Outdoor Gear Lab

Wedgies are an excellent option for climbers looking to buy a set of nuts without spending too much money. They make a good set for beginners because of their large continuous size run, solid durability, decent placement versatility and relative ease of cleaning. Plus, a complete set comes with a Caranut tool how can you argue with that? As one of the heavier nuts, Wedgies are a poor choice for alpine climbers, mountaineers or anybody trying to save weight.go to full review

Huevos are excellent for people aiming to start a set of nuts without spending too much money. Strong points are their large continuous size run, durability and decent placement versatility. We really liked the smaller sizes. finding the versatility in the bigger sizes rather average. As nearly the heaviest nuts in the review, they are a poor choice for alpine climbers or anybody looking to save a few ounces.go to full review

DMM Wallnuts fit a wide range of rock and crack types well but they excel in irregular or heavily textured stone such as that at Smith Rocks, Maple Canyon and J-Tree. Wallnuts were among the best performing nuts in parallel sided cracks. Wallnuts are expensive but very durable. They place easily and placements are average to assess. They are a more difficult to clean than most of the nuts we tested.go to full review

Metolius Curve Nuts and Wild Country Superlight Rocks are the lightest we tested. This makes Curve Nuts a great option for alpine climbers or anyone looking to save weight. Their three-point point curve is tapered nicely and works well in an assortment of placements and rock types, and excels in irregular rock.go to full review

Astros are a superb choice for free climbers who like to carry a couple of brass nuts on their racks. Astros work well in all types of rock and excel in highly featured and irregular rock in areas such as Smith Rocks and The Needles of South Dakota. They fit flaring pods and pin scars fairly well but not nearly as well as the DMM Brass offsets. For aid climbing, we wouldn't carry the Astro nuts exclusively. However, they do mix well with the DMM Brass Offsets, fitting some cracks that..." go to full review

With the biggest size range of any nuts we tested, Wild Country Rocks are an awesome first set of nuts. Rocks also share the same color scheme as all other DMM and Wild Country models, allowing you easily to dial your passive protection selection. Their relativity simple shape makes it easy for beginners to assess the quality of their placements. As one of the lighter nuts on the market, they are a good option for alpine climbers or any climber looking to save a little weight. Their taller..." go to full review

If you are into aid climbing then you pretty much need a set of these, maybe two. They aren't designed for everyday use (unless like Chris McNamara you go through stretches where you seem to climb El Cap nearly every day). Constant use will beat them up compared to aluminum models but if micro-protected free climbs are your game then these should be the first brass nuts to reach for...." go to full review

Peenuts are a good complement to a rack of any type, especially those of other DMM or Wild Country nuts where Peenuts will follow the same color scheme. They are best for smaller cracks if you aren't willing to give up the durability of aluminum. They fit pin scars and shallow flares well for aid climbers but they should not replace a set of brass nuts...." go to full review

Due to their heavily tapered heads they will excel in any area with extensive pin scar damage. They are not great nuts for people starting out because they kink fairly easily. Also, with their narrow heads, they are harder to read in the rock. Alpine climbers plus anyone else looking to save weight should love them. Superlights are a good supplement to other nuts, not adding much extra weight or bulk to a rack.go to full review

For aid climbing these nuts are practically a must. If you are a cam-placing junkie and rarely use nuts then you will probably enjoy these nuts more than others due to their ability to excel when cams won't come close...." go to full review