeping it real.

Chris Ritna · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2014 · Points: 0
Fritz Nuffer wrote: BD makes stellar gear, especially micros and wide, but I wish they hadn't shipped dirtbag jobs to non climbers overseas. Anyone else? I'm no alt right wenis whacker, but I do appreciate Metolius keeping it real.

Can you explain more, did not know any of BD manufacturing was overseas

F r i t z · · North Mitten · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 995
Chris Ritna wrote:

Can you explain more, did not know any of BD manufacturing was overseas

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/106015512/black-diamond-gear-protection-made-in-china?page=14

Andrew Davidson · · Lake Stevens, WA · Joined Nov 2013 · Points: 1,560
Fritz Nuffer wrote:

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/106015512/black-diamond-gear-protection-made-in-china?page=14

But if you paid attention, in 2015, BD moved production of all of its climbing hardware back to Salt Lake.

https://specialoperations.com/29970/black-diamond-back-in-the-usa/
John Clark · · Reno, NV · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1,398

Sick burn

F r i t z · · North Mitten · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 995
Andrew Davidson wrote:

But if you paid attention, in 2015, BD moved production of all of its climbing hardware back to Salt Lake.

https://specialoperations.com/29970/black-diamond-back-in-the-usa/

 is that why the anodization colors turned darker in 2015 ? Good on them for repatriating, but a lot of their stuff is still made overseas. I'm fine with buying products made in foreign countries, especially Trango and Sportiva, but I'm still hesitant to support a company that took jobs from US dirtbags and gave them to China.  i'm assuming that they make most of their profit off of softgoods, and those are China-sourced.     blog.weighmyrack.com/black-…;

MP · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 2
Fritz Nuffer wrote:

 is that why the anodization colors turned darker in 2015 ? Good on them for repatriating, but a lot of their stuff is still made overseas. I'm fine with buying products made in foreign countries, especially Trango and Sportiva, but I'm still hesitant to support a company that took jobs from US dirtbags and gave them to China.  i'm assuming that they make most of their profit off of softgoods, and those are China-sourced.     blog.weighmyrack.com/black-…;

If you actually want to look at the company's financial statements, here it is from the most recent quarter. Note that Clarus Corp= Black Diamond + a bullet company. 


Unfortunately, they don't break out sales by segment. But they claim year-to-year "12% growth from Black Diamond, driven by 17% growth in mountain, 14% growth in climb and a 40% increase in apparel." Overall gross margins are in the mid 30 %s. 

https://content.equisolve.net/claruscorp/news/2018-11-05_Clarus_Reports_Record_Third_Quarter_2018_Results_161.pdf
Jun Kim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 15
Fritz Nuffer wrote:

 is that why the anodization colors turned darker in 2015 ? Good on them for repatriating, but a lot of their stuff is still made overseas. I'm fine with buying products made in foreign countries, especially Trango and Sportiva, but I'm still hesitant to support a company that took jobs from US dirtbags and gave them to China.  i'm assuming that they make most of their profit off of softgoods, and those are China-sourced.     blog.weighmyrack.com/black-…;

I'm hard pressed to think of a company that doesn't purchase soft goods from China including Patagonia and Mountain Hardware for obvious reasons some of which Patagonia outlined.  These jobs weren't taken from dirtbags since I have yet to meet a dirt bag who would want to work in a sweat shop in the US or otherwise for less than minimum wage.  Which is part of the reason why probably none of the soft goods you own were made in the US.  

https://www.patagonia.com/blog/2012/04/patagonia-clothing-made-where-how-why/
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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