Ball Nutz by Trango are thin crack protection at its finest. Using a sliding ball/ramp concept, Ball Nutz will protect parallel sided cracks, flares, pin scars and bombays from 3 mm to 16 mm. The three smallest sizes have a 2:1 expansion range, resulting in unmatched security in chossy rock or expanding flakes. The # 4 and # 5 sizes will make you wonder why you ever used tiny cams. While these units are excellent for clean aid (they were even used for the first clean ascent of the Shield), they're also terrific for protecting free climbs.
Because of the stiff cable, we recommend using a quick draw whenever Ball Nutz are used to protect free climbing.
"Decent pro if placed right in the right crack"
11/23/11
I have not taken a fall on these, but I have included them in an anchor or two. They are solid when you find the right crack for them, but that can be an issue. I thought they might be a great replacement for small cams, but you really need a very parallel crack with very little variation or irregularity to make these work well. Sometimes needed a nut tool to remove after weighted, but not nearly as hard to remove as some suggest (although I have not fallen on them yet).
Love these lil guys in small cracks. Calms down the elvis leg when you're run out and terrified. Only problem with these guys are if you fall on em they're damn near impossible to remove. They weld in hard on a fall, but that means it held. Worth it, and cheaper than micro cams.
The Ball nuts are a fantastic piece of gear to throw on the rack while aid climbing. While often not necessary, they make tricky sections simple and fast. For such a cheap price and stellar protection, it would be silly to not own a set or two!