It's a common debate on UKClimbing.com. Which are better? DMM Walnuts or Wild Country Rocks? Each brand will have their hardcore devotees who will swear that nothing compares to their chosen brand of nut. However most will settle in the middle and simply carry a set of Rocks, and a set of Walnuts. But it's not an either or, and I recently got a set of Metolius Curved Nuts that you can pick up for around £70.00 at most gear shops. How did they fair?

First, what do you get for your £70?

Well you get a set of ten anodised nuts, rated from 6-10kn. Two of them (numbers 4 and 9) are the same colour, and there are three different shades of blue, but the colours are all different enough to allow them to be easily told apart. You also got a "Freenut" Nut Key, which has a built in clip and curvy-paddy bit over one end to make it more bashable. In my experience, to administer enough bashing to be worthwhile, I generally find myself reaching for a large rock, but a neat idea all the same, and pretty good for a freebie (and as a bonus, it doesn't have those parallel stab-you-in-the-arse prongs).

The first thing you will probably notice when you get them out of the box (or indeed look at a picture of them) is their rather unconventional shape. At first glance they seem to have taken a huge step back to simple 'V' shape wedges, however looking at them reveals that they are tapered like all other nuts, however the direction of taper is at 90 degrees to the norm of Rocks or Walnuts.

Are they any good?

Well, I've had mine for about a year now, and overall I'd say yes, they've served me really well. I'll get the down sides out of the way first

Due to their general "flatness" (i.e., they are not tapered bottom to top) they can quite easily be unseated by pebbles on gritstone. This isn't a major issue and placements are generally pretty solid, but I have found myself thinking on a couple of occasions "I wish this was a bit more curved". I suppose a good analogy is the difference between the old straight-sided Camp Hexentrics versus the curvier Wild Country Rockcentrics

For the weight freaks the Curve Nuts are not the lightest. In comparison to other 1-10 anodised sets: Wild Country Rocks weigh in at 353g, DMM Walnuts at 349g and Metolius Curve Nuts at 423g. Although Metolius are now making Ultralight Curve Nuts, which weigh in at a mere 311g, which will presumably make their way over here at some point. See this page at the Metolius website.

These nuts are sturdy. In a year of use and abuse, I have only managed to bend one wire. When you get a good placement, they are super reassuring. I found them perfect on smooth rock, such as limestone or rhyolite (again, similar to the old Camp hexentrics).

If you are just starting to build up a rack, or if you want a second set of nuts to complement your existing set, consider getting a bunch of Metolius Curve Nuts. You never know, one day you may be joining me in suggesting an alternative option in the Wild Country Rocks versus DMM Walnuts debate.