Camso (formally Camoplast) has had relatively the same track design for the last 7 or so years with only minor changes. Only in last 2-3 years have other track manufacturers, such as Kimpex designed tracks that are very similar to the 4s. What this means is that Camso was doing something right and in the real world would easily outperform any other kit. IMO, Kimpex is a mediocre product compared to the premium Camso. Camoplast has been extremely good to us as far as customer service including warrantying parts on a track system several years out of warranty.
Be very careful on how kits are advertised. Although one kit may sound cheaper, it probably doesn't have the adapter kit including the correct hub or anti-rotation brackets.
Be aware that tracks are a completely different animal than tires and will require you to change your riding technique, especially during the warmer months. Unless you have friends that also have tracked atvs to ride with or enough utility purposes, I would stay clear. That being said, they are the best money ever spent.
Thank you for the feedback, I def appreciate it. There are a significant investment so I wanted to hit up some current owners of these products to see how they like them and how well they have performed, and hold up, repairs etc.
I do a lot of trapping in late March and I think a set of these would work great with a heavy snow base already in place. I would take these tracks off in the late Spring every year and re-install the tires. I don't intend on running them full time.
I believe KIMPEX was building kits about 5-6 years before CAMOPLAST, but like you said, I have noticed that those two particular models (4S Camso/WS4 Kimpex) have looked incredibly similar for the last 3-4 years that's why I started inquiring, asking mechanics, making some calls etc.
They're both out of Quebec, appears that JPT makes the frames for both, and the guts of a Camso system is Kimpex wheels at a bare min. There's also Camso rubber on their 4S system obviously and Kimpex rubber on the on the WS4 series. The total track length is just a bit longer on the KIMPEX so the frame has to be a little bit different but I certainly cannot tell the diff looking at the two systems side by side. That's got to be a patent thing or something to keep from being sued , I'm telling you they are practically identical. The track is a bit wider on the Kimpex on the front and rear also than the Camso. They both have the anti-rotation device etc on both models, I'm telling you the only diff you can see is one frame is painted black, while the other is gray. If you break something on your set, your dealer will be ordering replacement parts from Kimpex, that's what really peaked my curiosity. I'm still of the opinion right now that KIMPEX is building practically the same setup for CAMSO.
I wish I could get ahold of someone with the WS4 system before I pull the trigger on a set of Camso's because right now all I can see is I'm paying another middle man his cut on the Camso's for a product that has to perform almost as well or maybe even better with a slightly larger footprint. I have heard nothing negative whatsoever on the Tatou 4 S setups, in fact everyone seems to love theirs and hold up very well altogether.
Again, thank you very much for the info, I really appreciate the feedback folks. At least one guy right now in my hunting club already has a set of the Camso's and loves them. I'm quite likely to buy the same thing because they have such good results with them. I'm going to wait a couple of more weeks and ask some more questions before I pull the trigger. The tracks for the KIMPEX WS4 are $2649 retail and the adapter kit for the 14 Grizz I'm running is $520. The Camso setup is $3899 right now including the adapter kit retail, so I'm seeing $700-ish diff which smells incredibly like a middle man and extra set of shipping costs to absorb into a final price for a consumer.
