Question about nut sizing: #6 Wallnut is the same size as the #9 Offset? Why so different...

Newer trad climber, I bought the DMM Offsets #7-11 as my first set of nuts on advice from a few friends and after cleaning a lot of them. I've been happy with them! I wanted to add a few smaller nuts to my rack widen the range of placements I can cover with nuts. I found the DMM Wallnuts at a local store and purchased the #5 and #6 expecting to get the next two smaller sizes in the full DMM range given I already had #7-11. Right?

Turns out the numbering isn't consistent at all across the brand, noob mistake! The #6 Wallnut I bought is actually substantially larger than my smallest #7 Offset... what!? I expected the #6 to be smaller given size typically increases as the #s increase within the same set/brand. The #6 Wallnut is actually almost same size as the #9 Offset, three numbers larger, and the #5 Wallnut is similar to the #8 Offset. I found the sizing chart on https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/wallnuts and https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/hb-alloy-offsets and it looks like the #9 offset is 17.1-21.4mm while the #6 Wallnut is 15.6-22.6mm -- indeed pretty similar. The chart also suggests that I want #3, #2 and #1 Wallnuts to complete a full size range of Offsets and Wallnuts from smallest to largest. Can't be the only one that noticed this...I'm sure there is some reason. Pretty unintuitive to me. Thanks for any/all advice! 

Or... should I get Peenuts to get a more complete range instead? https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/peenuts I also see a lot of people saying the WC Superlight Rocks pair well with the #7-11 DMM Offsets wildcountry.com/en-us/super…

Understandable. The colors match between them and the size corresponds between the colors (red Wallnut is the same size as the red offset pretty much) so that's all that really matters.  If you look up why the numbering is different for the offsets, it's because they also have a separate line of brass offsets that go from 1 to 6, so they wanted the alloy offsets to go up in size from where that set finishes, hence why they start at 7.  Guess it isn't super intuitive without knowing that info.

Bryan K wrote:

Understandable. The colors match between them and the size corresponds between the colors (red Wallnut is the same size as the red offset pretty much) so that's all that really matters.  If you look up why the numbering is different for the offsets, it's because they also have a separate line of brass offsets that go from 1 to 6, so they wanted the alloy offsets to go up in size from where that set finishes, hence why they start at 7.  Guess it isn't super intuitive without knowing that info.

Yeah, it seems I was naive/a noob to think that the numbering would be consistent across the brand so you could mix/match. The colors sortof correspond. Thank you for the background... here is the corresponding #0-6 set that goes with the #7-11 offsets: https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/hb-brass-offsets I'm still not sure if I want a mixed rack or just go 100% offsets

Will N wrote:

Yeah, it seems I was naive/a noob to think that the numbering would be consistent across the brand so you could mix/match. The colors sortof correspond. Thank you for the background... here is the corresponding #0-6 set that goes with the #7-11 offsets: https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/hb-brass-offsets I'm still not sure if I want a mixed rack or just go 100% offsets

Nah it's an understandable mix up.  I wouldn't recommend getting those offsets for the lower sizes since they're brass nuts and not as durable.  Just get the regular wallnuts for the smaller sizes (1-3 as you found out) and you should probably be good.  If you find from there that you're often running out of stoppers, then you can get more of the wallnuts above that range to fill out your rack.

Will N wrote:

Or... should I get Peenuts to get a more complete range instead? https://dmmwales.com/climbing-products/nuts/peenuts I also see a lot of people saying the WC Superlight Rocks pair well with the #7-11 DMM Offsets wildcountry.com/en-us/super…

Beginner trad here too... 

My nut rack now.. 

1 set wallnuts 1-11

1 set peenuts for small sizes

1 set alloy offsets

And planning to get a kouba brass set for aid. Since is cheap. 

I think with that you cover all the ranges with doubles, wont run out of nuts on any route i think

Offset nuts were originally manufactured by "HB" until they went out of business ~2005. DMM bought their assets and restarted the offset nut product lines.

They chose not to change the numbering on the nuts, and instead just standardized the color scheme to match their lineup.

Just name your nuts individually, like I did. Who needs numbers? Bob, Sue, Lefty; each nut has a unique personality, right?

"What did you use up here?"

"Bob! I used Bob.":

"Oh! Right!! Bob's perfect right here!"

It takes a visionary to move climbing protection nomenclature to the next level. And far more numerical equity when you don't rank by number. This has a chilling effect on random nuts.

No idea.  It was only in the last couple of years that I finally noticed that BD Stopper sizes were all just slices of the same, continuous, trapezoidal projection.

Following that train of thought to the additional taper of offsets, I dunno.  I don't have enough offsets left to grab and see.  Nor am I even sure my mind is ready for more revelations.

Is any of this really going to help me sink the right size on the first try?  Probably not.

Cherokee Nunes wrote:

Just name your nuts individually, like I did. Who needs numbers? Bob, Sue, Lefty; each nut has a unique personality, right?

"What did you use up here?"

"Bob! I used Bob.":

"Oh! Right!! Bob's perfect right here!"

It takes a visionary to move climbing protection nomenclature to the next level. And far more numerical equity when you don't rank by number. This has a chilling effect on random nuts.

"Gear? Yeah typical alpine rack w/ a half set of nuts for that route, Pancho-Ernie sizes. You might want a Samantha for P3 too."