Kouba Climbing Cams

Miles Altivolus wrote:

Olek, just ran across this thread and thought I'd ask,  do you have any functional impressions after a few months now? I notice that Kouba sells direct from their site and I'm considering grabbing 3 of the "Manta" cams in the smallest size because they're actually TCU’S. Any feedback on that dual-stem Manta? I'm not personally put off by the brand; what matters is function and it's nice when the little guy produces quality. (Wired Bliss cams for example were outstanding IMO but few people outside of Flagstaff even knew they existed. Company folded.) Advise as able. - Joe

Spent the summertime in the Red, along with a trip to Jtree. Functionally, the cams feel great, and I had no qualms about placing them anywhere on a route, though I would often reach for a BD cam first simply because of the double axle. 

I think these cams are great for single pitch trad. They fit well if you are good at eyeballing cracks and finding the right piece to sit. The extendable sling is really nice, and the in-between sizing helps on cracks where sometimes a BD wouldn’t fit as well. Also, they have thumb loops, and after using mastercams once, I simply couldn’t imagine shelling out money for something that doesn’t have them.

I don’t think I would lug up the entire rack on a multi-pitch, though. They are a little heavier than the competition, and limited with a single axle design. But if it’s all you got and don’t mind some weight training, gun it.

The dual stem manta is great! I love the action on it, and it fit great on some OW in Jtree. Only wish it had that trigger-keeper design the BD has so it wouldn’t catch on random shit. 

Overall, they’re great supplemental cams. Nothing that’s going to replace your bread and butter cams, but if you need doubles in a size and price is a factor, I highly recommend these cams. 

As far as I can see there have been a lot of comments here comparing these cams to C4's, while only looking at the single axle models. I've climbed a bunch with both kouba & c4 cams over the past couple of years and my opinion on the cams varies based on the models.

Single axle (flex, manta etc)

These have been dissected pretty well already. Cheap, not that light, but basic & durable construction. I'll keep climbing on mine in the future, but I wouldn't get more in the generally used c4 ranges (#0.5 to #4). This is more to do with preferring dual axle cams than anything being wrong with these.

What I really like about these is the pricing in the extremes of the size range. I just couldn't justify spending 100€ on a c4 #5 or however much a #0.2 would have cost me. Instead I bought a flex 0.25 for ~30€ and a manta 7 for ~45€. The big manta is actually lighter than a bd #5, while having similar range. I don't mind them being a bit more clunky than other models, as I don't climb hard enough for the cams to be a limiting factor.

If one is concerned about saving weight & money, then the flex cams are sold without a thumb loop as rock empire comets.

Double axle (axel cams)

So far I've bought more of these several times. They are the main cams on my rack in addition to some c4's. I like that they size a bit offset from the c4's, so I have options to find a good placement eg. in between a c4 #1 and #2.

The axle cams have a bit longer stem than bd cams and have an extendable sling, which is nice. Me and friends have fallen on these a bunch, and all are still in good condition. The trigger action got a bit crusty after a couple of seasons, but lubing them up restored them to feel pretty much like new. I guess it's the same with any cam, as over time dirt accumulates near the spring assembly.

Definitely agree with the above assessment. Just cause the price point is lower doesn’t make these “cheap”. I’ve found my small set of them to be burly and well built, at the expense of weight. 

I have 2 full sets of the BiAxel types and I am very happry with them. I bought them for a significant discount on Oliunid.com. I have owned, placed and fallen on BD, Metolius, Trango, Wild Country. I have used/ placed most others like DMM, Hugh Banner, etc. The Kouba are holding up really well, and are an excellent value, for the price, in my view.