Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which CCH cams are affected by the recall?
2. What is the exact defect?
3. How long will it take to receive my replacement cams?
4. How was this issue discovered?
5. Why were these cams marked with a "center punch dimple?" What purpose did this mark serve?
6. Have there been any reported or tested stem brazing failures of cams without the "center punch dimple?"
7. What is CCH doing to prevent this type of defect from happening again?
8. What are the strength ratings of my CCH Alien cams?

1) Which CCH cams are affected by the recall?

You can identify the defective cams by looking for a small center punch dimple at the base of the round ball (where the axle goes through the cable eye). If your cam has this punch dimple, it should be returned to CCH for a replacement or repair. Mail your defective cams to: Colorado Custom Hardware Inc. ATTN: Brazing Recall 115 East Lyon Street Laramie, WY 82072

2) What is the exact defect?

The defective cams had an issue with the brazing where the head of the cable attached to the head of the cam.

This defect allowed the cable eye to separate from the head of the cam below the specified strength rating for each CCH Alien cams. CCH Alien cams are designed so that when tested on a machine, the cable will break instead of pulling out of the cable eye. We will also be publishing a report about this issue by a metallurgist on our website at http://aliencamsbycch.com/recall in the near future.

3) How long will it take to receive my replacement cams?

Currently our turn around time is ten days. However, this can be affected by the number of recalled cams received at any one time. Please call ahead to check if your request is urgent.

4) How was this issue discovered?

A CCH customer first identified this issue and reported it to the online community, www.rockclimbing.com. Over the next few days, we worked hard to verify and isolate this defect. Thankfully, very few failure incidents have been reported with these cams.

5) Why were these cams marked with a "center punch dimple?" What purpose did this mark serve?

The center punch was an identifying marker for the company that made the braze. This mark did not serve any technical purpose; it was used only for identification.

6) Have there been any reported or tested stem brazing failures of cams without the "center punch dimple?"

No, cams without the center punch dimple have not been found to have brazing issues and are not included in this recall.

7) What is CCH doing to prevent this type of defect from happening again?

CCH is currently working on implementing an ISO 9000 quality management system. To prevent this specific issue we are pull testing every brazed cable to the specified strength rating. You can verify that the new CCH Alien cams manufactured after January 2006 have completed cable pull testing by locating an "L", "U" or "N" punch on the head of the cam. We have also implemented new jig testing to verify that Alien cams meet specified tolerances. For those interested in the technical details of this recall, we will be publishing our analysis over the next few weeks on our website http://aliencamsbycch.com/recall.

8) What are the strength ratings of my CCH Alien cams?