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Description

Gear that goes in and stays in.

Metolius built the Master Cam with a flexible single-stem design and narrow head profile to get it into the smallest, weirdest pods and pin scars, and to give it purchase once it's in there. CNC-machined cam stops provide extra passive strength if this cam tips out once it's inside a crack, so you don't have to stress your placement when you're making the crux moves 20 feet above. Metolius also added a large thumb loop to give aid climbers a short clip-in point and help trad climbers fire in gear quickly when they need to.

  • Narrow head fits in small placements where dual-stem cams do not fit
  • Flexible stem won't lever your cam out of horizontal placements
  • Once in, the range finder indicates if your placement is good or warns of over-camming
  • Thumb loop provides a high clip-in point for aid climbing
  • Cam stops add security to tipped-out placements
  • CNC machining and ultralight materials keep weight to a minimum
  • Slings and tubing are color-coded for quick identification
  • Click sizing chart link for specifics on range, strength, and weight
  • Hand-built, inspected, and proof-tested in Bend, Oregon

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Here's what others have to say...

5 5

Vince R.

Member since 

I carry 1-4 on my trad rack the 4 I probably should have just substituted with a BD .75 but that doesn't really bother me and the heads on the mastercams are a lot narrower so sometimes they fit into places that the C4s just won't. For the really small sizes the mastercams win hands down over the C3s. I feel that they get into just as many small, awkward spots and I haven't seen one fall apart. I see the wires on the C3's fall apart all the time.

5 5

Sandy Preiss

Member since 
  • Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

Master Cams are untouchable for fingers down. They have a perfect combo of 4-lobe security, narrow head width, nice action, and flexy stem. I do carry some C3s for doubles for super narrow spots, but I almost always reach for the MCs first.

Size 0 and 00 are not ideal for free, since C3s and TCUs in this range are a couple of Kn stronger. C4s are better from .75 up. But blue through red MCs are some of my favorite pieces.

Are the trigger cables that directly attach...

et_p9815

Member since 
Posted on

Are the trigger cables that directly attach to the lobes made of steel wire, or some kind of black nylon string? If they aren't wire, can someone comment on the durability of these cables?

Claude Peon

Member since 
Responded on

They're not steel or nylon. According to outdoorgearlab.com they're kevlar. I haven't heard of too many cables breaking. No more than usual at least.

4 5

Darren

Member since 
  • Gender: Male

Oh these cams are good in the small sizes indeed. But they do discriminate on your chosen placement and will chastise you for putting them in flaring scars or weird cracks. I think in the larger sizes I'd go with BD #.5 to 1. But these are a close second. I do like the flexibility of the stems. I think the new BD X cams coming out may knock these off yer rack partna.

2 5

Evan Stevens

Member since 
Groups:
  • Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I have owned a set for along time now, and I consistently do not use them. They frequently get clogged with dirt with the tight fittings, meaning frequent cleaning for them to work right. The stem and its protective coating get pretty beat up quickly and especially after falls, the cams stop working well. BD cams definitely stand up to the test of time way better.

4 5

colp12742

Member since 
  • Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I have doubles in #2, #3, and #4 Master cams and have another full set of tcus. I reach for the Master cams most of the time unless I'm placing in a horizontal placement. In horizontals I use tcus. I highly prefer these to Aliens or Zeros.

5 5

Joshua Bruch

Member since 
  • Gender: Male
  • Familiarity: I've used it several times

These are great pieces of small gear! They remind me of the aliens (which I have only used once and LOVED) because they are so flexible. They are also very malleable and will bend and shape any way you need to. The range finder is nice, but it may lead to overcamming. It's O.K to place them on the yellow dots. Overall, they're great cams in the #2 and #3 sizes and I will always be reaching for them.

4 5

web

Member since 

A couple things of note:

-the stem cable seems to be the same gauge from the very smallest to the largest while the stem gets longer. The large cams tend to feel a bit floppy as a result (compared to C4 for example), but some folks think this flexibility will minimize the cam walking. These stems will flex more in the direction of crack length than a U-stem type cam, i.e. tcu.

-I like that the color scheme is consistent across metolius products, but find it unfortunate that my #3 Dragon and #5 Mastercam are slightly different sizes but the same color. First world problems.

Based on my first impressions of look and feel they appear to be pretty good cams. No falls on them yet though.

5 5

kir4583490

Member since 

Love these in the small sizes they make me feel comfortable ruining it out when its below me.

5 5

kir4583490

Member since 

Love these in the small sizes they make me feel comfortable ruining it out when its below me.

I'm going to start a trad rack and get a...

Joshua Bruch

Member since 
Posted on

I'm going to start a trad rack and get a rack of stoppers, but I've heard from a trad veteran that you should get a rack of stoppers, get super confident with them, and then get the #1 and #2 cams. After that, I think that I 'm going to get a few for small cracks. For larger ones I'm looking at the Wild Country Helium Friend and Black Diamond Camelot C4, but would these be very good for the smaller types of cracks?

Thomas Ogasawara

Member since 
Best Answer Responded on

These are great for small stuff, you might also check out the Black Diamond C3's, (my current favorites).

5 5

734232

Member since 

I picked up a set of these to complement my TCU's since I've grown accustomed to the metolius sizing and color coding. I never really liked the C3, and could never find aliens and I love how much cheaper these are and readily available.

I like sizes 3, 4 (orange & red) and use them as much as my C4's in the similar size. I absolutely love the 1, 2 (blue & yellow) as much as I like the same sizes in TCU. I would say 5 & 6 you probably don't need– but a few people have said very good things about them. I still use the TCU's and adding the master cam into the mix really rounded out my rack nicely. There are times when the TCU will fit better than the master cam and vice versa. I'm looking forward to picking up the 0, and 00 master cam in the future, oh and some of the offsets look great!

Overall I love the build quality, fit and finish. I had the action get a little gummy over time and I just cleaned them in warm water and a dab of soap, then a few drops of wax like any other metolius cam and they are smooth again. I never had problems with the kevlar trigger.

5 5

pell

Member since 

Bombers. Super easy to place and clean.

Get a set from #00 to #3, add one #.75 green, two #1 red, two #2 yellow, and a #3 blue BD C4 or DMM Dragon to get a go-everywhere rack covering almost everything from .4" to 3".

A little bit on a heavy side compared to Ultralight TCU but more versatile, especially in tight placements.

5 5

bmy4642045

Member since 

I can't attest to all sizes since I only have the 00, but it is an excellent piece of gear. The only thing I would consider getting for such a small size. C3's are good, but they have a double stem which is absurd for a cam that is supposed to fit in the smallest and hardest to protect cracks. the single stem is much more versatile. It won't walk at all and it feels solid. haven't fallen on one so i can't say much about it's durability. the biggest downside i have found is that it is pretty easy to get stuck, but that is likely to happen with any very small cam.

5 5

Peter Gram

Member since 
Groups:

The Master cam is always my go to small cam of choice, especially once the old CCH aliens became scarce. I find the #00 (gray) to #3 (orange) to be the most useful sizes. Particularly the #1 and #2 get placed all the time. Even the #0 and #00 are confidence inspiring when in a good placement. The #3 starts to overlap with other common cams, like the .5 BD Camalot, but is useful due to being a different shape. The oval shaped loop that makes up the thumb catch is great for clipping in short when aid climbing.

4 5

Cory Guru

Member since 
Groups:

Slightly narrower head than TCUs, ideal for small placements. Super solid and easy to trust. Kelvar cables?? We'll see... have only had them a month. Shouldn't be an issue.

4 5

Keelan Johns

Member since 
Groups:

I prefer these in their small sizes. Narrow head and the single stem doesn't get in the way of small constrictions below the placement like a u-stem TCU can.

How do these compare to the TCU?

aka2682982

Member since 
Posted on

How do these compare to the TCU?

knanier

Member since 
Responded on

These have four lobes and a flexible stem while the TCU has three lobes and a u-shaped stem. They're both great units. I find I place more of the master cams than the TCUs, but for placements in smaller cracks (length, not width) I prefer the TCUs.

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