Alien (techRock) have improved the original CCH Aliens by making them considerably lighter and narrowing the headwidth by 20%.
The Alien Revolutions are the latest incarnation of this process and this version have a single loop Dyneema sling making them less bulky though you will probably need to extend them with a quickdraw to stop them walking into cracks. The narrow headwidth is achieved by using internal springs in the cams on all but the smallest two sizes. The cams themselves are "soft" giving good bite, especially in Yosemite granit peg scar cracks where these cams excel.The stems are slightly longer than before making it easier to deal with recessed placements and the new trigger and thumb loop design is a definite improvement - the two slots in the trigger are so that the trigger can be hooked with a nutkey if the need arises.
These Hybrid Revolutions are micro offset cams that are designed fo use in flared cracks and will be particulary appreciated by anyone climbing in Yosemite.
- Hybrid offset cams.
- Head profile reduced by 20% (over CCH Aliens).
- Riveted axle.
- Increased friction and holding power due to a special cam treatment.
- Improved trigger design using aluminium components.
- Higher strength flexible steel cable.
- Stronger aluminium swage.
- Ergonomic rubber thumb pull.
- Increased strength single loop Dyneema sling with better abrasion resistance.
The famous Alien Cams of CCH were one of the best performing micro cams on the market but the company ceased production some years ago following the death of their designer David Waggoner. Now they are reborn with techRock (owner of Faders and Fixe) manufacturing them and remaining fairly faithful to the originals, with the same machines and materials and following the guidelines of their inventor. These new, narrower and lighter units are the natural evolution of David Waggoner's original design.