Black Diamond Offset Stopper Set #7-11

These nuts are prime if you're trad-leading anything that might be considered a classic. Pin scars swallow these things when a cam just isn't cutting it. Instead of placing that sketchy alien, pop one of these guys in oddly shaped spots for protection.

I've been carrying these on 20-30 routes so far (all on basalt, which has plenty of crazy crack variation) and reach for them first whenever possible, yet I have only found placements on a dozen or so occasions. I've borrowed DMM offsets from friends on occasion and find that they place in a wider variety of situations. I believe it is because these BD offsets are so much more square that I am often unconvinced by the surface contact. I bought these because they were a better deal and I was eager to try a new product, expecting to be blown away. The rest of my passive rack includes BD stoppers 4-13, DMM brass offsets 0-6, and wildcountry hexes. I am very pleased with the BD stoppers and the hexes, and I'm absolutely in love with the DMM brassies. The brassies have absolutely sewn up the "hard to protect, PG 13" routes I've hopped on as well as a couple rated R.

As you can see, these BD offsets are new to the market and have almost no available reviews (hence why I'm writing this after only owning them for a few weeks), so I wanted to give my two cents to people on the fence between these and the classic DMM offsets. For now, I cannot confirm that I am elated with their performance, but I promise to update this as the summer goes on.

In my opinion, offset stoppers are the new standard. They just tend to fit in places more securely and easier than normal nuts. The offset shape makes dropping them into pin scars, tapers, and oddly shaped cracks much simpler. The size range of this package is perfect for supplementing onto a rack, and two of them would replace your current set.

I've found myself trying these first before my standard nuts on most routes (i climb a lot of granite and weirdly fissured quartzite)