Ball nuts
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I've only started to trad lead in the last year, and like most everybody I know who's tried it; I fell instantly in love. And like most newbies, I love to read and learn about it. So I thought I'd look for wisdom on the MP forums :) |
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I have ball nuts and haven't used them yet in a week of climbing since I got them. The way I see them is sometimes they're the only option, and I'm the type of person who would rather have options than runouts, so I'll bring them in my pack in case the route calls for it. I think (and this is just my guess) that they become more relevant once you get into the higher ratings and the cracks may be smaller. I've heard they're less durable. I'd still rather waste some money by falling on a ball nut than risk my health by falling on nothing. I think they're especially good for aid climbing where the force won't be as great. I've never placed one, like I said, but I think they go smaller than the micro cams. |
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There are certain situations where having ball nuts are great-where you wont get any other gear or really have to fight for gear. LCC has some routes that are perfect with them and hard to protect without. I have the first three sizes and don't think I would get any of the bigger ones, unless I had a very specific need. |
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Ballnuts are specialty pieces which (in the two smallest sizes) can provide protection in thin cracks that won't take the smallest cams. They are tricky to place, potentially unstable, and can be difficult to clean. If you intend to rely on them, you'll have to practice and test placements quite a bit to get a feel for what will and will not work. You can't just plug 'em in, so (on harder climbs) you need both mental and physical fortitude to hang on and get them placed correctly. |
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I've had them on my rack for years although I'll use 'bigger pieces if I can. |
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SexPanther aka Kiedis wrote: ^^^^The blind leading the blind. I've used them for a decade, they go up many, many pitches a year with me. I've commented so many times about these, it feels redundant to go into it yet again. Healy's post is quality. Like any other gear, try it for yourself rather than relying on a bunch of total strangers to do your thinking and experiencing for you. For the record, I feel like this should be posted in beginner climbers.I wrote the disclaimers about my experience in the post--you're just being redundant. It would have been useful if you had instead pointed out what is or isn't true about my post. Are they sometimes the only option? Does having them sometimes help protect what would otherwise be a runout? Do they become more relevant at higher ratings when the routes may consist more of smaller cracks (this is due to my observation that the thinner finger cracks tend to be rated harder)? Don't people complain about their durability? Aren't particularly good for aid? Do they go smaller than micro cams? Here's a new opinion: if I had to choose aliens blue-red vs ball nuts 1-3, I'd rather have the aliens. |
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Pontoon wrote: I wrote the disclaimers about my experience in the post--you're just being redundant.So was your post; your inexperience makes your opinion not matter. |
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Nice, so now we're calling reply #1 (mine) redundant. Did I repeat information the OP somehow presented? All the while, you're redundantly calling my post worthless due to my inexperience, which is exactly what SexPanther aka Kiedis did. Therefore, you've added yet another redundant post to this thread. How about you experienced folks add some real value to this thread by either telling the OP more or correcting me? My opinions aren't haphazardly constructed. They're the result of research in books and online, and I asked for numerous peoples' opinions before buying them. So far I went a week of climbing every day without wishing I had them--that in and of itself should be useful info for the OP. I also don't regret buying them. |
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I got a set after years of curiosity. Carried them for a full season, didn't place them very often. Now I don't carry them unless I'm specifically expecting to want them. |
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yes but has Bearbreeder whipped all over them in Squamish? |
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SexPanther aka Kiedis wrote: You said you preferred a blue-red alien placement over a #1-3 Ballnut. This is roughly equivalent to saying that you prefer a #12 Valley Giant over a 00 TCU. There is no overlap between placements of blue aliens and any of the smallest three sizes of ballnutz, which would be obvious if you were out climbing on this gear rather than advising people on subjects which you are clearly poorly informed on.You misinterpreted my post and created a straw man in the process. What I wrote was "if I had to choose aliens blue-red vs ball nuts 1-3, I'd rather have the aliens." I wrote "have", and I meant "possess," not "place." If you had read more carefully, I wrote "... but I think they go smaller than the micro cams." But no, I must be operating under the assumption that the smallest ball nuts (which I own) are the same size range as the aliens (which I own). |
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Pontoon wrote:Nice, so now we're calling reply #1 (mine) redundant. Did I repeat information the OP somehow presented? All the while, you're redundantly calling my post worthless due to my inexperience, which is exactly what SexPanther aka Kiedis did.Pontoon, may I respectfully suggest that this would be a good time for you to gracefully bow out? You really have no reason to take offense; by your own admission, you expressed an opinion on a piece of gear you've never used, and the resulting responses you've gotten have been unusually civil by internet standards. Just let it go. JL |
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SexPanther aka Kiedis wrote:Sax, we been trolled, brah.Maybe. But I did enjoy your valley giant/TCU analogy. JL |
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Pontoon wrote: You misinterpreted my post and created a straw man in the process. What I wrote was "if I had to choose aliens blue-red vs ball nuts 1-3, I'd rather have the aliens." I wrote "have", and I meant "possess," not "place." If you had read more carefully, I wrote "... but I think they go smaller than the micro cams." But no, I must be operating under the assumption that the smallest ball nuts (which I own) are the same size range as the aliens (which I own).So your point was that in general you find finger sized cams more useful than the three smallest ball nuts? Pretty solid troll post. 3 stars out of 5. |
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Ryan Watts wrote: So your point was that in general you find finger sized cams more useful than the three smallest ball nuts? Pretty solid troll post. 3 stars out of 5.So what your saying is, Blue Alien is finger size for you? The three smallest sizes are on my RP rack. They come in useful but are finicky. Indispensable when the seam/crack flares in. RGold had a great write up about placing them. Look higher up. |
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rocknice2 wrote: So what your saying is, Blue Alien is finger size for you? The three smallest sizes are on my RP rack. They come in useful but are finicky. Indispensable when the seam/crack flares in. RGold had a great write up about placing them. Look higher up.Cool thanks I missed RGold's post since I always read threads from the bottom. |
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MJMobes wrote:yes but has Bearbreeder whipped all over them in Squamish? this is what really matters here, everything else is complete nonsense.personal attacks here little one? youre the one giving your "expert" advice on link cams when you dont own and use em =P as to ball nutz, i dont own em and have rarely used em ;) |
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They are nice on discontinuous cracks, for placements too narrow for micro-cams. The range maybe the same, but the head is way narrower than of cams but they go in deeper. As Rgold's post states though, you need good stances to place them so they are not very good pieces for very sustained climbing. I have whipped on the #3 before. I'd rather whip on a small ballnut than on a hand-size Link cam. Also, CAMP and Trango ballnutz are made at the same factory I was told, they're the same except for the colors I think... |
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If you've ever thought to yourself "that route has lots of thin cracks that are easier to reach, it would be nice if I had something to plug in there" or "if i could protect a few of those thinner spots I could save that cam for further up" Ballnuts are your pieces. ***braces for the inevitable rebuttal*** |
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After buying sizes 1-3 I don't know how I survived without them. They go in places nuts won't, and the #3 looks way stronger than a triple zero cam.
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I own and have fallen on the 2 smallest sizes. They are on my micro pro biner with my BD micro offsets. Amazingly, the ballnuts are all rated at 8kn whereas only the biggest BD micro is 8kn. The nut looks so much beefier! Weight, strength, depth of crack- they are good IMHO. |