Overall average rating 4.8 of 5 based on 10 votes and 7 user reviews. Most recent review: August 29, 2010
Street Price: $13 - $17 Pros: Light weight, excelled in pin scars, fantastic placement versatility Cons: Cables tend to get kinked, not many sizes offered Best Uses: Aid climbing, traditional climbing especially in older climbing areas with lots of pin scars
DMM Offset nut is a climbing nut design purchased from Hugh Banner (HB) two years ago when HB went out of business. DMM made a few small changes that improved the old successful design. If you climb in older areas where pitons were used, these heavily tapered nuts are amazing. Sometimes they fit perfectly in shallow flares where most other stoppers would barely hold body weight. Their shape is amazing for almost any rock type. With only five sizes they won't be the only set of nuts on your rack, but they are very useful nonetheless. – Ian Nicholson
Photos
Specs
A set of DMM Alloy Offset nuts
Credit: Ian Nicholson
A set of DMM Alloy Offset Nuts
Credit: Ian Nicholson
DMM Alloy Offset, showing the cut outs on either side that allow the Alloy Offsets to bite better in more textured and irregular rock types.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
DMM Alloy Offset #11
Credit: Ian Nicholson
This photo is showing the top of the #11 DMM Alloy Offset nut highlighting how its offset design (Wider on one side narrower on the other) looks rather than the typical trapazoid design common of most nuts.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Showing the size range of the DMM Alloy Offsets with a Pencil for size reference.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Showing an old size #7 & #8 Hugh Banner Offset nuts and a newer generation #7 & #8 DMM Alloy Offset
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Specifications for DMM Offset Nut
-Sizes #7-11
-Actual size range:12-30mm
-200g or 7 ozs for the set
-SuperTopo individual weight comparison for a 10.5-11mm size: 27gm(#7)
-Warranty 1 year
-Aluminum head
-Steel cable
The Bottom Line
DMM Offset Nuts, while expensive, are the most versatile nut on the market. If you are into aid climbing these nuts are a must have. If you are a cam junky and only place a nut where a cam absolutely won't fit, more often than not you'll find yourself reaching for Offset nuts. All in all an excellent nut; bomber in many places where most other nuts don’t come close. If you want something for the really tiny placements, check out the DMM Brass Offsets. If you don't want an offset shape, consider the classic design of the Black Diamond Stopper or the featherweight Wild Country Superlight Rocks.
Likes
DMM Alloy Offsets have anodized heads to more easily differentiate sizes. The slightly rounded corners help with cleanablity. These nuts have decent overlap in their sizes so you won't get stuck too often with in-between placement. The best aspect of DMM Alloy Offsets is their distinct and dramatically offset sides that help them fit perfectly into pin scars where many other nuts might only be marginal. This is apparent in older climbing areas such as Yosemite, Zion, the Adirondacks, Index and Lovers Leap and in newer climbing areas as well. They fit in non-parallel-sided cracks well and they also sport cutouts on either side that help them place into irregular and highly textured cracks with confidence. In side-by-side tests DMM Alloy Offsets gave the most bomber placements in the widest range of cracks of any nuts we tested, from granite to sandstone. The cable on the top of the nut is recessed into the head, thus adding to your placement options by keeping the cable from getting in the way.
Dislikes
Because of its offset nature, the nut doesn't rotate if you yank straight up to clean it, causing the cable to kink. The cable is glued into the head of the nut, also leading the cable to kink and eventually unravel. The problem isn't as bad as with DMM's brass models, but it is still a problem. Unfortunately DMM doesn't produce smaller sizes in the aluminum version, which keeps them from being a stand-alone set of nuts. The Alloy Offsets are the most expensive nuts we tested.
Best Application
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.
Value
At $16 per nut or $75 for the set, these little babies are the most expensive in the review — twice as much as some other nuts. However, if you are into aid climbing, especially in Yosemite or Zion, the DMM Alloy Offsets are nearly as important as your aiders.
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Best nuts I've ever used, I have since purchased doubles and triples of the smaller two. The #7 fits just about everywhere and I tend to use multiples on every pitch on Serra granite.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
The nut does slide down the cable occasionally but these babies are fantastic and will fit where other nuts just wont go, or at least wont be bomber. I completely recommend that every climber has a set of these on their rack.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
The model that was tested had the cable glued in, but the ones I bought just last year do not have this. As a result, the nut often slides down the cable, which is very inconvenient.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this product to a friend.
