UKC

Does anyone own a set of Halfnuts and want to give a little review now they've been out for a while? I know the WC superlights have been out for a long time, 

I'll usually take a standard set and a set of offset wires, and these would act as additions for longer routes, particularly in the mountains 

Pros -light, different placement options

Cons - not as strong as a regular wire so not as reassuring once you've placed it?

Are they worth it??

They're strong enough to take a fall which is all that matters imo, but apparantly they're a bastard for welding.

They're great. I've had some for a few years and would recommend them. 

Generating 4-6kn in a fall isn't completely  unrealistic. They're great for weird placements and for being light, but it's best not to think of them as full nuts. 

I don't have a full set, but I have:

size 3 WC superlight
size 4 DMM superlight
size 5 and 6 WC superlight offsets

I got the 3 first and found it will slot into all sorts of awkward placements and has already proved its value again and again - not so much as a light nut but because of the head shape.

This was enough to convince me to experiment with the 4 and the two offsets. The 3 and 4 are quasi-offset in themselves, which is often useful. There's not much between the WC and the DMM models, though I think if anything the WC has a slight advantage. As for the 5 and 6 superlight offsets, I've only taken them on two outings so far, but found some good placements that convinced me to continue carrying them instead of the old-style DMM offsets for a while.

In the Lakes I normally carry doubles in 1 - 7 plus DMM offsets covering sizes 3 - 7 and I'm not sure I'm ready to part with doubles for the superlights yet, but maybe in time. If I could only buy one or the other, I'd probably stick to conventional nuts. But, I might end up with these superlights replacing the old-style DMM offsets.

p.s. 6-7 kn is strong enough for me, but the 4kn pink and green seem redundant to me, because I would prefer something stronger if possible.

Wild Country versus DMM... If the products are so similar, maybe other factors become relevant. Apart from a few exception items made in Czech Republic, Wild Country is manufactured in China. DMM is made in Wales. Could that sway your decision to DMM?

I have both types of WC half nut and rockcentrics, and some new dmms.

All the half nuts are really good. For some reason I have hardly placed an RP in the last eight years, always managing a half nut instead.

I panic bought a second set when the original WC ones had a production hic up.

The taper on the dmm ones goes the same way to the curve. The WC ones are opposite if that makes sense.

If it works like the rockcentrics , I usually find the original rockcentrics which had the tapers the same work better overall rather than the newer rockcentrics which are the same orientation as their half nuts.

Easier to understand with all types in your hand.

There is also a taper or angle on the end of the dmms , which should help overall, I expect.

I intend to file the lower edges (carefully ) so the nuts sit better in some constrictions. Quicker than waiting for the new nuts to round off naturally.

 98% rating to WC.

99.5 % for dmm.

Fwiw, I prefer rockcentrics ( on dynema cord) to torque nuts, sorry Streaky.

I've had Superlight rocks for quite a few years now and highly rate them. Haven't used DMM so can't compare the 2 but I don't feel any need to move from WC personally.

I have fallen on the size 1 and 2 actually without a 2nd thought of "bugger, that's small" and it was easily retrieved from the rock. Really like how easy they are to place, the double up against the normal rocks whilst also adding a few extra placement possibilities that wouldn't get with a full size rock.

Also WC is manufactured in Taiwan not China. Probably the same place DMM source their raw materials.

I do enjoy a can of worms

I’ve used half nuts a fair bit now, and have used offsets for years.

I’d tend to describe half nuts as a slightly more niche version of an offset. Not as strong, but lighter. I’ve only used them in N Wales, but they’ve gone in well in all sorts of rock types here.

I end up climbing with whichever is on my rack to be honest, I don’t have much preference either way in terms of how they fit in to placements.

If I really had to choose I’d probably go offsets due to strength and I guess they’ll take a bit more abuse in the very long term. Weight isn’t a massive consideration on my rack for regular trad.

I've never really considered them as in my mind they occupy the same placements as the bigger brass offsets, IMPS & BD Swedges (favourite), which I think might be stronger for the sizes? Is there an advantage to the smaller halfnuts over the bigger BD swedges?

I've regularly carried WC Superlights 5 & 6 and more occasionally the size 4 on my rack for many years.

The rest of my rack is DMM - Wallnuts, Brass & Alloy offsets and Peanuts. With the Brass Offsets and Peanuts I'm not short of offset options in the smaller sizes so I found the smallest Superlights didn't add much so I didn't hang onto them.

Unless I'm particularly intimidated by the route and it has a reputation for small or hard won gear I wouldn't be too bothered whether they are on my rack or not. However, they certainly do expand your placement options at the expense of bulking out your selection of wires for the 98% of the time a stronger bit of gear fits fine.

They have proved particularly useful for awkward placements especially on less well travelled igneous rock. For some harder Lake District Extremes I'd probably make sure they were racked. For other stuff, they get swapped in and out depending on multiple factors.

On the down side, the Superlights die rapidly from frayed wires. Unfortunately, pretty much unavoidable due to the single wire design...

HTH

Thanks for the responses, I've bought a set as they seem worth testing out. 

And I spotted a little review of them on YouTube courtesy of jezb1 (thanks!), if anyone's interested; youtube.com/watch?v=VCSlfKbA3zU&

Thanks for the prompt, been on the to do list for a while!

No experience of the DMM version (sorry!) but I'm a huge fan of the WC ones - they're absolutely invaluable on hard aid on peg-scarred granite. The 5 seems especially good at nestling in the remnants of an angle scar. 

As to whether they get stuck easily, I've only lost one (though I didn't realise it at the time). A couple of years after an ascent of Salathe with my son Jake, I got a FB Messenger notification from my mate Mike: "just got down of Salathe and there's one of your wires stuck in the headwall" 

Jake hadn’t confessed to the lost wire (marked with my yellow name tag) at the time, and in fairness it coincided with being marooned in the dark as I waited for a pair of incredibly slow Americans on the headwall. It’s a really strange thought to have inadvertently left a calling card on one of the most stupendous bits of rock on the planet! Photo and a bit of a trip report here:

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2015/09/09/salathe-wall-on-el-cap/

A bigger issue than getting them stuck is the damage to the wire when removing them (especially in the context of aid when you are inevitably weighting them). Not surprisingly they will fray after prolonged misuse. I see them as a consumable item that needs regular inspection and occasional replacement - and I don't begrudge the cost one bit as they've got me out of some significant scrapes. 

Different shape, with a properly curved face, but no abstract advantage. And yes, they're weaker! I would rather place 6 to 8kn brass nut than a 4kn half nut, given the choice.

Same, the temptation to explore the matter is a strong one. 

'Spend where your ethics can find a home' is possibly as far as one can comment without opening it.

Can they be placed in flared cracks like Wallnuts can be?

I’ve got a set (on review for UKC actually). I’ve also used the Wild Country version quite a bit.

To be honest there is a little between them, other than Halfnuts continue up to size 7 and are made in Wales. The difference between Rocks and Wallnuts is far greater for example.

Personally I think wires like these are very specialised, and I would normally only carry them on either: routes with wiggy gear (Ghosts (E3 5c) for example)or routes where I’m not expecting to place any/many wires (The 1938 Route (ED2) for example)

I’m not overly concerned about the weight of wires, and would rather carry Rocks/Wallnuts/Offsets as they are stronger/more stable/cheaper/more durable.