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Hi! I’m Neil Berenholz, founder of Neilico Nut Tools. There’s a few people at the crag that call me Neilico. Some of my closer friends have actually started to refer to me as “Mr. Nut Tool”.
How long have you been in business? Officially, I’ve been in business since October of 2018. Although the idea for the nut tool came about long before then. Many months were spent learning, designing, prototyping, testing and understanding what it would take to manufacture a product and begin an ecommerce business. It took almost a year before I finally decided that I had all the information required to actually start Neilico. To give you some idea of my professional background, I’ve had a dayjob in product development or 3D printing for a good part of the last decade. That experience definitely helped! |
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You make a nut tool, tell us about the features of the design and why it works better than other nut tools out-there.
Let me preface my answer by stating that whether you’re in the kitchen, the shop or at the crag, it helps to have the right tool for the job. That sounds terribly cliche, I know. I’m a believer in letting whatever tool you’re using do the work, so I developed a nut tool born out of that philosophy.
The first thing that strikes people when first seeing the nut tool is the offset shape. The lightening holes in the handle give the tool a nice balanced feel. The business end has a bird like in appearance with some pointy bits so that the tool is less likely to glance off a nut or (gasp!) hex if you need to take a jab at it. Overall, I’d say the two most important aspects that put the Neilico Nut Tool ahead of the rest are the weight and shape of the tool.
The Neilico Nut tool is cut from 316 stainless steel and features an offset handle which helps keep your knuckles away from the rock while working on a piece. The most effective way to use it is to simply tap the piece from the side or the bottom, using it like a hammer.
There’s so much mass behind the tool (steel is heavy) that most pieces come out quite easily. I find that lots of climbers want to stab or palm bash whatever’s in front of them right off the bat. While appropriate for pieces that are set hard or stuck, bashing passive pro should be a last resort. Why make things more painful than they need to be?
It’s also great for getting behind cam lobes and grabbing trigger bars on stuck cams. One day there was a party next to us at the Uberfall that had gotten a cam stuck. Two people had worked on it with no success. I offered my nut tool which was met with strange looks. Reluctantly, they got the piece out. Later that night they ordered a nut tool. There’s a few other stories like that. Seeing is believing!
Might be time for me to invest in a video or short commercial...
Other aspects of the design are inspired by the past. The lightening holes were inspired by Leeper designs and the heart cut into the pick pays homage to nut tools of the rigid friend era. Here’s a bit of history: the round hole in the pick of the nut tools was intended to slide over the trigger bar on rigid stem friends. The Neilico Nut Tool is definitely standing on the shoulders of those that came before it. For that reason I’d say it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary.
Let me preface my answer by stating that whether you’re in the kitchen, the shop or at the crag, it helps to have the right tool for the job. That sounds terribly cliche, I know. I’m a believer in letting whatever tool you’re using do the work, so I developed a nut tool born out of that philosophy.
The first thing that strikes people when first seeing the nut tool is the offset shape. The lightening holes in the handle give the tool a nice balanced feel. The business end has a bird like in appearance with some pointy bits so that the tool is less likely to glance off a nut or (gasp!) hex if you need to take a jab at it. Overall, I’d say the two most important aspects that put the Neilico Nut Tool ahead of the rest are the weight and shape of the tool.
The Neilico Nut tool is cut from 316 stainless steel and features an offset handle which helps keep your knuckles away from the rock while working on a piece. The most effective way to use it is to simply tap the piece from the side or the bottom, using it like a hammer.
There’s so much mass behind the tool (steel is heavy) that most pieces come out quite easily. I find that lots of climbers want to stab or palm bash whatever’s in front of them right off the bat. While appropriate for pieces that are set hard or stuck, bashing passive pro should be a last resort. Why make things more painful than they need to be?
It’s also great for getting behind cam lobes and grabbing trigger bars on stuck cams. One day there was a party next to us at the Uberfall that had gotten a cam stuck. Two people had worked on it with no success. I offered my nut tool which was met with strange looks. Reluctantly, they got the piece out. Later that night they ordered a nut tool. There’s a few other stories like that. Seeing is believing!
Might be time for me to invest in a video or short commercial...
Other aspects of the design are inspired by the past. The lightening holes were inspired by Leeper designs and the heart cut into the pick pays homage to nut tools of the rigid friend era. Here’s a bit of history: the round hole in the pick of the nut tools was intended to slide over the trigger bar on rigid stem friends. The Neilico Nut Tool is definitely standing on the shoulders of those that came before it. For that reason I’d say it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary.
SOME TIPS
On placing passive pro:
Nutcraft is an art! The more you practice, the more your eyes will become trained to spot bomber placements, so practice often! Place nuts at reasonably comfortable stances and save your cams for when you need to plug and go. The ability to place a bomber nut will save your ass one day.
On carrying a nut tool:
Q: A nut tool is a critical piece of equipment for any one who climbs (or follows) trad. I actually never take my nut tool off my harness (it never gets forgotten!), but I have played around with:
(a) the best way to store the nut tool on my harness to keep it out of the way; And,
(b) systems for keeping it attached to me when I’m following while still having the attached chord long enough to be able to use the tool in a variety of circumstances. Do you have some helpful tips on these matters?
Before donning a nut tool or any gear, I look at the pitch as best as I can and let the features dictate my racking strategy. For example, in a left facing dihedral I probably want gear racked on my left side, especially if I think I might be hip scumming on my right. In that situation I might rack my nut tool on the last gear loop on my left side. Tight chimneys are a great example of when not to rack anything toward the back of a harness, especially anything that might get hooked or stuck on the rock like a nut tool. In the end, there’s no hard and true method to racking. If I’m following and I can see that my partner placed lots of nuts on only the first section of the pitch, the nut tool lives on whatever loop is most convenient for that section.
My nut tool is stored on a carabiner tethered on 3’ of 3 mil Mammut Hammer Cord. The cord is wrapped around the handle and clipped to a carabiner. Most of the time I simply unclip it from my harness, loosen the piece, and clip it back to my harness while never unfurling the tether. If the piece is stuck or difficult to reach, sometimes I’ll unfurl the tether and clip the biner to the rope. That way the biner can slide up the rope if there’s a need to reach high up. That’s just me. Every situation/climber is different. Do what works for you, but don’t be afraid to try new things.
Neilico Nut Tool in the wild...
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Sececa Rocks - a place that is very helpful to have a good nut tool!
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Neil's wife Adena - the inspiration for the Neilico nut tool.
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Tell us about your inspiration for taking the leap to create this product?
The true inspiration for the Neilico Nut Tool was my wife Adena, although I’m partially to blame. I was feeling gripped and set an offset nut a bit too hard. To make a long story short, she bloodied up her knuckles getting it out. The nut tools we had weren’t that great, and the other tools out there seemed to offer little in the way of of keeping the users knuckles out of the way. At that point Adena suggested that I design a nut tool, so the following day I mocked up some prototypes. The rest is history! |
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Your nut tools are made here in the U.S. Tell us about that.
When it came time source a shop for prototyping and production, I decided on an East Coast contract manufacturer rather than one in China. My family ran a garment factory when I was growing up. That was the 1980’s in New York City. The factories are now gone, and the jobs moved away. With off-shoring, I feel as though our ability to self-sustain is diminishing. In trades, expertise is passed from one generation to the next sort of like folklore. In the US, we’re losing those traditions. With the disappearance of factories, there’s nobody to inherit the skills or know-how. The Neilico Nut Tool is laser cut from 316 stainless steel and 100% designed and made in the U.S.A. To me, manufacturing Neilico Nut tools or any product domestically is an extension of the “shop local” or “shop small” movement. Someone who is buying a nut tool from me is not only supporting Neilico, they are supporting my network of manufacturing partners which sustains domestic jobs and expertise. Understand, that comes at a premium. Similarly, those are the reasons I prefer to support other small businesses, especially local shops like Rock and Snow in New Paltz, and The Mountaineer in Keene Valley among others. Besides being experienced climbers with knowledge and expertise to help you find the right gear and local beta, shops like that are centers of community, and centers OF A community. I’ll gladly pay a few extra dollars and purchase an item from R&S instead of buying from an e-commerce site aimed at getting you the lowest price. I am aware that I’m privileged to be able to do that. Beating people up on price is a race to the bottom. You may have saved a few bucks, but in my opinion there’s zero value in a purely transactional exchange driven by low cost. All you’ve done is diminished the time and effort it took for someone to develop the product you’re purchasing. Most local shops will do business online, and tend to have price matching policies that are reasonable. There’s no excuse not to support them. We need to do our part to keep the mom and pop shops around. |
Making the nut tool: Prototypes
Making the nut tool: Logo stamp
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What’s being a small business owner been like for you?
It’s all just an experiment. During development I was careful not to have any expectations or be too in love with my own ideas.
Objectivity and feasibility were and still are an important aspect of my approach to the business. Every day is a learning experience. Growth has been slow and organic, which is great. At the same time I wish I could leave my day job tomorrow and take Neilico full time. It’s tough to be patient! One of the best parts of the whole experience is the tremendous gratification that comes with seeing Neilico Nut Tools dangle off harnesses at the crag or when someone will approach me and tell me how stoked they are on their new nut tool. That gives me all the feels!
Some people may have the impression that owning a small business means freedom and “living the dream,” what is your experience with this?
HA! Having a climbing related business definitely gives me an excuse to take more climbing trips. I still work a 9-5 job, and I have less free time than I used to. For example, I’m in the process of developing a new product, so the last couple of weeks have been spent prototyping at night. Those activities are going on in parallel with filling orders which entails printing a shipping label, packing slip, stuffing a rigid mailer, and then driving to the post office on my lunch break the next day. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s quite tedious. I’m big on customer service, so I track orders daily to make sure they’ve been delivered. I’m also the webmaster, social media master, etc. Neilico is definitely not a set it and forget it operation. I manage every aspect of the business. Literally a one man show!
It’s all just an experiment. During development I was careful not to have any expectations or be too in love with my own ideas.
Objectivity and feasibility were and still are an important aspect of my approach to the business. Every day is a learning experience. Growth has been slow and organic, which is great. At the same time I wish I could leave my day job tomorrow and take Neilico full time. It’s tough to be patient! One of the best parts of the whole experience is the tremendous gratification that comes with seeing Neilico Nut Tools dangle off harnesses at the crag or when someone will approach me and tell me how stoked they are on their new nut tool. That gives me all the feels!
Some people may have the impression that owning a small business means freedom and “living the dream,” what is your experience with this?
HA! Having a climbing related business definitely gives me an excuse to take more climbing trips. I still work a 9-5 job, and I have less free time than I used to. For example, I’m in the process of developing a new product, so the last couple of weeks have been spent prototyping at night. Those activities are going on in parallel with filling orders which entails printing a shipping label, packing slip, stuffing a rigid mailer, and then driving to the post office on my lunch break the next day. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s quite tedious. I’m big on customer service, so I track orders daily to make sure they’ve been delivered. I’m also the webmaster, social media master, etc. Neilico is definitely not a set it and forget it operation. I manage every aspect of the business. Literally a one man show!
Neil on pitch two of the climb "Layback" in the Gunks, NY
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Jon Polonez - Gunsight to South Peak - Seneca Rocks, WV
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With that said, what are your goals, hopes, dreams, and/or next steps?
I’m constantly asking myself the same question. My goals and dreams are definitely to live a simpler life, climb more, have more time to spend with my wife, my friends, and to run Neilico full time. Although, sometimes it seems like those things are at odds. In order to eventually take that leap and pursue Neilico full time, I realize that I’ll need to expand into new products or services. The next logical steps are to put the time and effort into reverse engineering those outcomes. I see lots of trial and error in my future!
Please share anything we may have missed that you would like people to know about you, your business, and/or your product.
I’m extremely grateful for every person who has supported me either through purchasing a nut tool or otherwise. Especially Adena, my wife, Drew, Rich and all the fine people at Rock and Snow, Dustin and Nick at The Mountaineer, Rick Wilcox at International Mountain Equipment, all my adventure partners and my family. Thanks for giving me a shot or believing in what I do. You’re all fantastic cheerleaders! Lastly, thanks to Stefani at Common Climber for shining the spotlight on Neilico and for supporting small business!
In general
Be excellent to each other...
I’m constantly asking myself the same question. My goals and dreams are definitely to live a simpler life, climb more, have more time to spend with my wife, my friends, and to run Neilico full time. Although, sometimes it seems like those things are at odds. In order to eventually take that leap and pursue Neilico full time, I realize that I’ll need to expand into new products or services. The next logical steps are to put the time and effort into reverse engineering those outcomes. I see lots of trial and error in my future!
Please share anything we may have missed that you would like people to know about you, your business, and/or your product.
I’m extremely grateful for every person who has supported me either through purchasing a nut tool or otherwise. Especially Adena, my wife, Drew, Rich and all the fine people at Rock and Snow, Dustin and Nick at The Mountaineer, Rick Wilcox at International Mountain Equipment, all my adventure partners and my family. Thanks for giving me a shot or believing in what I do. You’re all fantastic cheerleaders! Lastly, thanks to Stefani at Common Climber for shining the spotlight on Neilico and for supporting small business!
In general
Be excellent to each other...
Get a Nut Tool at Neilico* & follow on social media!
From Neil - "Much appreciated!"
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