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yokese


Jun 29, 2011, 9:49 PM
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Aliens, by Fixe-Faders
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Fixe-Faders starts making the Alien after reaching an agreement with the widow of David Wagoneer

More info here:

http://www.barrabes.com/...ar-alien-llegar.html

(tip: use google translator)


acorneau


Jun 30, 2011, 12:33 AM
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Translation via Google:

========================

Fixe-fader starts making the Alien after reaching an agreement with the widow of David Wagoneer


The guidelines David Wagoneer, inventor of the Aliens, left his widow before she died were clear: the company to continue with making the aliens would have to be of medium size, would have to continue with the name, the same philosophy and he performed precise manufacturing, including machinery and raw materials. Finally, after 1 ½ years of negotiations, Fixe-Faders has obtained the patent, the machinery and all the knowledge transmitted and begins manufacturing


Fixe-Faders begins to manufacture the original Alien

There have been many major brands of both American and European material that have sought a patent for the legendary Alien Cams. But the guidelines that the inventor and manufacturer, David Wagoneer, left his wife before his death were unclear, and all aimed at the spirit of your device is not lost.

Thus, to avoid the loss of name and got a more industrial production could be considered less careful, the company proceeded with the patent should be small to medium size, never an industry giant, but with extensive experience in manufacturing workshop High quality. The name should be retained, and the granting of the patent must include machinery and knowledge. Even suppliers of raw materials, carefully selected, should remain the same. In short: Wagoneer that he wanted to continue making exact replicas and perform the same level of reliability and good work he performed.

And after eighteen months of negotiations, the former U.S. manufacturing resumes at Barcelona, to achieve company-Faders Fixe patent after considering the widow who was the most suitable plant for this. In fact, the whole machinery moved from Colorado to St. Quirze Besora, and Nadia, the widow of David Wagoneer has been two months in Catalonia teaching all the secrets and tricks of manufacture.

From the workshop Fixe-Faders us that is quite manual and craft, which was already known by thousands of users worldwide Alien, who appreciated the constructive excellence of these devices and their effectiveness on the wall. Once past the learning period, and to guarantee the appearance of your device cam by using the same machinery and even the same original raw material, soon will begin manufacturing the end-user. It is expected that the first Alien in September are on sale in the international market. May be purchased in blue, green, yellow, gray and red.




(This post was edited by acorneau on Jun 30, 2011, 12:38 AM)


TarheelJD


Jun 30, 2011, 1:08 AM
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Re: [acorneau] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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What I haven't been able to figure out about this whole CCH story is which patents they are talking about. The two patents I have been able to find that are registered to David both expired years ago. I'm not saying that this prevents someone from selling the company (its designs, manufacturing knowledge, etc), but as far as I could tell from an admittedly cursory patent search, the patents covering aliens have expired. For those of you that are curious, the patents I am looking at are 4,832,289 and 4,923,160.

I realize that this press release is an extremely rough translation but this isn't the first time I've read something referring to some mythical patent preventing anyone from making and selling their own "alien" cam.

Regardless, am I missing a patent somewhere? Anyone know more to the story?


(This post was edited by TarheelJD on Jun 30, 2011, 1:10 AM)


Partner cracklover


Jun 30, 2011, 2:52 PM
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Fantastic! And I assume that if they're made in Europe, they must have a CE stamp.

GO


JimTitt


Jun 30, 2011, 3:33 PM
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cracklover wrote:
Fantastic! And I assume that if they're made in Europe, they must have a CE stamp.

GO

Nope, only if they are sold in Europe. Though I´d be suprised if they don´t, Fixe/Faders are certainly competent enough.

Jim


Partner cracklover


Jun 30, 2011, 4:48 PM
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JimTitt wrote:
cracklover wrote:
Fantastic! And I assume that if they're made in Europe, they must have a CE stamp.

GO

Nope, only if they are sold in Europe. Though I´d be suprised if they don´t, Fixe/Faders are certainly competent enough.

Jim

Thanks for the clarification, but yeah, I was assuming that if made in Europe, they'd be sold in Europe. Can't see how there'd be a market in making them if you couldn't sell any in Europe!

GO


Partner hosh


Jun 30, 2011, 5:39 PM
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This is exiting news. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Aliens on the market soon...


sungam


Jul 1, 2011, 4:00 PM
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Excite!


stealth


Jul 1, 2011, 11:15 PM
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hosh wrote:
This is exiting news. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Aliens on the market soon...

I've seen them here! stars with no stripes .............

Like 1/2 and 1/2 in coffee?

An alien is always handy to have around to play with when climbing.


jt512


Jul 2, 2011, 1:14 AM
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stealth wrote:
hosh wrote:
This is exiting news. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Aliens on the market soon...

I've seen them here! stars with no stripes .............

Like 1/2 and 1/2 in coffee?

An alien is always handy to have around to play with when climbing.

Enough gibberish, Enigma.

*plonk*


acorneau


Jul 28, 2011, 5:40 PM
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Just saw this on MP...

From Totem Cam website:

In reply to:
The Basic Cam uses the traditional internal spring and sheath trigger systems to get a narrow head and a very flexible body. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to David Waggoner, passed in October 2009, designer of this awesome design.
We have done our bit to try to improve it: flexible trigger wire ropes system and rounded lobe edges.

http://www.totemcams.com/...=3&su=1307635863


Looks like either they're sourcing them from Fixe (who is also in Spain) or they're making a rip-off version.

Shocked

Edit to fix cheeze-tittage


(This post was edited by acorneau on Jul 28, 2011, 5:42 PM)


sungam


Jul 28, 2011, 5:51 PM
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Re: [acorneau] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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I thought Fixe owned/made the totems?

EDIT: I was wrong.


(This post was edited by sungam on Jul 28, 2011, 5:54 PM)


patto


Jul 29, 2011, 7:11 AM
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Not only that but they are shipping in less than two weeks!!!

http://www.totemcams.com/catalogue/index.php?id=1&f=2


While some may find a rip off version offensive for some reason. All in all it will be great for climbers. Competition is fantastic.


(This post was edited by patto on Jul 29, 2011, 8:36 AM)


moose_droppings


Jul 29, 2011, 7:34 AM
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Re: [patto] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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patto wrote:
Not only that but they are shipping in less than a week!!!

Maybe in Europe.

They won't be shipping to the US until October.


Partner cracklover


Jul 29, 2011, 4:02 PM
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acorneau wrote:
Just saw this on MP...

From Totem Cam website:

In reply to:
The Basic Cam uses the traditional internal spring and sheath trigger systems to get a narrow head and a very flexible body. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to David Waggoner, passed in October 2009, designer of this awesome design.
We have done our bit to try to improve it: flexible trigger wire ropes system and rounded lobe edges.

http://www.totemcams.com/...=3&su=1307635863


Looks like either they're sourcing them from Fixe (who is also in Spain) or they're making a rip-off version.

Shocked

Edit to fix cheeze-tittage

Very cool. From one crappy source of Aliens, to no sources of Aliens, to two great sources of Aliens.

Yay!

GO


csproul


Jul 29, 2011, 4:27 PM
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It also looks like the totem basic version is only made in green through red and not in all the sizes.


mattm


Jul 29, 2011, 8:37 PM
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csproul wrote:
It also looks like the totem basic version is only made in green through red and not in all the sizes.

I kind of like that they pared it down. The smaller blue and black aliens have better alternatives and I always felt like I had too many when I carried blue-red alien and the full run of offsets (black-blue through yellow-red) This seems like a great compromise.

Note that Mikel pointed out their Red is NOT the exact same as the legacy Red. It's a bit smaller so there's no longer the "size gap" between legacy yellow and red (and the reason they made a gray).


atdrennen


Jul 29, 2011, 8:48 PM
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Re: [mattm] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Has anyone seen a release, or communicated with Fixe or Totem on when these will actually be available in the US?

I did see the September post above. Can anyone confirm if that's correct?


mattm


Jul 29, 2011, 8:49 PM
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Totem Site says Oct 3rd for Non-Euro orders.


vegastradguy


Aug 9, 2011, 9:16 PM
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atdrennen wrote:
Has anyone seen a release, or communicated with Fixe or Totem on when these will actually be available in the US?

I did see the September post above. Can anyone confirm if that's correct?

Fixe USA will not confirm Sept, although that is their target date. Nor will they confirm pricing, although $65 seems to be everyone's best guess.

Based on the pre-pro's I saw last week...if they release by Sept, it'll be a miracle. If they charge only $65, i'd be shocked.

Time will tell.

Alright, that's it, folks. My last post on rc.com. Hope you enjoyed it. See you on the dark side.


sungam


Aug 9, 2011, 9:21 PM
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vegastradguy wrote:
Alright, that's it, folks. My last post on rc.com. Hope you enjoyed it. See you on the dark side.
Unsure Sad to see you go, man. Best of luck with the future!


boymeetsrock


Aug 10, 2011, 1:54 PM
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Re: [vegastradguy] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Wait... what!?!

You're done with RC?

You will be missed. Thanks for all of your great contributions to this site. Happy trails.


styndall


Aug 10, 2011, 3:18 PM
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Where's vegastradguy going? Defecting to mountainproject? Becoming a monk?

I'll miss your reviews, man. They've been very helpful over the years.


maldaly


Aug 10, 2011, 3:22 PM
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I got to play with a set of the Fixe Aliens at the show. Here are my thoughts, cross-posted from Supertopo:

On a good note, at the trade show last week I held in my hands a perfect Alien, now made by Fixe in Spain. I guess they bought the company from Dave's widow and are manufacturing what appears to be the v.2 Aliens. I hope they didn't pay too much for the company...

Here's the good things:

Fixe is a well established Euro company with ISO 9000 compliance and the knowledge and resources to get things done.

In order to be produced in the Euro-zone they have to have the CE rating and testing. They can't simply stamp the unit or advertise that they are CE/UIAA as CCH did.

The Aliens had that sweet, "Alien" snap that new ones always had. I could not tell any difference betwen the Ailiens they were showing and the most recent ones on US store shelves last year.

Here're the questionable things:

They said they were going to deliver next month but had no idea what the price was. Their target price was $65. Now I've been in the manufacturing world and know well that "delivery next month" and "we're not sure what the price will be" are pretty incompatible concepts. If they are delivering next month, they need to have units on the shelf now, packaging completed, testing and certifications finished and a distribution plan in place. They also know their production costs and, margins and prices. So my guess is that you won't see anything next month.

The other questionable thing is that the units displayed said "Made in USA". The rep there told me that part of their agreement with Nadia was that they would be identical in every way to the CCH version, including the markings, "CCH" and "Made in USA". But if they are made in Spain, like they say, that can't say "Made in USA" or customs will stop them cold. So just a little more weirdness. Rep told me the samples I was holding were made at Fixe in Spain but they were absolutely identical to the last CCH Aliens I saw that came out of Laramie. Even the milling artifacts on the lobes and the sides of the cable head were identical. Hmmmm.

I'm also very very skeptical of hitting the $65 target price. When we were negotiating with Dave to buy CCH, we took samples to China for a quote after being unable to find anyone who would touch them in the USA. The best quote we got for 25,000 units was LOC, $32 FOB China. Going through the normal distribution steps would make them a $150 cam. Now I know that Spain's economy is in the toilet but I'll bet it still costs more to produce in Spain than it does in China. So, like I said, I'm skeptical.

Whatever. It's great to see that a reputable company has taken over the production of the Aliens and I'll be one of the first in line to replace my old used ones.

I hope they can do it.

Mal

BTW, I talked to a rep, not to Kevin, and reps are notorious disseminators of bad information. Kevin, you out there?


patto


Aug 10, 2011, 3:35 PM
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Thanks for the great post maldaly. You're an asset to the community. Smile

maldaly wrote:
I'm also very very skeptical of hitting the $65 target price. When we were negotiating with Dave to buy CCH, we took samples to China for a quote after being unable to find anyone who would touch them in the USA. The best quote we got for 25,000 units was LOC, $32 FOB China. Going through the normal distribution steps would make them a $150 cam. Now I know that Spain's economy is in the toilet but I'll bet it still costs more to produce in Spain than it does in China. So, like I said, I'm skeptical.

Great insight into the manufacturing of consumer products. However this all begs the question, if what you say is the case, how can Totem sell their Alien imitation cams for $59.95? They don't seem too dissimilar in design.

http://www.totemcams.com/...dex.php?id=1&f=2


(This post was edited by patto on Aug 10, 2011, 3:36 PM)


maldaly


Aug 10, 2011, 4:15 PM
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Patto, thanks for the props. I worked pretty closely with Mikel on the original Totem cam and we all got stuck on the traditional pricing model. Totem's solution is to go directly from manufacturer to consumer which cut out 2 tiers of pricing. It works but removes the convenience of holding one in your hands before you buy or being able to go to the store if you have a problem.

We could have done that with the $32 Chinese Aliens. A $32 Alien would get it to about $40 or $42 on the shelf after CIF, inspection, testing, packaging and loss. Then it would have been about $80 at direct retail. We always relied on the network of specialty shops to inventory, inform, educate and sell our product so we didn't follow that path.

mal


yodadave


Aug 10, 2011, 5:06 PM
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Thanks for all the insights Mal

Also are you saying that at one point Totems were a Trango thing??

Sorry if this is old news I've been out of the loop for a bit


JimTitt


Aug 10, 2011, 6:23 PM
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And DMM sell for $75 ish, Rock Empire for $37, Camalots start at $60, Metolius around $45 etc.
Must be something very special that isn´t apparent to the normal person in manufacturing the agricultural looking things I saw at the show last month!


boadman


Aug 10, 2011, 8:31 PM
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JimTitt wrote:
And DMM sell for $75 ish, Rock Empire for $37, Camalots start at $60, Metolius around $45 etc.
Must be something very special that isn´t apparent to the normal person in manufacturing the agricultural looking things I saw at the show last month!

Agricultural? What does that mean? Is that a synonym for crazy handful of awesomeness?

I think a decent assembler can put together about 5 aliens an hour. The spring/lobe/trigger assembly is quite labor intensive. The braze at the cable termination is also labor intensive. They were only $50 when they were made in Laramie though, right?


maldaly


Aug 10, 2011, 8:51 PM
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ydadave, we were the first people that Mikel contacted in the US and I helped them figure out the distribution. Of course, we were interested in distributing them through Trango but the price structure didn't work.

boadman, neither Dave or Nadia were ever able to give us any information regarding cost of materials, numbers sold, labor costs or margins. That was why on our last go-round we went to China for a quote. It was during that round that they had the head-popping recall and we backed away. As someone noted above, various ex-employees of Dave's have posted up with insider information. One of them, a climbing partner of my engineer at the time, calculated that each Alien had about 1 hour of labor time into it. Much of that was the process of brazing the old braided SS trigger sheath, which, by the way, was made from stripped coax audio cable. I hope the new fabric sheath is easier to assemble!


boadman


Aug 10, 2011, 9:13 PM
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When I worked there (for a very brief stint), the sheathes were crimped onto the trigger bars in between a copper collar and the ring on the trigger rather than brazed. The cable termination was brazed though. Generally, an experienced employee could put together about 5 units an hour from a box of parts if I remember correctly. It took a couple of weeks to get that fast though.


csproul


Aug 10, 2011, 9:40 PM
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maldaly wrote:
... calculated that each Alien had about 1 hour of labor time into it. ...

boadman wrote:
... an experienced employee could put together about 5 units an hour from a box of parts if I remember correctly...

That's a pretty big difference!


maldaly


Aug 10, 2011, 9:43 PM
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boadman, was the the fabric or the stainless sheath? Whichever, perhaps there was an interim method between that I wasn't aware of. Did your 5/hour rate start from sub-assemblies or did it include cutting cable, swaging, brazing and all the other crap that you have to do to before finally assembly.

Whatever, I'm glad Fixe had taken them on so we don't have to worry about that any more. Let's hope they can get them to the market at a price climbers will pay.


boadman


Aug 10, 2011, 10:03 PM
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The 5/hour was with all the sub-assemblies completed (cables brazed, trigger sheathes assembled). We had to cut and crimp our own trigger wires and assemble all the pieces. Dave would do the final swage on the thumb loop and inspect all the cams himself when I was there. The fabric was just slipped over the stainless sheath, which was crimped to the trigger bars with a copper ring.

Do you know if Totem is buying their "Basic Cams" alien clones from Fixe or are they making them themselves?


maldaly


Aug 10, 2011, 10:07 PM
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Re: [boadman] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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boadman, so what's your guess for assembly time including doing the subs?

I think the Totem Basics (I'm going to call them Totailiens) are different units. Can't wait t see them.


boadman


Aug 10, 2011, 10:18 PM
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Re: [maldaly] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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So, there were some serious inefficiencies when I was there. For instance, the nuts on the ends of the axles were stock stainless nuts that were turned down by hand on a lathe to make them circular.

But, I think that about 15 minutes for the axles, nuts, cable termination, and springs per cam is probably pretty close on average. Maybe another 10 for the trigger sleeve assembly. 10 minutes to braze the cables (if you don't want them to fail). Then 10 more minutes to assemble the whole unit. Probably 45 minutes total if he was up and running.

A good manufacturing engineer could probably set up a process where the majority of the parts were produced in largish batches much faster though. I showed mine to a friend who used to design assembly lines and he thought he could get it down to 10 minutes/unit. But I don't think that the numbers involved in climbing gear manufacturing would ever make that cost effective.

There's no reason that the trigger assembly couldn't be changed to something similar to the mastercams though, which seems like it would be a lot quicker. I was sort of surprised that totem didn't simplify that part of the units.


curt


Aug 11, 2011, 4:28 AM
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Re: [acorneau] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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acorneau wrote:
The guidelines David Wagoneer, inventor of the Aliens, left his widow before she died were clear: the company to continue with making the aliens would have to be of medium size, would have to continue with the name, the same philosophy and he performed precise manufacturing, including machinery and raw materials...

...Wagoneer (said?) that he wanted to continue making exact replicas and perform the same level of reliability and good work he performed...

Well, that doesn't exactly bode well, does it?

Curt


mattm


Aug 11, 2011, 4:14 PM
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Re: [maldaly] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Based on the cost of production pricing Mal quotes, the Totem Basic pricing seems to jive since they're doing a direct distribution system. While there are some hurdles to the direct sales model, I think Totem is starting to get some traction with climbers. Reviews were slow in coming and had the usual skepticism about radical new gear but now people seem to be catching on. Mainstream? Doubtful right now but, getting more exposure each day. Totem shouldn't have nearly the same issues with their alien since it's a known design. So long as it's built well (and given what I've seen with their Totems it will be FAR better) it will sell well.

I'd be curious if Fixe is doing their production in house or they are using a sub-contractor from Eastern Europe as they do with their iconic hanger. (Raveltik)

I think Jim has mentioned how much "cross production" occurs with companies in the EU. DMM making stuff for WC and Mammut, Beal making ropes for DMM. Singing Rock is "THE" webbing expert over there etc etc.


Khoi


Aug 21, 2011, 8:58 PM
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Re: Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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HOLY SHIT!!!

I think I may be the first person in North America to be in possession of a Totem Basic Hyrid Cam!

Towards the end of July I placed an order for a third complete set of Totem cams. The box arrived the first week of August.

It wasn't until today while putting away my climbing gear until next year (I severely injured both my wrists so my climbing season is done for the year Frown) that I noticed a cable coated in tranparent yellow plastic at the bottom of the box.

IT'S A 0.85HY BASIC CAM!!!

Here's some pics:











I guess I should get in touch with Totem MT and see what they want me to do with it.


mattm


Aug 21, 2011, 9:10 PM
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Re: [Khoi] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Khoi wrote:

I guess I should get in touch with Totem MT and see what they want me to do with it.

Totem called - They said you should send them to me!

Wink


JAB


Aug 22, 2011, 7:33 PM
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Re: [Khoi] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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You should go out and take some huge whippers on it! You don't need good feet for that. Angelic


qwert


Aug 24, 2011, 7:50 AM
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Re: [Khoi] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Khoi wrote:
HOLY SHIT!!!

I think I may be the first person in North America to be in possession of a Totem Basic Hyrid Cam!

Towards the end of July I placed an order for a third complete set of Totem cams. The box arrived the first week of August.

It wasn't until today while putting away my climbing gear until next year (I severely injured both my wrists so my climbing season is done for the year Frown) that I noticed a cable coated in tranparent yellow plastic at the bottom of the box.

IT'S A 0.85HY BASIC CAM!!!

Here's some pics:

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1560-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1564-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1565.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1567-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1570.jpg[/IMG]

I guess I should get in touch with Totem MT and see what they want me to do with it.
Is it just me, or do the totem basics look much more "unfinished" than the other totem cams? When i got my totem, everything on it screamed high end, just as it seemed in the pictures, whereas those do look like they came out of an ukraininian post cold war workshop …
Seems like they are true to the original…

qwert


Khoi


Aug 25, 2011, 4:09 AM
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Re: [qwert] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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qwert wrote:
Khoi wrote:
HOLY SHIT!!!

I think I may be the first person in North America to be in possession of a Totem Basic Hybrid Cam!

Towards the end of July I placed an order for a third complete set of Totem cams. The box arrived the first week of August.

It wasn't until today while putting away my climbing gear until next year (I severely injured both my wrists so my climbing season is done for the year Frown) that I noticed a cable coated in transparent yellow plastic at the bottom of the box.

IT'S A 0.85HY BASIC CAM!!!

Here's some pics:

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1560-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1564-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1565.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1567-1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s230/SummitWind/Totem%20Basic%20Cam/CIMG1570.jpg[/IMG]

I guess I should get in touch with Totem MT and see what they want me to do with it.
Is it just me, or do the totem basics look much more "unfinished" than the other totem cams? When i got my totem, everything on it screamed high end, just as it seemed in the pictures, whereas those do look like they came out of an ukraininian post cold war workshop …
Seems like they are true to the original…

qwert

The Basic cams are modeled after cams made in a Wyoming shack. How nice do you expect them to look? How nice do you want them to look?

The guys at Totem have told me that the cam is a thank you present for my support! Smile

Thanks guys!


shockabuku


Nov 15, 2011, 5:14 AM
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Re: [Khoi] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Looks like Fixe is getting ready to release theirs.

http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03


mattm


Nov 15, 2011, 7:51 PM
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Re: [shockabuku] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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shockabuku wrote:
Looks like Fixe is getting ready to release theirs.

http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03


Already out. Spotted at Rock and Snow for $80ea. See thread on MP somewhere...


USnavy


Nov 15, 2011, 8:17 PM
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Re: [mattm] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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mattm wrote:
shockabuku wrote:
Looks like Fixe is getting ready to release theirs.

http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03


Already out. Spotted at Rock and Snow for $80ea. See thread on MP somewhere...
There are everywhere in Spain. I saw a shop that had them for sale today and two shops that had them for sale the other day. Fixe downgraded their strength ratings to a much more accurate and realistic 10 kN for the grey and 6 kN for the blue. I dident see the ratings on the other colors though.
But at 75 euros a cam, I am going to say F that.


(This post was edited by USnavy on Nov 15, 2011, 8:20 PM)


shockabuku


Nov 15, 2011, 8:37 PM
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Re: [USnavy] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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USnavy wrote:
mattm wrote:
shockabuku wrote:
Looks like Fixe is getting ready to release theirs.

http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03


Already out. Spotted at Rock and Snow for $80ea. See thread on MP somewhere...
There are everywhere in Spain. I saw a shop that had them for sale today and two shops that had them for sale the other day. Fixe downgraded their strength ratings to a much more accurate and realistic 10 kN for the grey and 6 kN for the blue. I dident see the ratings on the other colors though.
But at 75 euros a cam, I am going to say F that.

Interesting. Their website lists the blue at 11kN and the black at 9kN which does seem pretty high.


USnavy


Nov 15, 2011, 10:38 PM
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Re: [shockabuku] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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shockabuku wrote:
USnavy wrote:
mattm wrote:
shockabuku wrote:
Looks like Fixe is getting ready to release theirs.

http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03


Already out. Spotted at Rock and Snow for $80ea. See thread on MP somewhere...
There are everywhere in Spain. I saw a shop that had them for sale today and two shops that had them for sale the other day. Fixe downgraded their strength ratings to a much more accurate and realistic 10 kN for the grey and 6 kN for the blue. I dident see the ratings on the other colors though.
But at 75 euros a cam, I am going to say F that.

Interesting. Their website lists the blue at 11kN and the black at 9kN which does seem pretty high.
Yep, I saw that too. But today I saw a blue Alien with a stamp on the swage "6 kN". It was clear as day. The grey said 10 kN.


USnavy


Nov 15, 2011, 10:44 PM
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rhyang


Nov 15, 2011, 11:24 PM
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Re: [USnavy] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Nope, it's $59.95 USD. Bought a yellow not too long ago. Shipped from Portland, OR to CA.


sungam


Nov 16, 2011, 8:28 AM
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USnavy wrote:
patto wrote:
Thanks for the great post maldaly. You're an asset to the community. Smile

maldaly wrote:
I'm also very very skeptical of hitting the $65 target price. When we were negotiating with Dave to buy CCH, we took samples to China for a quote after being unable to find anyone who would touch them in the USA. The best quote we got for 25,000 units was LOC, $32 FOB China. Going through the normal distribution steps would make them a $150 cam. Now I know that Spain's economy is in the toilet but I'll bet it still costs more to produce in Spain than it does in China. So, like I said, I'm skeptical.

Great insight into the manufacturing of consumer products. However this all begs the question, if what you say is the case, how can Totem sell their Alien imitation cams for $59.95? They don't seem too dissimilar in design.

http://www.totemcams.com/...dex.php?id=1&f=2
If you are getting that $59.95 figure from their site you should note that they are 59.95 EUROS, not to be confused with dollars. The euro is worth over 130% what the dollar is worth. Than you have to tack on the retarded VAT tax that seems to apply to everyone, even international buyers. Than the international fee your bank is going to charge to convert dollars to euros. You are than looking at over $100 per cam.
It's prolly $60 in both Euros and USD. Prolly £60 as well. Welcome to Europe - who needs a free market when MPs could have a moat?


sethg


Nov 16, 2011, 1:20 PM
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Re: [sungam] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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I bought a full set of Totem Basics. They are $59.95, in dollars. No VAT, no fee for conversion to Euros. I don't think US Navy knows what he's talking about in this instance.


USnavy


Nov 16, 2011, 1:32 PM
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Re: [sethg] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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sethg wrote:
I bought a full set of Totem Basics. They are $59.95, in dollars. No VAT, no fee for conversion to Euros. I don't think US Navy knows what he's talking about in this instance.
I see what happened. When you view the item on their website and start the checkout process, it lists the item as 60 euros and says you need to pay VAT. But when you enter your address in and change the country to USA, than the site updates and changes to 60 dollars and removes the VAT charge. You have to go through the checkout process to see that though as the item is listed as 60 euros everywhere else on the site.


(This post was edited by USnavy on Nov 16, 2011, 1:36 PM)


Partner cracklover


Nov 16, 2011, 5:25 PM
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Re: [rhyang] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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rhyang wrote:
Nope, it's $59.95 USD. Bought a yellow not too long ago. Shipped from Portland, OR to CA.

That's fricken awesome. Almost unbelievable, actually.

GO


mattm


Nov 17, 2011, 6:15 PM
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cracklover wrote:
rhyang wrote:
Nope, it's $59.95 USD. Bought a yellow not too long ago. Shipped from Portland, OR to CA.

That's fricken awesome. Almost unbelievable, actually.

GO

totem got a US "distributor" so they could ship UPS rather than Spanish Postal. I assume this was to keep up with increasing demand and reduce their shipping expenses.

I have the full set of Basic Cams (and their Totems)

I did a write up here: http://www.mountainproject.com/...s-are-here/107323970


USnavy


Nov 20, 2011, 6:20 PM
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Re: [] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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Here they are:



choo_choo


Nov 29, 2011, 3:18 AM
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Re: Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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The Aliens made by Fixe can be seen here: http://www.techrock.es/index.php?mmod=shoptr03

They are for sale at a bunch of US stores including Rock & Snow for $80 each.


(This post was edited by choo_choo on Nov 29, 2011, 3:20 AM)


iron106


Dec 17, 2012, 4:33 PM
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Anybody using these? Good no good?


shimanilami


Dec 17, 2012, 8:58 PM
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Re: [iron106] Aliens, by Fixe-Faders [In reply to]
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I saw them in a store. They look and feel like all the other Aliens I own. Pretty much identical as far as I can tell.


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