This analogy is almost perfect. It needs only one small change:

You have to test the Porsche's brakes while running at triple digits mid-way down the Furka Pass.

Just to clarify, even though you can't pinpoint Laramie, you're still thinking that Sogdiana is from CCH?

Other than the writing style is there more evidence? I only ask because most eastern block euros write the same.

A few alien threads back, I posted an analogy that's right on. Imagine that for the same price, you can buy a new Porsche or a Camry. The caveat is that you have to test the brakes on the Porsche yourself as they could catastrophically fail. Of course if they fail the test, they will send you a new Porsche that you'll again have to test the brakes on.

So do you get the slow economical car that you'll never have to worry about maintenance on or do you go for legendary performance but accept that you'll need to be a more hands on owner? Neither decision is more correct, those are just your choices.

Maybe we should take stock for a moment given this has been going on for years now. So, here's a list of problems that have gotten by CCH's best QC efforts and shipped to us:

- Misdrilled Axle Holes
- Unswaged Stem Loops
- Size Color Coded Wrong
- Inconsistent Cam Lobe Hardness
- Missing Axle Washers
- Failing Axles
- Quenched Brazes
- Incomplete Brazes
- Bad 'Tensile Tested' Cams

And let's be straight up front - shit happens and things go wrong in manufacturing - it's unavoidable. The name of the game is to not let bad parts get further down the line and not shipping bad finished goods out the door. And there are multiple straightforward QC solutions for each of the problems listed above that would prevent goods exhibiting any of these problems from shipping. Those solutions aren't rocket science and CCH's enduring inability to successfully [and openly] institute these measures over the course of several years means the real problem is cultural and lies at the feet of the owner.

The issues we have been faced with since the beginning of this saga are fourfold. First, for every bad cam we discover and post up about, you can bet your ass there are X number of similarly bad aliens still out there either sitting on a store shelf or hanging on someone's rack waiting to be discovered. Second, we now know that there are variously bad Aliens shipped both prior to and after the recall. Third, in all likelyhood CCH is still incapable of preventing bad goods from shipping perpetuating the problem. The fourth, and most telling, is that CCH and Dave's ability to communicate remain immovably unchanged; it is still steeped in silence, lack of openess, defensiveness, denial, and accusation.

Taken together they paint a grim picture of a situation unlikely to change in any significant way and that an unknown percentage of Aliens shipped by CCH in any given year will be bad in one way or another. It should also be noted that these sad realities exist despite of the best efforts of any number of highly experienced people in and out of the climbing gear industry's best efforts to help CCH out with advice, assistance, and even offers to buy them out. To-date, all such efforts have failed for a variety of reasons.

Many of us appreciate what CCH brought to the table with Aliens and love many aspects of the design. But to those of you who can't simultaneously manage the duality of loving leading on Aliens on one hand and acknowledging the obvious malignancy inherent in their manufacture, I would say it's no different than any other aspect of climbing - we are all responsible for recognizing, acknowledging, evaluating, and taking risks - the name of the game is doing so wisely and with your eyes open.

At this point anyone who is operating in blind denial because 'I love my Aliens' is a fool and incompetent in my book and I wouldn't climb with you. Want to buy or keep climbing on Aliens? Cool - but then it's on you to ensure every one is competently tested by yourself or anyone but CCH whose 'Tensile Tested' test mark has been proven untrustworthy.

The only sure thing thing you can say about Aliens at this point is there are still a lot of time bombs out there and this won't be the last word or thread on bad Aliens on RC.com - this beat will, unfortunately, go on...

I would say it's more like going an unknown speed, as you could whip-test them or bounce test the shit out of them in a safe environment, but you wouldn't know WTF forces it's holding.
Unless you have access to a brake testing facility, which are hard to come by.

Its actually not that difficult to set up a drop test for your aliens using a fuse to gauge whether the cam held an appropriate amount of force.

Not all that difficult, but not all that accurate either. Lots of variation in the breaking strength of cord depending on the knot used, how it was dressed, which manufacturer, etc. But its cheap and fairly straight forward.

This was the topic of a very long discussion over the weekend between myself and someone at one of the gear companies over the weekend and I've got a more repeatable way to do it that shouldn't be too expensive, and depending on how this all shakes out I may see about getting a bunch made for whoever wants them.

Do explain how this is done, me and several others are interested in performing some tests (perhaps in a different thread).

Easy enough to explain, so I'll just do it here.

1. Find small diameter rated cord of your choice, basing the decision on its rated breaking strength and the % loss from your knot of choice.

2. Cut a length of the cord, tie loop knot on either end. You'll be essentially using it as a mechanical fuse. Note: you're not tying a circle, you want 2 loops with a straight bit between them.

3. Place gear in bomber placement.

4. Clip biner to gear, first loop to first biner, another biner to the other loop.

5. Attach a length of something fairly static to the second biner.

6. Attach something heavy to the other end of the static thing.

7. Huck static thing off cliff and stand back.

8. Hope you didn't hurt someone, retrieve your static thing and biner, wash, rince, repeat with other gear.

As I mentioned, its not all that exact since manufactures rate their cords differently and there's variation in the breaking strength of the knots depending on what you use and how you dress it, but it will get you in the ballpark. The things I'm thinking of making should be repeatable within +/- .1kN, but its a question of whether there'll be enough demand for them for me to bother with getting them made.

-a.

Replying to Angry because he's at the bottom of the list. (BTW, did you see my question about what machines CCH were running? I'm curious if they're Mori Seiki.)

Cracklover, sorry for not getting back sooner. The reason for you having to buy me two sets is because I was going to front the cash for the initial set of new aliens.

If you want to split the cost of the aliens with me, I will accept only one set of micro cams after I win.

If you're still game I will Paypal the cash to Aric tonight.

They need to be new, varying sizes, and five of them total. If any one of them receives considerable damage (I'll overlook minor lobe damage) prior to the rated strength, I win.

Let me know,

Tipton

I'd be willing to cough up dough. $20.
I'll send in $50. if we expand this to 5 BD and 5 Metolius cams too.
Thats about 90 members @ $10. each to buy 15 cams

Choosing the 5 worst looking cams off a store wall is not a bad idea seeing as we are using such a small batch to test.

anyone lame enough to be online on a gorgeous Saturday holiday weekend morning like me...
-aric.