Vitaliy M. wrote: Omega Pacific emphasizes that proper placement in line with the direction of pull is critical for placing Link Cams. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, as we should be concentrating on proper placement for all camming units, we feel that some other cams are more forgiving of marginal diligence in placement than the Link Cam."
Must be placed well. Not sure if it is a good thing to throw one in quickly at the crux without properly inspecting the placement.
You're not wrong, that's for sure. The only cams I've ever had walk on me are those Link Cams. They really need to be the very best of friends with your longest runners.
The Chief wrote:Be careful with them Link Cams. They do have a terrible habit of fixing themselves if over extended in the most obscure locations.
Totally agree. The only "oh shit, I just overextended a cam and can't get it out and will owe my friend a hundred bucks because I'm dumb" moments I've ever had with cams have also been with Link Cams. They do require more attention/patience to place properly; the or-else is a lot easier to achieve than with, say, Camalots.
Upon reflection, maybe I should temper/clarify my recommendation to include not just climbing below your grade, but at placements where you're not pumpy and in a hurry. Yes, all placements should be inspected and not hasty, etc.; safety, safety, safety obviously. But the advantage of having one piece that covers the range of two or even three other pieces can be worth it. Now, having said that, they are NOT half the weight of two cams, despite covering their range. They're heavy-ish, and yeah, they have a lot of moving parts -- hell, they're nothing but moving parts. I have a couple of trusty old Trangos that look positively post-modern in their simplicity. But if you can carry, say, two or three Link Cams, instead of five or seven regular cams to go do a run-up of mid-grade local you know pretty well (and you have the cash to drop)? Uff-da.
Link Cams are kinda that super-hot boy/girlfriend who is a maybe little more high maintenance than you'd normally date, but, if you're willing to give them enough attention, they're TOTALLY worth it.
(Okay, maybe that last analogy is a little sketchy...)