Check your Aliens out

Everything and anything to do with climbing in Squamish.
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tattooed_climber
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Check your Aliens out

Post by tattooed_climber » Thu Jan 12, 2006 8:52 am

Looks like there will be a recall happening, REI and MGear down in the states have pulled all their Aliens as well Mgear has done testing where 3 of 9 aliens broke well under max strength ratings....REI did their recall due to inproper drilled lobes, but due to "3?" (atleast one recorded on rc.com) the cables being ripped out from the head (bosched silver brazing?)thats how the 3 aliens from mgear failed.

here's the skinny from RCcola.com:

Orange Alien CCH(CHECK THE PICS OUT)

Aliens Testing results by Mountain Gear


CCH response to alleged defect

REI recall Orange Alien

rei/mgear no longer selling aliens?


CCH Alien reality check


nothing about batch numbers have come up..so far, a batch of ORANGE Aliens were inproperly drilled (they had literally a 1.4 inch range) , and over course the fcuktup silver brazing (showing up on just again the ORANGE alien, but assume its happening with all new

so, if ya bought aliens in the last 3 months, question them and temp. retire them until all the facts are out...
Nothing like the sound of thumpin' a piton first thing in the morning...

erock
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Post by erock » Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:19 pm

I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that the retailer is recalling the cams before CCH announces a recall...Is CCH really that lame?

I haven't read alot into the posts and banter on RC.com but i'm guessing for now only the orange alien is being recalled. Still dosent instill confidence in the blue, green, yellow, red and grey ones i own.

:shock:

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tattooed_climber
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Post by tattooed_climber » Thu Jan 12, 2006 12:53 pm

there was a another thread started on rc.com...another retailer is doing retails (name not posted since i checked last)..there's a red dot or mark on the swags (it said base of the cable)

yah, cch is really coming to the party late...i've heard stories of their legendary cust. serv....but now?.....

it said in the mgear test, it was 9 different sized cams from different batchs....including hybrids (and i just got my first alien in the mail today, a yellow/green hybrid....batch # 1205 aka made last month)
Nothing like the sound of thumpin' a piton first thing in the morning...

erock
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Post by erock » Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:16 pm

I'm just wondering if your new cam has that mystical dimple that the guy from CCH says are on the defective cams???

I have a blue alien (purchased this year) that has very slight, (but none the less there), dimples on the center of the bulb on the axle. Compaired to the other ones i own the brazing actually looks like crap. I can even see a gap in it.

I'm gonna try to take a picture of it.

anyways, any updates are greatly appreciated.

Eric.

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Post by tattooed_climber » Thu Jan 12, 2006 9:36 pm

yes my cam has the dipple...and before i heard about the "dipple" i took my cam into the shop and under better lighting and with a scope (the one i use to inspect welds at work) found the brazing to be sh*t...gaps between the head and "puddle" (the braze, i'm not sure of the industry standard for it is ; the term) as well of other tell tale signs of a "weak weld" which apply here too (air bubbles, cracks, etc)...

i'm curious to know if an outside contractor is responsible for this, there are new cams out there without the dipple, so i'm thinking non-cch equipment made the dipples during the brazing process...i guess the subcontract fcuktup and never did QC...but why didn't CCH? whatever....i've been talking WAYYY too much about this over here, rc.com, email, phone, in person....gawd, took the day off work and look at what happens...
Nothing like the sound of thumpin' a piton first thing in the morning...

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