Joe from United States, NV Public Profile

The older Metolius dual-stem cam ("Power Cam") has long been one of my favorites - especially the TCU. They're very light, durable, sanely priced - to facilitate buying duplicates and, they're easy to operate with gloves as I can quickly get my thumb on the trigger. The "Master Cam" improves things a bit by giving you a narrow head reminiscent of the TCU, a slightly longer single stem, a firmer, more positive spring, and a slender, single-loop sling. The sling in particular is probably an example of how actual practice - rather than good-idea-fairies - drove the design. Why: Although I like DMM Dragons, you don't need (IMO) an extendable sling which adds weight/bulk while only extending a few inches when, MOST of the time, you should be putting a 30-60 CM sling on the piece. I think Mastercams will walk a little less than the "Power Cam" and the overall handling is excellent. They are definitely light and compact; even a double set up to say the #6 would not be prohibitively heavy in an alpine context. One drawback: the single-stem trigger forfeited the glove-friendliness of the old style - if we're talking about a thick, ski or climbing glove. Recommended.