Black Diamond Stopper Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
Likes
BD Stoppers have rounded edges that make for easier cleaning — a lot easier than DMM Offsets or Wallnuts and slightly more difficult than Omega Pacific Wedgies. The Stoppers' curve fits a wide range of cracks well, although they make the smaller sizes straight for more surface contact and thus more holding power. Black Diamond produces one of the biggest size ranges for their aluminum nuts, giving users a nice continuous size run. Anodized heads matching their cams make for easy size recognition. They fit parallel cracks well, about the same as Wild Country Rocks on a Wire and not quite as well as DMM Wallnuts. Stoppers are possibly the most durable nuts on the market, their wires rarely kinking or fraying and the nut itself never seeming to get too beat up. We like both orientations of the Stopper, giving above average marks for the usability on both axes. We love how their smaller nuts place. Black Diamond produces very useful small sizes, a range that most other manufacturers don't even offer.
Dislikes
One of our only gripes, and it's a big one, is that Stoppers don't fit as large a range of cracks as DMM Offsets or Wild Country Superlight Rocks in the middle and larger sizes (above size #5 or #6). We didn't have a really hard time trying to make them work, they just were not as versatile as others and their performance was average. Their fit versatility is about the same as for Wild Country Rocks. We also don't like that Stoppers' larger size heads tend to slide around on the cable while adjusting them in the stone.
Best Application
Stoppers are great for people looking to get a set of nuts without spending too much money. If you are hard on your nuts, note that Stoppers have incredible durability. Stoppers clean nicely and offer decent but not fantastic placement versatility. They excel in parallel and bottleneck placements and are rather average in flairs and funky pods.
Value
The price point of the Stoppers is on the better side. They offer great value, a big size range and durable quality that will last you as long as any nut on the market. A lightly better value is the Cypher Huevo which performed similarly but costs less.