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Spring loaded nut tool on Kickstarter

Original Post
Corey Herbert · · Baltimore, MD · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 0

Saw this on Kickstarter. $53 for a nut tool is a little more than I would pay, but it's a cool idea.

Little Hammer

Scott Bissi · · Cazenovia, New York · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 5

Cool concept for sure !

JoeLars41 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 60

Oh, man. I NEED one.

Brian Waller · · Nevada · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 30

That's pretty slick

Shelton Hatfield · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 650

It has me wondering two things:

How much does it weigh?
and
How well does it stand up to being bashed with a rock?

But yes, I want one

Jplotz · · Cashmere, WA · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 1,315

As someone who booties two to three full sets of stoppers and a handful of cams per climbing season, I highly recommend people NOT support this kickstarter project.

lozo bozo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 30

Neat idea but It dosent seem like it would be strong enough to remove a stopper that got fallen on

Tyler Tworek · · Nederland, CO · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 85
headead wrote:Neat idea but It dosent seem like it would be strong enough to remove a stopper that got fallen on
Yeah I tend to agree. I'd love to see a demo of that. If it does that, I'll buy one.
Sean Haynes · · Los Angeles · Joined Aug 2015 · Points: 102

It weighs 4 1/2oz's..
It also doesn't look to be that strong. Great idea from a designer/climber but he really needs to source funding for further research and development. He doesn't talk about any force that the little hammer can generate. This thing doesn't look like it would do much if you really get pro jammed.

Would be cool if someone picked up on the idea and helped him out.

Marc801 C · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 65
headead wrote:Neat idea but It dosent seem like it would be strong enough to remove a stopper that got fallen on
sean.haynes wrote:It also doesn't look to be that strong. This thing doesn't look like it would do much if you really get pro jammed.
How can you guys possibly make that judgement from the photos and videos? It's stainless and definitely thicker than my old circa 1990 Leeper nut tool.
aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300

Seem like a pretty cool idea. Most of the time it only takes a little tap for the second to get a nut out (or it should). The "hammer" doesn't have to generate a lot of force unless your leader is one who likes to yank on the nut so hard they get it stuck every time. If the nut has been fallen on, then it's not likely the second can get it out with one hand anyway. In that case, the second most likely have to hang on the rope, and use something heavier (a biner, a belay device, etc) to tap on the nut tool.

I'd like to see two small changes to the design:

1. a little notch at the tip of the nut tool to set against a nut. The current rounded shape make it easier to slip off the nut when you try to tap on it.

2. a flat end on the other side so I can use something heavy to tap on it for really stuck nut.

Shelton Hatfield · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 650
Marc801 wrote: How can you guys possibly make that judgement from the photos and videos? It's stainless and definitely thicker than my old circa 1990 Leeper nut tool.
I don't think they're questioning the strength of the steel if that was your assumption. I think people are more concerned if its "kick" will be strong enough to remove really stuck nuts. But yes, impossible to tell from the video, although the way his hand trembles as he's pulling it back does hint at the spring being quite strong (or his hands being quite weak, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt).

I would also like to see a flat butt on the tool for bashing the palm against, but I suppose the idea is that you won't need to do that. And perhaps the designer considered it but instead chose to focus on the "reverse impact hook", deeming a comfortable palm-bashing surface unnecessary.

I'd be curious to see if the creator has or will address the concern of removing a fallen on nut with the device.
lozo bozo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 30
Shelton Hatfield wrote: I don't think they're questioning the strength of the steel if that was your assumption. I think people are more concerned if its "kick" will be strong enough to remove really stuck nuts.
Yep thats what I was wondering.
Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492

Would be fun to see what it can do. One concern I have based only on watching the video - it appears that the knurled brass part of the tool is what moves when the trigger is activated; an action similar to how a slide hammer works. That can be quite effective, but in this case it means the climber must hold the very bottom inch or two of the tool and not the brass part. (Holding the brass part - which looks like the logical grip, given the texture on it - will actually cause the tip to move away from the target). I think the natural tendency is for the frustrated climber to hold tightly to the beefiest part of a tool when wrestling with stuck bits of gear.

All empty speculation on my part of course. Time will hopefully tell if this is the next "must have" bit of kit.

Eric and Lucie · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 140

Cool! I had the exact same idea a couple years ago. Even bought materials to make a prototype but never got around to it. Happy to see that someone else will hopefully make it a reality.
I for one am convinced it will be very effective. what matters is how sharp the blow is. It does not take much effort to remove a stuck nut as long as you get a really sharp hit with even a very small rock on a nut tool. This should do the same, but with just one hand.

djh860 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 110

Silly idea

Matt Kuehl · · Las Vegas · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 1,712

Good concept, but I would have to test it out before purchasing. It could be worth the cost considering the price of Brass offsets is constantly increasing. Perhaps a more versatile nut tool will save lazy followers from kinking the wires by yanking the wire up to the point of needing early replacement. Outside of thin clean aid cleaning I don't see much of a demand though.

20 kN · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,346

I dont see much need for it. You can generate the same effect by tapping on the end of your nut tool with a large cam, which is what I typically do and it works fine.

aikibujin · · Castle Rock, CO · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 300
20 kN wrote:You can generate the same effect by tapping on the end of your nut tool with a large cam.
Can you do that one-handed?

My initial reaction was exactly the same as yours, but then I realized this "little hammer" is meant to be used one-handed to take out nuts that were set pretty well, but not stuck. The only time I need to use something heavy to tap the end of the nut tool is when the nut is really stuck, in that case the little sliding hammer will probably not be all that useful.
Tim Preston · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 10

Hi. I'm the designer of LittleHammer and was psyched to find this discussion!
Happy to answer any questions here.

Is it strong enough?
Impact wise yes. I had to increase the weight of the impact-weight during prototyping to get more grunt. I've started to do a bit of aid climbing and with all placements bounce tested and fully weighted I've been able to get them all out with LitttleHammer, especially good on RP's / micro nuts. Even helped me retrieve a well jammed hex from the back of an off-width. Some times it takes a few impacts to find the right angle for the force to unlock a nuts hold, but it's effective, quick, and one-handed.

Durability wise?
It is made from 2.6mm (7/64 inch) stainless steel. LittleHammer was always going to be the heavyweight of nut tools so I've left the body pretty much solid. I could loose a few grams with cutouts but thought I'd go for tough and long lasting. Good for aid where carrying weight goes with the gig and every placement is jammed!

Have a look at this video on our website, shows bounce testing a nut placement and removing it with LittleHammer and a passive nut tool.

http://climbdesign.co/2015/07/15/littlehammer-vs-passive-nut-tool/

Tim Preston · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 10
aikibujin wrote: I'd like to see two small changes to the design: 1. a little notch at the tip of the nut tool to set against a nut. The current rounded shape make it easier to slip off the nut when you try to tap on it.
I use the sharp corner at the back of the hook end to place against the nut. There are some serrations there to help grip. This is especially good on RP's where there is only a tiny ledge next to the wire to land an impact.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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