Trango Flex Cams..what's your thoughts??

So I have only ever seen these cams brought up in discussion a few times before.. But I am trying to piece together a trad rack on a budget and these cams keep catching my eye. It seems like a lot of people think that if you buy the Trango cams, you are going to end up wanting C4s in the long run. Should I just bite the bullet and get C4s to save me money in the long run? Anybody have Flex cams and have any thoughts they'd like to share?? I'd really appreciate it!

Sam Root

Discussed just 5 days ago:

mountainproject.com/v/thoug…

just because they cover a larger range doesn't mean you need less cams...

i think they are rad on easy 5th class scrambles where you may only need a few cams and a nut set.

wouldnt use them on anything else really

Gunkiemike wrote:Discussed just 5 days ago: mountainproject.com/v/thoug…

My bad, didn't see that post. Still if anyone felt like giving some input, I'd appreciate it!

The Trango cams aren't bad, not the best, not the worst. Plus there is a benefit to having a set of single axle cams as well. They are good in between sizes for double axle cams and they also fit better in shallow placements.

Don't necessarily think that you need to just get C4's, either. I have DMM Dragons, and I think the build quality far surpasses BD. If you want the thumb loop Wild Country has the New Friends which are a double axle design just like the C4 and Dragon, but also have the double-length sling as well.

I will say that I have the original Dragons, I have used the Dragon 2's and they are amazing. I have used the New Friends as well and both these cams bite the rock incredibly well. C4's are good cams, but the Dragons and New Friends are better IMO.

christoph benells wrote:just because they cover a larger range doesn't mean you need less cams... i think they are rad on easy 5th class scrambles where you may only need a few cams and a nut set. wouldnt use them on anything else really

Wondering if you are thinking of the Trango Flex Cams...I could be wrong, but it seems like you might be thinking of the Omega Link Cams.

I had a set of these - eventually bought C4s, which are much nicer. Nothing wrong with the flex cams really - but there are much better options. I'd rather buy a good set 2nd hand if I didn't have the cash.

Nobody mentioned this yet but you can sell BD C4s in good shape for only a little less than you paid for them. They really keep their value. So if you build a rack and then decide Trad ain't your thing in a couple years you'll get your investment back out. Not so sure that's the case with Trangos.

Andrewww wrote:The Trango cams aren't bad, not the best, not the worst.

What new/current cams would you rate below the trangos?

Pretty sure I'd put Climb X below trango for sure.

Get the new wild country's, they are quite a bit nicer and lighter than the C4's. Bite the bullet even if it's one or two cams at a time it's going to be worth it in the long run considering cams are often still used that are 20 years old it's worth investing now rather than later.

Andrewww wrote:Pretty sure I'd put Climb X below trango for sure.

I'd imagine they must have been worse but they are no longer manufactured or being sold by retailers. Camp and king also had some obscure cams through the years that were probably worse, by I was thinking only along the lines of cams you can go buy right now, new -- I can't think of anything worse than the trangos.

I'm pretty sure Camp, Climb X and now trango (and some other companies) have all just released the same cam, if memory serves me correctly i did a little bit of research on what else was out there apart from DMM, BD and Wild Country (it wasn't anything good) and what i found was pretty much everybody just stole Camp's cam design, i don't even know why they got shit reviews.

Xam wrote: just because they cover a larger range doesn't mean you need less cams... i think they are rad on easy 5th class scrambles where you may only need a few cams and a nut set. wouldnt use them on anything else really Wondering if you are thinking of the Trango Flex Cams...I could be wrong, but it seems like you might be thinking of the Omega Link Cams.

You are right, was thinking we were talking about the Link cams. My Bad!

I really like the largest trango flex cam..i think #4.  It is a light weight version of the old c4 3.5

Alex Rogers wrote: I had a set of these - eventually bought C4s, which are much nicer. Nothing wrong with the flex cams really - but there are much better options. I'd rather buy a good set 2nd hand if I didn't have the cash.

What is "much nicer" about the c4s?

Mark LaPierre wrote:

What is "much nicer" about the c4s?

I found the Flex cams too flexible, which made them somewhat harder to place. I felt that they walked more than the C4s. The C4s had a better finish and apparent manufacturing quality, which I find reassuring. All of these points are minor differences, and none in themselves rule out the Flex cams - I used them for years with no issues. I was told at the time by people to just buy C4s, but I could get 2 more cams if I went with the Flex cams, so that is what I did, and didn't regret it. But when I had more disposable income, I traded them for C4s, and feel much happier with them. 

Alex Rogers wrote:

I found the Flex cams too flexible, which made them somewhat harder to place. 

I agree. I found a flex cam in pretty good shape and had it on my rack for years. The trigger wire broke, so instead of fixing it I just gave it to a friend. I fix any C4s that had broken trigger wires.

Thank you, I agree, I use both bd and flex.  I have never had a issue with either. I just feel a lot of people just tout bd because of the "someone said" syndrome. 

I wish the color coding on the flex cam slings matched black diamond sizes. They're all different. 

I wish all companies developed a standardized color system.  this could carry over to nuts, hexes, tricams, etc.