All this small gear talk has gotten me thinking about what preferences people have developed and why. The black alien seemed to be the standard for a while, but C3s have become my standard and I no longer carry the blue or black alien. I am a firm believer in sewing up a scary climb and have been impressed with what I can protect with the smaller 3 sizes of C3. Can someone (or everyone) educate me with when you prefer ballnutz or other small, active gear and why? I've only placed ballnutz once and thought it was pretty unstable and unlikely to stop anything more than a brassy would, but the crack wasn't parallel. I carry a selection of brassies and a #4 and #5 brass offset all the time which are rarely used but are really great when needed.

I use a ball nut under the roof of jean as it just slides in so nice and no nut I can think of would fit. I even had to lower off it one day 9 not the smartest thing I have done). also there is a placement on "On any Monday" to back up a pin that the only thing I could get in was a ball nut. other then those placements my astro nuts are by far some of my favorite pieces of gear. and anywhere the book say 'R' or over .10 they are definatly on my rack.

HB Brassie offsets. They go where nothing else does. Despite their small size they are very strong and as long as the rock is solid the gear will be solid. I've used small brassies where nothing else would go on such climbs as Comedy in Three Acts, Wooly Clam Taco, Wild Horses to mention a few.

I also prefer the small aliens for cams as I have used them for years, always found them to be reliable, easy to place and they go where most other gear won't due to their profile.

Thanks guys. What do you look for in a ballnutz placement that is different from other gear, ie. constricted in some certain way or a more parallel crack? Is it just that they are thinner than any of the micro cams that makes them useful? Is it better for a crack that doesn't have enough depth for cam lobes?

I think the C3's are much better than Aliens and are likely to be more reliably constructed as well. Perhaps the Metolius Aliens are competition, but the narrower C3 heads and stiffer springs really seem to me to make a significant difference. There is, however, a gap in the C3 range between red and yellow that, I think, also requires carrying a green Alien.

Ball nuts will go in lots of places you can't get small cams. Sometimes, but not always, opposed brassies can be arranged rather than a ball nut, but I've never seen such a placement that I judged better than the corresponding ball nut. Ball nuts are tricky to place and require a lot of detailed inspection of the placement before and after insertion, but the same is true of opposed brassies.

Ball nuts or other small gear, if I want it for something more than overhead protection, I'm going to try to get a double placement or have some kind of backup very close.

As for placements, you want ideally a crack with a little taper and no flair, with good contact for the ball face and the paddle, neither of which can be allowed to sit on pebbles or ridges. Given that things are rarely perfectly uniform, especially in the Gunks, go for getting full contact for the ball face at the expense of some paddle contact if you must compromise. You have to get really up close and personal with the placement. Be careful not to get the ball or paddle hung up on small features that are enough to resist a jerk but which will likely shatter in a fall. Some people recommend filing the sharp edges on the ball so they can't catch on little nothings as easily and fool you into thinking you have a solid placement. Obviously, you can't have any kind of crumbly surface or any lubricants.

The ball has to be approximately 1/4 of the way up the paddle on insertion, ending up 1/2 to 3/4 up the paddle after a good vigorous jerk or two. If the ball ends up higher than that, there is a risk that it will pull past the top of the paddle and the placement will fail.

A badly placed ball nut will blow with a vigorous jerk; make sure you are positioned so this does not cause a fall.

do you?

Green alien is my favorite piece!

Thanks all. Being the gear whore I am, I'll probably have to buy a set of Ballnutz now so that my wife can give them to me for Christmas.

Ballnuts will go on my rack when I think I need them, but man, fall on one and your second is in for a fun time cleaning it, but then again, if you have to leave it, it’s worth the 30-35 clams to kept you off the deck. I also carry a set up RP’s sizes 2 thru 5. Purple C3 has replaced my black Alien. I think it’s a much better choice in that range. From there up its Aliens for the next couple of sizes.

The key to small cams in the gunk’s (other then not breaking is a narrow head. C3’s have pretty much everyone beat in that category.