Stainless
steel spring wire, instead of flexible cable trigger wires, ensures
that the head of the
cam doesn't flop around when you reach up to place it. The solid
trigger wires also stabilize the head of the cam when pushing it up a
crack - a very valuable trait in an offwidth cam. Large cams with
flexible trigger wires tend to be difficult to push up a crack. The
head starts to rotate to one side, tilting further and further, until
the lobes snap all the way open and the cam falls out of the crack.
When you push a Valley Giant, the head stays symmetric and stable,
never tilting to one side or the other.
Designing
any sort of device for reliable use outdoors, in rain and snow,
necessarily implies using corrosion-resistant materials. So, from the
very beginning, all Valley Giant steel components have been ASTM
302/304 grade stainless steel, including the cam springs. Using
stainless steel also means you don't need to use any type of silicone
spray, WD-40, TriFlow or other lubricant to keep corrosion at bay.
Those lubricants tend to attract dust and dirt, and quickly impair the
smooth operation of a climbing cam. A properly designed cam, like the
Valley Giant, works best without any sort of grit-attracting oily spray.
Silver Brazed
Cable Fittings
The
stainless steel aircraft cable loop is joined to the axle fittings by
silver brazing to a depth of 3/4" (19mm). To ensure 100%
reliability of all brazed joints, a tiny vent hole is drilled into each
cable fitting. The brazing alloy only flows from the
vent hole after the joint is completely filled, and this tiny circle of
silver alloy, visible on the cable fitting, is your guarantee that the
process was done correctly. The Valley Giant #12 incorporates another
unique feature: the cable itself is brazed solid for a few inches near
the fittings, creating inflexible rods. This ensures that the long
cable legs don't buckle when the trigger is pulled.