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streakingtradclimber
May 5, 2004, 1:40 AM
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When getting nuts and hexs what company would you go for? I am thinkin Black Diamond.
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climbhigh2005
May 5, 2004, 1:52 AM
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ClimbHigh2005 moved this thread from US - South to Gear Heads.
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cjstudent
May 5, 2004, 2:08 AM
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Black Diamond all the way.
I bootied a Metolius nut the other week off a climb. dunno what I am going to do with it.
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moeman
May 5, 2004, 2:08 AM
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BD Stoppers are simply unbeatable (except by ABC Huevos, which are identical to stoppers except in brand name, color, and price tag- they are much cheaper)
Metolius Curve Hexes vs. BD Hexentrics is more debatable. I'd say if there are a lot of more straight sided cracks in your area (like in granite), then a straigh side hex (BD) is better. If there are a lot of irregularities in the cracks, a Metolius Curve Hex is superior becuase the curves let you clear the irregularities. I use curve hexes becuase I climb on very irregularly fractured east coast shcist and quartzite.
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jimdavis
May 5, 2004, 2:23 AM
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Metolius nuts rule IMO. I'm gonna get a set of BD stoppers too soon though. I'd recommend Metolius hexes, if you wanna get hexes at all. The BD hexes being so big and smooth sided will often have really bad surface contact. The Metolius hexes having the bigger curve will lodge better behind irregularities in the rock.
Might be different out West or on Sandstone, but on NE granite...the curved Metolius gear is great.
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phugganut
May 5, 2004, 2:30 AM
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I agree with Moeman about the ABC Huevos, but HB Offsets are also nice, as are DMM.
As for the hexes, while the Metolius are way nice, IMHO the WC Rockcentrics on Dyneema are at least as good.
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gunked
May 5, 2004, 2:38 AM
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Not gonna offer an opinion on hexes except to say that when using curved hexes (Metolius') in irregular cracks (not smooth sided) they tend to get VERY stuck in the medium and smaller sizes. At least with my limited use of following capn morgan. Haven't left one behind yet, although I thought about it out of spite after struggling too long with it! :roll:
NUTS : BD all the way. The reason being contact with the rock surface. In an ideal Metolius placement, there are three vertically linear points of contact with the rock. That's not a whole helluva lot! :wink: They will, however, place sometimes in slightly flaring placements where almost nothing else will work. They're kinda like a tri-cam/nut as they pivot on the rounded edge to gain purchase with the two edges on the opposite side. BD stoppers (or the like) tend to get placements with far more surface contact so they're more likely to hold.
I have used the metolius nuts on walls with tiny flaring placements and have been amazed with their ability to hold body weight in places where nothing else worked. Outside of my Cali. Granite climbing, I've hardly ever even touched them
Metolius curve nuts would probably make an excellent supplemental nut rack in some areas. In my area (gunks) I use HB offsets as my 2nd set.
I'd speak to the locals in your area and see what they prefer and why.
Good luck!
-Jason :D
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dlintz
May 5, 2004, 3:28 AM
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For nuts I think it's hard to go wrong with either brand, however I own sets of both and my preference is Metolius. My next set will be the HB offsets.
Can't help you with the hexes as I only own half a set of Metoliuses.
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lstockett
May 5, 2004, 2:36 PM
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You probably can't go wrong either way. I like my BD nuts though. 90% of the time they put more surface area on the rock than a curved nut would.
Still, I've thought about buying 5 or 6 of the Metolius nuts to supplement them. I can see how the curved face could be useful sometimes.
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cedk
May 5, 2004, 4:06 PM
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Who cares about surface area for a passive placement that tapers anyway? The three point contact makes them very stable. The real problem with the Metolius nuts is that DAMN Plastic tube on the racking end!! How can Metolius not know that sucks? There are other ways to color code that don't suck up space on the racking 'biner.
I prefer the Metolius hexes because the concave side lets you slide past irregularities in the rock.
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mattm
May 5, 2004, 5:55 PM
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I'm going to have to go WC on both these. WC HEx on Dyneema are the best out there. Light, place well and the slight curvature has a good mix of clearance and stability. WC rocks are better than BD IMO because they have a longer face ala Front nuts - this seems to make them more stable placing them whereas BD tends to "rock" on a pivot point. I have Metolius as my 2nd nut set - they work well but I like the WC better. Hint - Just cut off the rubber tubbing - I leave a little bit stuck near the swedge so I can see the colors quickly.
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dredsovrn
May 5, 2004, 5:57 PM
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In reply to: When getting nuts and hexs what company would you go for? I am thinkin Black Diamond.
ABC Huevos. Save your BD and Metolius Money for Cams.
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dynoguy
May 5, 2004, 6:22 PM
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At Smith, where I spend 90% of my climbing time, I perfer the Metolius because there aren't many straight-sided smooth cracks. In other words almost all the cracks have many irregularities in them. Also I drive right next to the Metolius River on the way to Smith :lol: .
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shorty
May 5, 2004, 7:01 PM
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In reply to: When getting nuts and hexs what company would you go for?
IMO, passive gear runs from relatively simple shapes (easy to place & remove) to more complex, curved shapes (tend to hold like stink, but can be a pain to remove). Nuts like BD, Wild Country, & ABC are probably in the middle of the road. Frost is on the simple side (almost straight sided) and DMM Walnuts are towards the most curvy end of the continuum. I was taught to use nuts in the middle ground (BD & Wild Country) first, then use experience to determine what the second set should be.
I won't recommend what set to buy, but I do say that you should play with other people's racks and see what works for you. Once you place and remove enough gear, you can do it with virtually any brand. But you will find passive gear that works best for you, and that's the brand you should buy.
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casco
May 5, 2004, 7:16 PM
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The most heavy.
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oafy
May 5, 2004, 7:53 PM
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I think you should try lookin at the DMM wallnutz too, really good for anytype of placement. They mold well to anyrock feature
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jimdavis
May 5, 2004, 9:52 PM
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In reply to: How can Metolius not know that sucks? There are other ways to color code that don't suck up space on the racking 'biner. I prefer the Metolius hexes because the concave side lets you slide past irregularities in the rock.
Well, the Hexes have the same coating...so they can't be that bad if you use them.
I think the coating is great. It does stick a little bit on the biner, but it makes them REALLY easy to identify when your looking at all the wires on the biner. Makes taking them off and sorting through them much easier. If you know the colors you can flip to the right nut without ever looking at the heads.
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cedk
May 5, 2004, 10:25 PM
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I don't carry a full set of hexes so the cluttered racking 'biner isn't an issue.
How can you not think that plastic tube sucks? Other brands rack soo much better. Don't reinforce Metolius negative behavior by praising their system. Wild Country figured out a better and just as effective way to color code with the tube around the swedge. So have BD and ABC with the anodization.
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tattooed_climber
May 5, 2004, 10:51 PM
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BD....its what metallica would want me to climb with..
actually....their gear is cheap (except camalots) and the nicest...i trust it alot more than metolius...metolius can keep just to making my climbing holds for my gym........but my whole rack is bd (except for 40% of my biners and 2 cams which are dmm)
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