Hey people,

I'm a relatively new trad climber and looking for some opinions on DMM walnuts versus BD stoppers. I have a
set of DMM offsets and think they are magic, and feel the walnuts would be just as good with the cutout down the middle.

I have a set of BD stoppers and find them ok. Should I get a set of walnuts?

I have a set of DMM peanuts as well and find that they don't seem to fit that well in the rock I climb.

Cheers

Jason

I greatly prefer my wall nuts to my stoppers.

yes definitely get wallnuts, look into gettign some brassies too i used them in a pebbley uneven crack, im also liking bd c3s more and more.

I certainly prefer the wallnuts to stoppers. The carve out in the middle definitely increases placement options. The only real negative is that it makes them marginally harder to clean sometimes. I find myself using a nut tool slightly more often with wallnuts, as the rip upward thing doesn't work as much.

Thanks for the advice. What brassies would you reccomend? Was thinking DMM I.MP's?

Jason

DMM, i dont go below 6 kn size cos i dont aide per say (well i do pull on gear sometimes and place above my head most of the time if you consider it aiding :)) they are pricey and hard to clean sometimes but surely eat into the rock with the metal being softer. I have also seen "lead Heads" i think they are even softer. im my opinion its better to lose a nut than a cam , cheaper , but in a pinch if you have a bomber nut placement is what counts. When you tug on them to set them just be considerate of how soft they are.
p.s . i have a 4kn brass i think but i dont place it, if i did i would definitely back it up and use it as omg piece

climb like you've got brass nutts!

DMM nuts are the snizell for all shapes and sizes. Yes, perhaps a tad harder to clean so have your partner get one of those Wild Country nut tools with the coiled leash. They can just let it dangle when following. Otherwise, they will torque the piss out of your wires.

depends on what yr used to and what rock you climb ... i use wallnuts and offsets myself, but i know way better climbers than i who swear by BD stoppers ...

go out, try the ones out on yr partners rack, and see if you like it ...

its not an internet fashion statement to go with the herd ;)

Jason,
If you don't like your peenuts I'll take them from ya...

I like the Frost Sentinel nuts myself.

www.frostworksclimbing.com/sentinel.html

Hey Randy,

I would be interested in selling the pea nuts but as I live a short distance from where the original Crocodile Dundee movie was filmed, ie. NT, Australia. The freight costs from this end are huge.

I'll be getting some walnuts, just need to find an online USA retailer that has stock. I priced a set from 1-11 in Aus at $187.00!

DMM offsets blow them all out of the water!!!

That sounds about right. If you are planning a trip to the US in the future its still cheaper to buy gear here on sale and mail it to your homeland. Best of luck!

Metolius curve nuts (actually straight down the taper and curved the other direction) have a very special feature that they always have the same "set" friction due to their straight taper and are very easy to place, yet are extremely stable due to their three point contact like a normal bd nut. I believe this to be the ideal nut design, not many people give them enough consideration.

With a set of offsets already and BDs, you don't really need wallnuts. If you want them, sell your BDs and buy some. Not needed, though. I do like my wallnuts, offsets (set minus the two largest) and peenuts, though.

Still have my Chouinard stoppers I bought in 1975, have the curved ones as well.

BUT, I love my DMM Wallnuts. The small groove keeps them in placements that a smooth or just curved will not stay.

Brits place about a billion times the amount of nuts as most Americans I've climbed with. It makes sense that they'd make the best passive pro.

I don't leave the ground here (UK) w/o a full set of Wallnuts and a full set of DMM Offsets. Different climbing areas warrant different racks, but I pretty much always have at least 16 or so stoppers from DMM and usually more.

Keep the opinions coming people! Would also like some brass nut advice?

Indeed, I've had many a discussion with my US trained mates about putting 5 wires at a time on a biner. I usually pre-quickdraw my wires because I know I'm going to use them first before the cams, that way they're ready to go and I don't have to do the sizing fumble thingy with the prospect of dropping 5 wires instead of just one.

its all preference in the end- you like what you like. i used to like BD, then I moved to the Metolius Curve Nut and never looked back. I've climbed on every stopper made (just about) and for regulars, I prefer Metolius because they are straight on their large face and curved on the small, making them better suited for my tastes.

That said, I never leave the ground without a set of DMM/HB offsets, brass and aluminum. Those are gold.

I started out with a set of Wallnuts but now I prefer Wild Country Rocks for my most commonly used sizes (gold to black). I think the difference between nut performance is very small, though. For me, it comes down mostly to the kinesthetic pleasure of placing one nut brand over another.

I love my walnuts and peenuts. The latter work well in goofy flared placements.

On the topic of the offset alloys - my largest size is the red and I was wondering how often you guys place the larger grey or blue? I place the red a decent amount, but those other ones seem pretty big for an offset to be used often.