REASONS TO BUY
Durable
Excels in pins scars
Light weight
REASONS TO AVOID
Metal is not as soft giving them less bite in marginal placements
DMM Peenut Review
A pin-scar wizard, this nut is great for aid
Showing a set of DMM Peenuts
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Our Verdict
As their name implies, DMM Peenuts are small. They come in only five sizes and have a heavily tapered design that fits wonderfully into small pods, pin scars, and flairs. Being made of hot forged aluminum, they are more durable than copper, bronze or brass nuts. Also, the cables are not fixed as with most brass nuts, adding to their toughness. They match the color scheme of the rest of the DMM and Wild Country nut families. So while they are not designed to be a stand-alone rack, they make a great addition that increases small protection options.
They are extremely light and less bulky than many other micro nuts. They can work well for aid climbing but not as well as the DMM Brass Offsets, making them an addition to an aid climber's rack rather than a replacement. To see how it stacks up versus the competition, check out our review of the best climbing nuts.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Likes
The best part of the DMM Peenut is its slightly offset taper, which allows them to fit into pin scars where another climbing nut might not be fall-worthy. They are better than WC Superlight Rocks and not quite as good as DMM Alloy Offsets in these types of cracks. The Peenuts offer one of the best aluminum options for thin crack protection. Aid climbers will enjoy Peenuts because of their pin scar prowess. While they didn't fit into scars quite as well as DMM Brass Offsets, Peenuts were more durable. Although Peenuts are not a complete set on their own, their color coding matches the rest of the DMM and Wild Country nuts, making them a convenient addition. Also, the large amount of surface area gives these nuts greater holding power.
Dislikes
Aluminum doesn't bite as well as brass, bronze or copper. The large surface area on the sides of the nut, while offering more surface, can be harder to place in smaller cracks. These larger sides worked better in smooth rock than in highly textured or irregular rock. Peenuts were also harder to clean than similar aluminum nuts. They were among the poorest nuts for placing in parallel sided cracks.
Best Application
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.
Value
Peenuts are functional and durable. Plus, they are only $60 per set, much less than other specialized micro nuts, whether brass, bronze or aluminum. They should not replace an aid climber's brass nuts but they complement that set quite well.
—
Ian Nicholson
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