Why We Like The Zero Friend Cam
Wild Country's Friend has been a comrade to trad climbers since 1977. Now lighter than ever, the newer Zero Friend Cam joins our rack for when we encounter those shallower placements on routes that were once thought unclimbable. With a narrow head, these devices fit into thinner cracks, pockets, and even pin scars.
Details
- Original camming device updated for modern trad climbing
- High-friction machined cam faces offer serious bite
- Double axle design for greater expansion ability
- Extendable sling expands for deeper placement
- Single stem with armored metal plates offers a stiff flex
- Ergonomic thumb loop provides added stability
- Item #WDCB050
- Material
- [sling] Dyneema
- Placement Range
- [0.1] 0.33 - 0.52in [0.2] 0.41 - 0.62in [0.3] 0.54 - 0.88in [0.4] 0.62 - 1.02in [0.5] 0.80 - 1.3in [0.75] 1 - 1.58in
- Strength
- [0.1] 5kN [0.2] 6kN [0.3] 8kN [0.4] 10kN (sling doubled/extended) [0.5, 0.75] 12kN (sling doubled), 10kN (sling extended)
- Cam Lobes
- 4
- Axle
- dual
- Stem
- single, flexible
- Includes
- 10mm Dyneema extendable sling
- Claimed Weight
- [0.1] 1.8oz [0.2] 2.05oz [0.3] 2.42oz [0.4] 2.49oz [0.5] 2.71oz [0.75] 2.91oz
- Recommended Use
- trad climbing
- Manufacturer Warranty
- lifetime
Reviews
Q&A
What do you think about this product?
Overall Rating
4.5 based on 8 ratings
Review Summary
View
Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageOctober 16, 2024
Wild country zero friemds
I used the .3 and .4 zero friends in city of rocks on granite and they worked perfectly. I used them on both horizontal and vertical placements . I also like the extendable sling that they come with. The heads are narrow and worked great in small cracks and pockets.
Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
August 24, 2023
Zero Friend
good integrity, slightly gunky trigger action, similar to BD Z4’s but probably a bit more confidence inspiring
Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
August 11, 2023
Zero Friends are awesome little cams
Zero Friend cams are light, narrow and useful. I use them alongside CCH Aliens on my rack. I really like the extendable sling. It extends enough that I can often save a draw for later in the lead. The stem and trigger are about perfect. Easy to place, even with big fingers.
Originally reviewed on ExpertVoice.com
May 11, 2021
I have to say I have taken many whips on the blue .3 size that I bought and it is super confidence inspiring. I have the DMM dragonflies and the new Aliens as well to compare these to. I really like how flexible the aliens and dragonflies are however the more rigid stem of the zero friend does help when freeclimbing hard terrain when you press the trigger and the cam doesn't move as much as the other two... They still aren't fully rigid like a C3 or TCU so they don't walk easily.. They did a great job finding that middle ground between being flexible and rigid.
Originally reviewed on wildcountry.com
April 30, 2021
awesome little cam, surprised these haven't made as big a splash as the other micro cams coming out. I bought the .1-.3 and they feel like a mix between the new Z4 and the X4. they dont hold completely rigid when the trigger is pulled but on the smaller sizes that hasn't mattered much. on the upside, the head width is TINY which is crazy for how strong they are. Great cams!
Originally reviewed on wildcountry.com
November 24, 2020
I got these to compare to the Z4s and I have to say that they haven’t held up as well. I took them up a bigwall and they have permanent kinks in them that make it very difficult to actuate the mechanism.
Originally reviewed on wildcountry.com
October 21, 2020
I have to say a little disappointed with these cams. I have recently switched all my old Bd cams to the friends and have been very happy. But... the zero friends have not bode well for me. I have put very little use on them and my yellow and red both already have lobe issues and not from major falls. The other negative is the stems are very very floppy the whole cam will bend when squeezing the trigger similar to the x4’s I wish the stem was more rigid and they were tougher. I don’t think I will get much more use out of them unfortunately...
Originally reviewed on wildcountry.com
August 13, 2020
I purchased a full set of these a few months ago and, so far, I really like them. I have a double rack of the friends, and I really like that the zero friends overlap the bottom three sizes. Similar to the friends, I really like the extendable slings. I think the friends are great cams, but I almost always find myself racking these instead of the smaller friends. The narrow head width is great. I had the chance to climb with the zero friends, X4s, and Z4s in the same day. The head width is just about the same. The zero friends are much stiffer than the X4s and slightly less stiff than the Z4s. The zero friends seem a bit better made (all metal) than the Z4s. I have a set of X4s and I haven't used them since I got the zero friends. I've taken a couple solid falls on the larger sizes and haven't fallen on the smaller sizes yet. The metal is a little softer than the friends, and seems to be a similar hardness to totem cams. I found some minor dents when I whipped on one, but the softer metal seems to provide good holding power with less surface area. I would recommend these to a friend and am considering a second set. The trigger action on some of the sizes isn't as smooth as I would like, but not to the point that it is noticeable when I am climbing and placing the cams.
Originally reviewed on wildcountry.com
Do you have a question about this product?
Related Categories