UKC

As my small nut krab took a dive into the sea at Gogarth this weekend, I'm now in the market to replace what was on it. Some of those nuts were BD Micro Stoppers, sizes 3 to 6 i think.

So what do I buy:

BD Micro Stoppers again
DMM Brass Offsets
DMM I.M.P.S.

A mix of all/some of the above?

Any thing else? I'm leaning towards the brass offsets....

In reply to galpinos:

I just got the dmm brass offsets. and the imps aswell. They fit nice.

In reply to galpinos:

What sort of rock do you want it for?

In reply to andrewmcleod:

Everything! Trad routes in the mountains and sea cliffs, Wales, Lakes, Scotland, lime, granite, gneiss......

I just want a selection of the best small bits to fit into small and tricky cracks. Having been climbing on Gogarth this weekend, I was a bit gutted to see my micro stoppers and ultralight rocks disappear into the sea as their flared nature would have meant they would have sat better in a lot of the cracks than the traditional nuts I had left.

Instead of just buying th sme, I thought I'd see if there was something better out there. The brass nature of the DMM nuts appeals as it makes me think they'll be softer so more likely to deform, stick and less likely to blow the placement. The reality, however, might be quite different.....

In reply to galpinos:

The DMM brass stoppers are quite strong for their size and fit well, but only go down to around 4mm. I also have an IMP set which fit very nicely but the smaller ones are only 2Kn which isn't great. I'd quite like the DMM brass offsets as well, but haven't got that far...

In reply to galpinos:

IMP's, they're ace.

In reply to galpinos:

Almost always am carrying the 3 biggest brass offsets, and find them a very nice bit of kit. Many times I've found an absolutely stunning placement for them that clearly nothing else (apart from maybe a Peenut) would fit properly into. I've also recently started carrying the 2 biggest Peenuts as I've heard they survive abuse much better than brassies - and so far I've used them a lot. Might be worth considering the 2 biggest Peenuts in your selection as well.

In reply to galpinos:

A mix of all

In reply to Aigen:

The most expensive option, a man after my own heart!

In reply to galpinos:

I've got all BD Micros and DMM Brass Offsets (bought for yosemite).

I'd say the brass ofssets seem to bit a little better (they're already noticeably more scarred and deformed than the the BDs despite being many years younger).

In some placements the offset shape doesn't work so well and I fumble a BD in, but I'd say that the brass offsets are usually my go-to micro. (I just carry both if I think I'll need micros)

In reply to Fultonius:

Cheers Fultonius, looks like i might go for a mix.

In reply to galpinos:
Over time I've built up a larger than necessary collection including BD swedges/micros, DMM IMPs, brass offsets and peenuts, regular micro rocks/wallnuts, plus a couple of other tiny brass things I found.

I've thought a few times that I should get rid of some but never have because I don't know which I'd get rid of. All of them get used (except the smallest peenuts and regular micros), they're all good in the right placement and for a mix of rock types and locations there's no clear winner.

One thing to consider with the newer DMM brass offsets and IMPS is that the swage only holds the wire fixed on one side. This might be good for strength but it makes them a little bit fiddlier to handle sometimes.

I'd echo other comments above, go for a mix and as many as you can afford.

In reply to galpinos:

Well as other people have already suggested, a mix is probably good; I bought basically every micro nut DMM make (other than the two smallest micro wallnuts) - I find you really do need the right micro nut for the right crack. The larger brass offsets are useful just as nuts (they aren't really micro nuts but just the smaller end of the alloy offset series). IMPs can be good sideways in shallow placements. In cracks that aren't parallel IMPs don't sit very well but offsets get very little surface contact in parallel cracks. I also find Peenuts work in weird 3D cracks and holes where you wouldn't think a nut would fit at all, but often they do fit at really weird angles... Peenuts have the other advantage of being alloy and therefore a lot cheaper than the brass nuts! But stronger than the smaller micro wallnuts.

PS these are micro nuts so replace 'good' with 'possibly not terrible'