Omega Pacific Link Cams
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Omega Pacific®'s revolutionary Link Cam can help you minimize your rack and maximize your potential.
Shop similar products- With a camming ratio of over 2.5:1, the Link Cam can cover the same range as up to four standard cams--lighten your rack!
- Larger range eliminates the need for specialized, offset cams for flared-crack protection while higher surface area contact lessens "walking" of cam
- Patented, hinged cam lobes collapse even further during retraction for easier "plug and go" placements
- Maintaining a constant cam angle of 13.5°, Link Cams achieve a wide range without sacrificing holding power
- Built with a hybrid blend of materials and advanced metal-injection molding process, Link Cams offer the ultimate in strength and versatility
- Made with 17-4 aircraft stainless steel on the inner links and lightweight 7000-series aluminum on the outer link lobes
- Cross-cabling and "Swivlet" connectors ensure smooth trigger action and increased range
- Lightweight, rugged Spectra slings for lasting service and reliability
- Link Cams are great for that crux move, just grab, place and relax!
Made in USA.
- #0.5 = 13.5 - 35mm / 8kN / 95g
- #0.75 = 17.8 - 44.5mm / 10kN / 113g
- #1 = 21.1 - 53.3mm / 14kN / 176g
- #2 = 25.4 - 64mm / 14kN / 207g
| Best Use | Rock Climbing |
|---|---|
| Expansion Range | 13.5 - 64 millimeters |
| Strength | 8 - 14 kilonewtons |
| Weight | 95 - 207 grams |
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Great in many ways
Sweet cam to have on your rack. One really nice thing about these is that you can retract the cam fully, place it in a crack, release, and you most likely have a good placement. It's also nice that OP made these in the same colors as BD Camalots. Although I don't use BD cams, I know the sizes and colors and guidebooks often refer to them on route beta. These cams (supercams?) will get five stars when OP can make them a little lighter and when they put cable loops, like BD C4's, on them which are easier to rest the thumb and can be clipped for aid. I would definitely get some of these when REI has their[$] off one full price item sales as they are not cheap!
Wide Range Comes In Handy
I love the OP link cams because of the wide range of application. Also, they are color coded to match BD's C4s, so I know what I have left on my rack when I look down to grab a piece. I usually carry a full set of C4s with sometimes doubles of #3 and above depending on the size of the crack. I usually also carry one or two sets of OP link cams depending on the length of the route, how difficult the route is and whether I have to build my own anchor. I sometimes also carry a .5 link cam and .75 link cam on bolted routes where there are long runouts between bolts and potentially a crack where I can add my own gear for extra protection. The only downside is that it is difficult to examine the integrity of the placement in a crack if you use the second or third lobes because the first lobes block most of the line of sight. Therefore, you should be very good at placing gear before using the OP link cams.
A Must for your rack
I've heard the complaints about weight and cost. I know that I've found lots of these in Eldo, and Lumpy stuck from over caming and walking. Still, they have held some of my worst falls! Yes, it's a must that you can see your placement. But what piece can you blindly place? I use them when I go light on alpine Routes because tri cams and link cams give you a greater range with fewer pieces than BDs and nuts. One link cam cost less than two others. I don't use the smallest lobes but I use one on every route. Even if you only buy the purple you will have double the range of an alien!
I would not trust these
The issue with chain cams is that when you are at a chain point (ie the link between two cams) it has no outward force. As a result it can just slide at this point. Yes there is spring tension but the Cam is not actually Camming at this point. Personally I'd prefer to have a few nuts or tricams instread. Much safer and will not self-destruct. From an engineering perspective with these devices you have now made a good idea worse. You have introduced more points of failure and the ability to incorrectly place the piece badly has been made easier !!!
Life Saver
Link cams can be fantastic when you quickly need to get a cam in and you're not sure of the exact size. They've saved my bacon at the end of a long climb. I like to keep them for the end if possible, since they are so versatile. They can be a little trickier to place, so please be sure to understand how to place them (ie, not horizontal and watch for equally engaged lobes.) Not a good beginner cam, but fantastic once you've got the basics down.
Good to Have handy in a sketch situation
I have one of each of the sizes in these babies and I absolutely love em. Especially when you begin trad there will be plenty of moments where you can take, what seems like an hour to fiddle with gear all to be getting the wrong size nut or cam. With these babies from OP, its almost fire and forget, you are bound to get something that fits. However, there lies the reason I did not give this review a 5. I have never fallen on one of these and am actually a bit iffy about that. When you pull the trigger back it just doesn't feel as solid as a C4 or Metolius or the same size. They are a little heavy as well but definetly worth the bulk. Pick one or two up but only to suplement your rack, say for long moderates or an indian creek rack.
Saved my life and my climbing partner's.
I commented earlier as to the wide range of uses of these special pieces of pro. I have since been able to put them through their paces...all four of them, and I can say that no longer will I judge a book by its cover. While these didn't initially feel as solid to me in hand as my BD C4's... last year...my partner and I were on a multipitch climb on sandstone. I gained the belay stance and set an equalized anchor in honestly suspect rock, but no other options existed...part of climbing...anyway I placed #1 C4, two TCU'S and one Link cam...I believe the gold one...anyway my partner was about to gain the belay ledge I was standing on when a foot hold blew sending him off the rock...my anchor blew...all of it...except for the gold link cam....held firm, did not budge. While I have evaluated and re-evaluated my actions from that day, in the end that little piece of hardware saved my life...which is why we spend our hard earned $$$$$ for. They will ALWAYS have a place on my rack...hell if they weren't so heavy I would only carry these.
Easy placement; a bit heavy
I have sizes 1 and 2 on my rack. Placement of these cams is easier, and probably more secure than any others I have used. I mostly use Camalots, and will continue to do so, but a couple of Link Cams are great for "panic pieces," when you need to get a placement fast, on the first try, and are uncertain of the proper size. (Maybe this is not an issue for you.) The cams are noticeably heavier than Camalots; this is a real issue, and is the reason I would not replace all my other cams with Link Cams.
Indespensible for desparate times
I use these when i am in a situation where it gets down to the wire. Where i am getting desperate and haven't put a piece in for a while. These cams are a great addition to anyone wanting to lighten the load on aid climbing also. Buy doubles on the set and maybe even a third small one. The only beef i have with it is that on long trad climbs, where you tend to zig-zag, they have a habit of walking. Other then that...i have hanged from these things while aiding roofs and felt safe!
They get stuck
These seem like a great idea. However if placed in deep cracks they can walk back. This is a problem with all cams but this cam has the ability to keep getting smaller. I would say that about 1/3 of all fixed/abandoned gear on routes I have been on in Yosemite are broken/deeply wedged link cams. If you do buy them avoid placing them where they can walk back into a deep crack! Also these things are heavy. Another reason to avoid using them.