...but is it true that RPs are no longer being manufactured?

I heard that myself...from a prety reliable source. Better not lose the ones you have, because those things are the bomb!

If they're the bomb, and there's a "bomb proof nut placement", does that mean they won't fit?

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302691269&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441772083#

Honest question: Is/would loss of RP so important these days? Arent there plenty of small nut alternatives?

Never owned RPs, but my favorite small nuts were HB curves - which I dont think are available either.

I think you are right, Mark, that there are some great designs available now for small nuts and that RPs may not be the best alternative. Hence the poor demand and eventually cessation of manufacture. I still occaisionally use one and carry a couple all the time with a few other small brassies. With such small gear the fit must be exact or it is worthless. I could wax poetic about the boxier shape and all but demand speaks for itself.

I've always found the HB brassie offsets the be the best of the very small nuts. I think they are made under a different company name now if they are even still made.

http://www.yosemitegifts.com/hboffsets.html

This was the last site I knew was selling the original HB type offsets. DMM also makes some.

I thought Metolius? bought the molds for the bigger HB offsets. Chip is right about the Yosemite guys selling the small guys.

Both the Yos gift store and DMM got the license to sell the brass offsets. I got mine from the Yos shop a while back when they were the only ones selling them, but apparently DMM has finally tooled up and is now selling them as well.

DMM Bronze Offsets

The DMM catalog calls them brass and says they're cast from silicon bronze, guess the MT site can't tell what they're supposed to be either.

Edited to add:
DMM is also making the Alloy Offsets... "based" on the HB offsets. I seem to recall some discussion that said the newer DMMs weren't using the same dies and thus were slightly different sizes.

I didn't mean that RP weren't good or shouldn't be someone's favorite. I only meant that there are so many alternatives out there now that any single one could go without giving us real problem. Look at DMM's offering alone!

DMM is making both the old HB offsets, as well as RP's
They are calling the new RP's "IMP's." Both the IMP's and the HB offsets look like they are made from the same dies. You can buy both of them at Rock & Snow.
http://www.dmmclimbing.com/productsDetails.asp?pid=5&pid2=203

Interesting. I just noticed that the DMM offsets are different from the HB offsets offered by the Yos store; the DMM ones have a swage making the loop and a bare wire loop, while the Yos ones have a cheap plastic sleeve (which keeps sliding down) and coated loop.

ahhh the internet....

the yosemite shop only sells dmm stuff now. they're done with in-house production. the woman making them sold her rights to dmm when they tooled up (per conversations with the guys at the mtn shop)...

the ones she was making were pretty much identical to the old ones....but those are done now excepting whats already out there....

dmm pretty much just added a swage to the cable instead of the tubing.....some of the earlier dmm ones had the hb stamp on the head....using the old dies....new ones dont....but there is a small hb logo on the swage on the cable....not like any of that matters....

the small brass is pretty sweet....a mix of bd swedges....and a few other choice small bits help round things out a bit though in my opinion....hell better throw a cam hook or two in there as well....

the larger dmm offsets are pretty sweet in flaring cracks and pin scars....these nuts are pricey stuff....better get your partner to buy them...thats what i did

An ethics question: If your Sugar-Daddy/Momma partner buys the new gear do you have to buy the beer everytime you carry it?

nah

but its probably bad form to leave any behind...best practice those cleaning skills...though on the last climb i did with them i actually pulled out a booty offset thinking it was placed by my friend...booty for me....good stuff those offsets....