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the shizzle => equipment => board construction FAQs => Topic started by: Monolith on March 11, 2021, 09:57:39 pm

Title: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Monolith on March 11, 2021, 09:57:39 pm
Can anyone advise me where I can buy decent cheap board holds (small screw ons, old school room style resin holds etc.). Too many holds these days look too good and pricy.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: dunnyg on March 11, 2021, 10:07:42 pm
Crusher holds are pretty good value for money, one of the crimpy board sets works out at just over 2 quid a hold, might be what youre after (dont have any yet, but have ordered some).
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Monolith on March 11, 2021, 10:14:13 pm
Thanks, I have a few Crusher holds and know them well. It’s more the resin holds I’m hunting...
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: dunnyg on March 11, 2021, 10:23:50 pm
I have struggled to find any, would be interested if you find some.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 11, 2021, 10:41:01 pm
Likewise interested if you find any. All the resin holds now are in lovely ergonomic shapes and textures, where really I just want some ratty little horrible things.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: gollum on March 12, 2021, 07:30:19 am
Many years ago, when I had a board, I used a set of Metolius foot holds as hand holds. Board was 45°, although quite small so feet on kickboard a lot. Over the years every hold was used on a problem at some point, some took longer than others.

Just looked at the current ones and they look the same.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: csl on March 12, 2021, 07:41:47 am
Can anyone advise me where I can buy decent cheap board holds (small screw ons, old school room style resin holds etc.). Too many holds these days look too good and pricy.

I bought a few packs of these https://www.holdz.co.uk/collections/screw-ons/products/chips-4 from Holdz to use as handholds - some of them are a bit slopey so have ended up as feet but most of them are usable as crimps on my 40º board. I also got these https://www.holdz.co.uk/collections/screw-ons/products/crimp-edges   
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: csl on March 12, 2021, 09:13:00 am
These are good for ratty crimps too https://www.holdz.co.uk/collections/crimpz/products/screw-on-crimpz
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 12, 2021, 10:01:08 am
Likewise interested if you find any. All the resin holds now are in lovely ergonomic shapes and textures, where really I just want some ratty little horrible things.

Shame I'm so far away, I inherited holds from both Dave P, and another friend who took their wall down, some right ratty old school things among them.

Most rat like crimps i have are these https://www.outside.co.uk/bleaustone-training-range-symmetrics-set.html

the smallest of which i can can barely hold on my board - 26 deg, so for a wad should be ideal. The others are more incut
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on March 12, 2021, 10:50:00 am
I think your best bet for old skool resin is to trawl Facebook marketplace and climbing buy/sell groups. I've managed to buy a reasonable amount (enough Boulder UK would be jealous I'm sure) of classic EP (from before they went shit).

Pusher are back re-moulding their back-catalogue but seem to have lost their way a bit and are churning out dual texture stuff in preference. They aren't cheap.

If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on March 12, 2021, 11:17:43 am
If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.
I recently acquired 4 (holds not sets!) from a mates board that was being dismantled, they are excellent. Sorry, no leads on any more though!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on March 12, 2021, 11:36:50 am
If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.
I recently acquired 4 (holds not sets!) from a mates board that was being dismantled, they are excellent. Sorry, no leads on any more though!

Are they pink and off Si's ex-board?! They're mine if so! Glad to hear they're back in use  :)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Oldmanmatt on March 12, 2021, 12:22:00 pm
Can anyone advise me where I can buy decent cheap board holds (small screw ons, old school room style resin holds etc.). Too many holds these days look too good and pricy.

I bought a load of very cheap holds on Ebay. Mixed colours, no sets, resin and new. I think the were sold as small foot holds for school playground traversing walls.

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Climbing-Holds-Rough-Production-Seconds-Set-of-16-Screwon-Footholds/154178177306?hash=item23e5bc491a:g:OCoAAOSwAmtfjt3k (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Climbing-Holds-Rough-Production-Seconds-Set-of-16-Screwon-Footholds/154178177306?hash=item23e5bc491a:g:OCoAAOSwAmtfjt3k)

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-resin-climbing-holds/184699200843?hash=item2b00ee254b:g:DscAAOSwwUhgOoBn (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-resin-climbing-holds/184699200843?hash=item2b00ee254b:g:DscAAOSwwUhgOoBn)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 12, 2021, 12:23:21 pm
If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.
I recently acquired 4 (holds not sets!) from a mates board that was being dismantled, they are excellent. Sorry, no leads on any more though!

Are these hold going to become like copies of Extreme Rock and increase in value every time they change hands?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 12, 2021, 12:39:24 pm
Can anyone advise me where I can buy decent cheap board holds (small screw ons, old school room style resin holds etc.). Too many holds these days look too good and pricy.

I bought a load of very cheap holds on Ebay. Mixed colours, no sets, resin and new. I think the were sold as small foot holds for school playground traversing walls.

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Climbing-Holds-Rough-Production-Seconds-Set-of-16-Screwon-Footholds/154178177306?hash=item23e5bc491a:g:OCoAAOSwAmtfjt3k (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Climbing-Holds-Rough-Production-Seconds-Set-of-16-Screwon-Footholds/154178177306?hash=item23e5bc491a:g:OCoAAOSwAmtfjt3k)

 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-resin-climbing-holds/184699200843?hash=item2b00ee254b:g:DscAAOSwwUhgOoBn (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Selection-of-resin-climbing-holds/184699200843?hash=item2b00ee254b:g:DscAAOSwwUhgOoBn)

I got some like OMm’s top link here (the screw ons) from eBay. I mean mostly they work as footholds. But are shit really. Uneven - don’t sit very flush to the wall and one split in two when screwing on.

They were cheap. I guess they work - but I wouldn’t want them for hands..
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cheque on March 12, 2021, 12:52:13 pm
Are these hold going to become like copies of Extreme Rock and increase in value every time they change hands?

Somewhere someone has a still-boxed set of Stonesmith holds under their bed that will one day be worth a fortune.

 “It’s remarkable to find any pre-pandemic climbing holds in such good condition, let alone such a complete set. These are believed to have only been produced in this colour for a customer in the south east but Smith was in such a strop about that fucking film that everyone went on about but was never finished that they were never delivered. In all my years as a pre-Olympic climbing equipment dealer I haven’t been so excited since I saw my first pair of original Solutions with the intact tab. It’s up there with finding a set of pre-went-shit Entreprises, it really is.”
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on March 12, 2021, 12:55:03 pm
Genius!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on March 12, 2021, 12:56:26 pm
If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.
I recently acquired 4 (holds not sets!) from a mates board that was being dismantled, they are excellent. Sorry, no leads on any more though!

Are they pink and off Si's ex-board?! They're mine if so! Glad to hear they're back in use  :)
They are indeed! Although they came via Ant's board.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on March 12, 2021, 12:57:53 pm
They're essentially resin replicas of a few holds from the school as far as I can tell. The texture and resin seems pretty good to me too.

I'm pretty gutted you've got 4 sets and I can't find one!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on March 12, 2021, 12:59:24 pm
4 holds not sets...
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on March 12, 2021, 01:13:07 pm
Quite a few wooden hold makers have popped up over the last year. I've bought quite a few off Gary at Buzz Climbing Holds (on instagram), which i've been happy with. His prices are very reasonable and he can make whatever you want.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on March 12, 2021, 01:36:41 pm
On the subject of some of the people who have setup shop selling wooden holds recently, has anyone got any good recommendations? I've got some space to fill so have been keeping an eye out.

Hardwood holds seem pretty well established, ordered some nice edges from them the other day. Also picked up some lovely pockets from Taylor Made Holds (https://www.instagram.com/taylormadeholds/). A few others I've had my eye on but haven't ordered anything from are Lock Holds (https://www.instagram.com/lockholds/), Against the Grain (https://www.instagram.com/atg_climbing/) and Guchi Grains (https://www.instagram.com/guchi_grains/). Interested in any reviews.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Monolith on March 12, 2021, 02:04:00 pm
We need a dedicated hold sourcing thread don't we?

I bought a load of holds off Rich Simpson years back and they were perfect in every way. They may be consigned to the ether now. There are some really nice resin holds out there you come across at commercial walls and I might just be being pointlessly nostalgic for shitter old basic ones. The texture on some of the newer ones are almost a bit too good.

Holdz seem like they make the widest range and best value.

Fudge climbing holds look good on the wood front...
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: dunnyg on March 12, 2021, 02:21:17 pm
Ive got a mix of hardwood holds, beta blox and a few true hold. No complaints about any of them. Each have a slightly different level of finish, with some smoother than others. E.g. the beta blox have much more texture than the true holds. The vriety is nice.

If you are near Otley, the beta blox bloke has just built a woody in his workshop you can try out holds on and see what you like (covid permitting etc.).
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: JamieG on March 12, 2021, 02:57:39 pm
I have a variety of crusher, hardwood and strongholds (made by rginns of this parish). All are good in their own way. Like dunnyg says the variety is good. Different finishes and styles, means more interesting problems on the board.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on March 12, 2021, 03:48:01 pm
Peewee makes them. He sorted Cofe out recently I think.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: M1V0 on March 12, 2021, 03:55:54 pm
Etsy oddly has a seemingly decent selection under the search term "wooden climbing holds". A mix of established makers (liek Taylor made) and some more esoteric looking producers.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: moose on March 12, 2021, 05:33:40 pm
I have a variety of crusher, hardwood and strongholds (made by rginns of this parish). All are good in their own way. Like dunnyg says the variety is good. Different finishes and styles, means more interesting problems on the board.

I have holds by all those, plus a few Beastmaker leaf crimps.  As you said - all good  when you balance price / feel / aesthetics. 

A shout-out to Strongholds / rginns for my latest purchase - a set of Sipo Mahogany 2-finger pockets.  Ergonomic with a nice grippy internal feel - not the polished slippyness of some wood holds.  As a bonus, they lend my board a note of HR Giger / Cronenberg-esque body horror.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 12, 2021, 05:40:01 pm
On the subject of some of the people who have setup shop selling wooden holds recently, has anyone got any good recommendations? I've got some space to fill so have been keeping an eye out.

Hardwood holds seem pretty well established, ordered some nice edges from them the other day. Also picked up some lovely pockets from Taylor Made Holds (https://www.instagram.com/taylormadeholds/). A few others I've had my eye on but haven't ordered anything from are Lock Holds (https://www.instagram.com/lockholds/), Against the Grain (https://www.instagram.com/atg_climbing/) and Guchi Grains (https://www.instagram.com/guchi_grains/). Interested in any reviews.

I've been meaning to write up a review of the holds I've got, having bought from quite a few of both the new and pre-established makers. Will see if I can get time this evening.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Oldmanmatt on March 12, 2021, 05:54:48 pm
I have a mixture of Crusher and Artemis, the latter being a relatively new producer.
Dan Ward, he’s very good and reasonably priced. Has a FB shop:

 https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards (https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: griffer on March 13, 2021, 07:36:13 am
I've seen a lot of wooden holds over the last 3 years, currently really impressed with Hardwood holds, great range and feel. Beta Blox always improving, steady range and good texture, beastmaker really interesting holds but difficult to procure, strongholds uses some really interesting wood and creates some nice jugs, About to use a lock holds board so I'll report back in a week, Crusher steady range and great value for money, pockets are good. Taylor made, not seen that many but positive report from friends.
Really they all make good holds and the best boards have a variety on them.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on March 13, 2021, 07:54:26 am
I have a mixture of Crusher and Artemis, the latter being a relatively new producer.
Dan Ward, he’s very good and reasonably priced. Has a FB shop:

 https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards (https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards)

Good shout on Artemis/Dan ward, nice selection of shapes.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cheque on March 13, 2021, 10:07:17 am
Andi Turner has holds for sale on his Instagram. Not sure about the volume he produces them in but they look like works of art!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Steve R on March 13, 2021, 10:40:46 am
Wow, artisanal luxury wooden holds market looks pretty crowded.  Some great looking stuff.
Important to remember though, the best board climber is the one having the most fun and sculpting their own holds.
like comment subscribe #retiredby40
https://youtu.be/VhqKRplo_Gk
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on March 13, 2021, 11:53:48 am
Has anyone built volumes and used them on their board?

Cranking on crimps is all well and good (and is training my weakness) but the majority of my outdoor goals are squeezing slopers. I thought having two fairly big volumes, one on each side of my board, could make for some nice compression and heel hook moves. Anyone had success with this?

They wouldn't be a permanent feature, I could potentially install them right over the existing holds with a bit of tweaking so that it would just be a case of doing a few screws.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: teestub on March 13, 2021, 11:57:37 am
I know a couple of people who have made small tetrahedron volumes for their boards and have been very happy with the results.

Not just good for compression and gaston moves but also undercuts.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 13, 2021, 12:10:29 pm
Yep I have 6 small volumes on my board. They make a big difference to the variety of possible moves and planes of motion you can go for.

I'd definitely avoid big ones. They'll take up too much space in my opinion and be awkward to move around.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: sdm on March 13, 2021, 12:13:48 pm
Likewise interested if you find any. All the resin holds now are in lovely ergonomic shapes and textures, where really I just want some ratty little horrible things.

Shame I'm so far away, I inherited holds from both Dave P, and another friend who took their wall down, some right ratty old school things among them.

Most rat like crimps i have are these https://www.outside.co.uk/bleaustone-training-range-symmetrics-set.html

the smallest of which i can can barely hold on my board - 26 deg, so for a wad should be ideal. The others are more incut

I have some of these on my 45 (not the full set).

The easiest ones are crimpy but very positive, can use them for biggish moves but have to pull hard. The more rounded ones (middle, second from bottom) make nice comfortable crimp/pinches. Some of them are quite positive but only for 2/3 fingers so have to hit them accurately or I'm off. The squarish ones (top left or middle right?) are properly ratty.

I'm not a fan of the 2 sided ones in the bottom right: they are awkward to use as handholds and too good for footholds. But the rest are good.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on March 13, 2021, 12:28:40 pm
Has anyone built volumes and used them on their board?

Cranking on crimps is all well and good (and is training my weakness) but the majority of my outdoor goals are squeezing slopers. I thought having two fairly big volumes, one on each side of my board, could make for some nice compression and heel hook moves. Anyone had success with this?

They wouldn't be a permanent feature, I could potentially install them right over the existing holds with a bit of tweaking so that it would just be a case of doing a few screws.

I put a couple of these on a few days ago https://www.hardwoodholds.co.uk/store/p190/Board__Volume.html but haven't had a chance to climb pn them yet. They seem well made and psyched to have a few more options for hold angles. They're fairly small though, good for not taking up too much space but I think you'd struggle to put them over existing holds on your board.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Steve R on March 13, 2021, 12:31:31 pm
Has anyone built volumes and used them on their board?


Funny you should ask, this really great channel on youtube has a recent volume making video, might provide some inspiration/ideas:
like comment subscribe #retiredby40
https://youtu.be/HnseSF4bfiw
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Wood FT on March 13, 2021, 12:51:36 pm
Has anyone built volumes and used them on their board?


Funny you should ask, this really great channel on youtube has a recent volume making video, might provide some inspiration/ideas:
like comment subscribe #retiredby40
https://youtu.be/HnseSF4bfiw

 :lol: liked and subscribed
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jamesturnbull97 on March 13, 2021, 01:01:55 pm
Likewise interested if you find any. All the resin holds now are in lovely ergonomic shapes and textures, where really I just want some ratty little horrible things.

Shame I'm so far away, I inherited holds from both Dave P, and another friend who took their wall down, some right ratty old school things among them.

Most rat like crimps i have are these https://www.outside.co.uk/bleaustone-training-range-symmetrics-set.html

the smallest of which i can can barely hold on my board - 26 deg, so for a wad should be ideal. The others are more incut

I have some of these on my 45 (not the full set).

The easiest ones are crimpy but very positive, can use them for biggish moves but have to pull hard. The more rounded ones (middle, second from bottom) make nice comfortable crimp/pinches. Some of them are quite positive but only for 2/3 fingers so have to hit them accurately or I'm off. The squarish ones (top left or middle right?) are properly ratty.

I'm not a fan of the 2 sided ones in the bottom right: they are awkward to use as handholds and too good for footholds. But the rest are good.

I also have these red crimps which are very ratty and basic.

I inherited them so don't know who made them but they could be just what you're after Bradders if anyone can identify them.

https://imgur.com/a/LmB8kjT (https://imgur.com/a/LmB8kjT)

Think these are old High Noon holds from Swanny and Dave Cowl but I'd imagine you'd struggle to find any now.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Adam Lincoln on March 13, 2021, 05:07:34 pm

If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.

😉
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: daddy long legs on March 13, 2021, 05:09:00 pm
Maybe not the cheapest but the yellow Moonboard holds are pretty old skool. Pretty much all small crimps and pinches.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mark20 on March 13, 2021, 06:41:57 pm
My mate made some small 'volumes' by getting a cutting diagonally down a 4inch fenchpost, to give two long Toblerones. Then cutting into required sizes.
On a 45deg board you can put them on to give a flat undercut and vertical face, and put little holds on for undercuts and good crimps, or in the other orientation for incut gastons/sidepulls or a pinch across the whole thing.
Only small but gives a few options for different angled holds, gastons you get right into, crimps you can properly drape below, and positive undercuts to reach up into, etc
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51033105461_1a280081fe.jpg)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Sidehaas on March 13, 2021, 07:58:42 pm
I have a mixture of Crusher and Artemis, the latter being a relatively new producer.
Dan Ward, he’s very good and reasonably priced. Has a FB shop:

 https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards (https://www.facebook.com/artemis.hangboards)

Good shout on Artemis/Dan ward, nice selection of shapes.

I also have one of his small wedge volumes - really good quality, looks good and bargainous prices. I have managed to attach 6 different crimps on the four faces of mine (3 on the front and one on each of the other sides) so got lots of new angles out of it.
I think you could probably fit it temporarily over the top of a crimp but you'd want to check exact dimensions.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on March 13, 2021, 08:19:46 pm
Peewee makes them. He sorted Cofe out recently I think.

I got some lovely handles from Pete. Tulip.

Also got some Beta Blox, Beastmaker and Strongholds, all very nice.

Got some great Core holds too as I do like resin, and their Geo footholds are mega.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: sdm on March 13, 2021, 11:12:56 pm
I've got a set of leaf crimps from Get a Grip (James Tunstall).

They're nicely made small, comfy, positive crimps. Just wide enough for 4 fingers, about half a pad deep for your middle 2 fingers but smaller for your index and pinky.

Haven't tried any of his other holds but the rails look interesting.

https://getagripclimbing.com/shop/ (https://getagripclimbing.com/shop/)

And something a bit different: I have 2 granite Skinfarmrz edges (pictured in the red crimps post above) and 2 granite slopers from Petraholds to toughen the skin up while I can't climb outdoors. I use the slopers for hangs and currently have the edges on the board.

The edges are tough on the board. They're probably best suited for hangs to toughen up the skin before a trip, especially for people with crap skin like me. As expected, they work your skin in a very similar way to climbing on crimpy granite.

They come from Canada and are not cheap. He also does a wood and granite hangboard and a "try hard stick" for training compression but I think shipping and customs would make them very expensive for the UK.

Also does whole board sets in granite or basalt but they would be very expensive for a home setup.

https://instagram.com/petraholds?igshid=e84de43h4bbd (https://instagram.com/petraholds?igshid=e84de43h4bbd)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 14, 2021, 06:41:29 pm
Been meaning to write a bit of a review of all the holds I've acquired for ages, so here goes at last. I've tried to get a good variety, mainly as I think that's just generally a good approach for constructing a board and giving a decent amount of variation in the hold types you can use. All holds are on either a 45' or 25' board, and for reference I am occasionally able to cheat my way up 8Aish boulders but more usually climb around 7C in a session or three.

Forgive the massive essay but hopefully this is useful for someone!

Taylor Made Holds: https://taylormadeholds.com/
Holds used: thin pinches, 25mm 30' incut edges, 15' incut edges, campus rungs, triangle pinches
Review: all of the holds are made from tulipwood, and are finished with a really smooth texture giving very little friction, meaning you have to squeeze pretty hard on all of the holds. In all honesty I was a bit disappointed with the 30' incut edges, as I was thinking they'd be smaller and more incut than they are, but I've ended up using them as pretty hard undercuts and they work well for this. The less incut edges are really hard to use on the 45' board. The best thing about these holds is the finish, which is really exceptional and I particularly like the addition of washers as standard, which means they're nice and easy to screw onto the wall without over-tightening.


Jake's Holds: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/JakesHolds
Holds used: micro wavey edges (oak & walnut), small random blocks,
Review: I absolutely love the wavey edges. The finish is brilliant, and the edges are sharp little grifters that have been really hard to come across, but I think are really valuable on a board as you have to properly bear down to use them. The wavey edge to them gives a really nice shape and a much more natural feel than a flat edge. The small blocks are really hard to use on a 45' board, ending up as kind of front 3 micro pinches which feel really unique and different to literally any other holds I've seen on a board. I also put two of them close together to create a kind of split edge that feels like something you'd find on UK limestone.


Beta Blox: https://www.betablox.co.uk/
Holds used: small slopey edges, large domes, large and small pinches, 88mm sloper (in plywood)
Review: these were amongst the first holds I bought midway through the first lockdown last year. Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed at the time, given I'd specified holds for a 45' board, and having bought circa 20-30 holds I ended up having to take the majority of them off as they were completely unusable at that angle. Not just hard, I genuinely think Adam Ondra wouldn't have been able to do anything with them. On a 25' though they're much better and more recently I bought some of the sapele domes, which are absolutely lovely to use and Nigel was great in sorting out exactly what I was after.


Crusher: http://crusherholds.co.uk/
Holds: board holds set 2 (mix of edges from small to large plus medium and large pinches)
Review: these really are the budget option. At £2.50 per hold, I don't think you can really get holds cheaper unless you make them yourself. You do get what you pay for though; the wood doesn't feel amazing quality and in an outdoor board noticeably suffers more than others, the edges are very easily "cheatable" in that you can get a lot of thumb involved given they have flat edges, and they're generally not great to look at. The smallest edges were also kind of too small for 45' in my opinion, not having much of an incut. My favourite holds in the set are the large pinches, which give a really meaty handful.


Beastmaker: https://www.beastmaker.co.uk/
Holds: incut pinches, 1000 & 2000 fingerboards, micros
Review: from the budget option to the premium brand. Again, you get what you pay for; premium finish, lovely shapes, etc. But they're just not that interesting....hard to put my finger on it but even just looking at the website none of the holds make me excited to spend money on them, such that the only ones I've ended up getting are the incut pinches, which are admittedly lovely.


Strongholds: https://www.strongholds.co.uk/
Holds: small mirrored jugs and custom made small edges 15mm with 45' incut in tulipwood, small utile (mahogany type wood) edges
Review: really, really impressed with these. The small mirrored jugs in tulipwood are just perfect for warm ups at 45' for me, giving a great comfortable shaped hold that's small enough to get your fingers pulling but large enough that they still feel somewhat juggy. The 15mm edges were custom made by Rick after I got in touch. He made them to my specifications and was really accommodating. I think he was a little reluctant initially to do such a significant incut angle, but it's worked really well and he made the edge profile perfectly so it's very small, but really comfortable. The texture on these combined with the size makes them really hard to use, but never uncomfortable which is a real achievement. He even then threw in a pair of edges in utile, which is a really beautiful wood type, and again they're just really nicely shaped. Altogether these might just be the most comfortable "hard" holds on my board.


Peewee: https://www.instagram.com/peter_hobbit_wilkinson/?hl=en
Holds: mix of edges in varying sizes and incuts, few small pinches
Review: Pete made me lots of mixed edge sizes and you can tell that he knows how to make a profile of hold that's both comfortable yet gives good hard climbing. There are lots of slopey edges that are a bit different to lots of others on the market; you've got to really bear down on them, but they're not incut at all really. Compared to a lot of others they are also much, much harder to thumb cheat; i.e. you have to really crimp down on them as opposed to pinching the sides. My only criticism is the wood type used initially isn't the best and suffers a bit in my shed, but I think he's now using more tulip and they were very well priced.


Tulip Grips: https://www.instagram.com/tulipgrips/
Holds: large slopers
Review: only have a couple of these, but the finish is exceptional and they're really nice to look at and use, whilst being very reasonably priced. Keen to get some more.


Alien Holds: https://www.alienholds.com/
Holds: First Contact full set
Review: as a big set of holds to fill out a new board I think these were a really good choice. You get a great variety of shapes including some jugs that really aren't too juggy, big slopey edges that make great finishing holds, and a bunch of slopers and pinches that are really usable for easier to moderate problems on 45'. There were I think only 2 hand holds in the set that aren't usable on 45' or on a volume on the 45', whilst if I was buying again I wouldn't have got the footholds as they're just too slopey for 45', and too big for 25'. Texture wise they feel great, slightly rough but comfortable profiles.


Core: https://coreclimbing.co.uk/
Holds: Font mini jugs, limestone small edges, 20mm geo screw on feet, "board" feet
Review: everyone should just get their footholds from Core really, they're just the best. The 20mm are probably a bit too big for really hard problems at 45' but they do mean you can use some really small handholds, so it's swings and roundabouts. The board feet are small and slopey and can turn warm ups on the larger feet into projects. I've used these on a 30' board too and they're still pretty tough there! The Font mini jugs make for very easy warm ups on 45', or are good for an unfit boulderer doing aerocap on 25'. Honestly, I really didn't get on with the limestone edges. They were very usable at 45', but I found wooden holds much more comfortable to use as the edges were so sharp they tore through my skin pretty quickly.


Euroholds: https://www.euroholds.com/en/
Holds: 16M (small slopers), 5M (one / two finger pockets)
Review: The slopers made for great finishing holds on a previous 45, but were unusable for me on the steep. They make for a difficult, squeezy circuit at 25', with lots of variety to the profiles; some are draggable, whilst others you have to really pinch. The pockets are great on the 45'; positive and comfortable to use for someone who generally hates climbing on pockets. Unfortunately last time I looked at shipping costs I think these are now pretty uneconomical.


Hardwood Holds: https://www.hardwoodholds.co.uk/
Holds: big pinches, wavey crimps, board slopers
Review: another of the most established and well known brands. It would be a bit weird not to have some Hardwood Holds on a board. That said, I've not been all that impressed and I suspect their popularity / ubiquity is more based around successful marketing and familiarity, as opposed to the holds actually being any better than others on this list. The board slopers are really good though, at 45' they require you to really squeeze all the juice out of them to make them usable, and one of my crowning achievements on my board is having done a sequence linking them together.


Silly Goat: https://sillygoatholds.co.uk/
Holds: random mix of small edges
Review: another very established brand. Again, really not that impressed. The holds are generally quite interesting shapes which is nice, but they're sharp in a bad way in places and I prefer more rounded profiles where you can't get the cheat thumb engaged. I do only have a handful of them to be fair, albeit part of the reason for that is the larger slopers and pinches are a fair bit more expensive than those from other makers, and I'm not sure are worth the extra dough.


Buzz: https://buzzholds.co.uk/
Holds: big mix of pretty much everything, i.e. the 40 hold set plus a bunch of others from when he was just starting out
Review: Garry's holds have improved a lot since he started out. The first lot he sent me during lockdown 1 were good, but some were very sharp and could completely ruin your skin. The new set I got a few months ago are much better, really nice profiles on the edges and comfortable pinches. He was happy to accommodate some of my specific requirements and gave me a really cool mix of wood types which adds variety. All at a really great price. Highly recommended.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: RobK on March 14, 2021, 06:58:40 pm
Mega write up Bradders. Sounds like we have a quite similar hold setup and I agree with basically everything you've said so don't have much to add.

Perhaps the only one we differ on are the Hardwood Holds. I'm a big fan of these, I find they use a bigger radius on their edges than almost every other hold on my board which is nice for variety if nothing else. A big shout out for their jugs too. Great for longer endurance stuff on steep boards and I haven't found anything else as remotely comfortable and kind to the skin.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 14, 2021, 07:02:40 pm
Great write up.

I’ve core feet, Stronghold, Peewee and Crushers on mine and I’d agree with you on all of these. 👍
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on March 14, 2021, 07:35:18 pm
Ace write up bradders, good work!

I've just had my first proper session on the taylormade pockets (https://taylormadeholds.com/collections/mirrored-holds/products/duo-pockets) and Im well impressed so far. It seems like pockets are a hard shape to get right but these are a really nice profile. As bradders said they've got a pretty finely textured finish which I think works well in this case: they've got a big radius on the edge that would be too juggy if it was resin but makes them feel nicely challenging on a 45 (for my weak fingers anyway).

They are double sided which is a cool feature. One orientation is a fairly positive 2 fingers and the other way up is a slopier 3 fingers.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on March 14, 2021, 08:05:08 pm
Bradders and other experienced board users, I have a few questions to try and get the most value out of my board training if you'd be so kind to help.

Are you using 2 sets of footholds on your board such that you can do a problem on the easy feet then work towards doing it on the hard feet. If so do you set them with a regular repeating spacing?

Do you ever set feet follow hands and find it has any strength training value? I think it can sometimes make more realistic movement but my primary concern is getting strong.

Do you have a preference for setting either: (a) basic problems that are hard because the holds are bad, (b) problems that are hard because the movement is hard, or a mix of both?

How many moves do you tend to aim for when creating problems where the intention is getting stronger?

Edit: sorry, I now realise most of this has strayed off topic.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 14, 2021, 08:18:37 pm
All of the above apart from hands follow feet.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 14, 2021, 08:39:44 pm
I have three foothold options on my 45 atm;

1. Core 20mm feet, allows me to use some very small holds, and also good for doing ancap style training on easier problems.
2. Core "board" feet, in practice these are about 10mm and a bit slopey/uneven. Can make warm ups on the 20mm feet into projects that take a few sessions.
3. Feet on specified plastic holds

I don't like / can't really do feet follow as my board is only 2.5m or so high, I don't have a kicker, and I don't like using the wood holds for feet.

Given it's how the School Room 50 is set up though I think it's safe to say feet follow is a good way of doing it if you have the height!

I have my footholds in nice neat rows / columns atm but tbh am thinking of changing that, not sure if having them a bit more random might be better....?

On problem setting, variety is the spice of life! Although again, due to the height of the board it tends more towards the bad holds side of things versus something like the Kilter board which is obviously more big moves etc. In an ideal world you'd train on both  ;)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Probes on March 14, 2021, 09:12:58 pm
Bradders, just a few comments regarding your comments on wood types with reference to you calling my holds not very good quality! First time in 12 years my holds and the Ash I use, has been referred to as such.
There are currently 4 main types used out there, Tulipwood, Utile, Ash and Oak. None of which are very suitable for use on a board outside. I certainly don't advertise them for use outside.
All 4 are pretty standard and are usually shipped into the country by a couple of main importers, so their quality doesn't vary throughout the country.
Tulipwood, softest wood of the 4, cheapest to buy, easy to work and get good shapes, finish becomes polished easy, least hardwearing.
Utile and Ash, similar hardness, similar price, Utile being the easier to work, Ash being slightly harder wearing.
Oak, hardest of all, expensive, difficult to work, great finish, easily absorbs moisture and if so liable to split, if kept well will out last the rest no probs.
Horses for courses pay for what you get.
My ash is the ash I've used on boards, holds & rungs since the start. Some fingerboards & campus boards have been in commercial use for 10 years and still going strong. So may be you have an off batch of ash, no idea what an off ash would be but not counting it out. Or having the holds on a board outside had lead to the wood degrading fast, no surprise there.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mrjonathanr on March 14, 2021, 09:26:32 pm
Do you use beech? I have a few holds in that- really nice. (Have some of yours and Rick's too - all good).
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on March 14, 2021, 09:39:44 pm
Nice write up bradders, not that I've much space left to make use of any more holds on my board!

I've only bought holds from rginns on here (strongholds) and core, so can't really give a fair comparison with other stuff, but couple of things to add.

My board is 30 degrees which is fairly unusual i think - most people seem to go steeper for height constraints and more power focus, or shallower as traversing/easier stuff - Anyway, Richard at Strongholds was brilliant tweaking incut angles to suit the 30 degree, and I love all the stuff I've got from him. Mine are nearly all oak - the texture on these is glorious and are holding up well on an outdoor board so far - though its noticeable that if I forget to brush off holds after a session they do seem to absorb more moisture than the bits of mahogany from old furniture that I've got from mates boards.
And another vote for the core board feet I use these as my "medium" feet at 30 degrees - although if you have them the good way up on a 30 they can bite through your shoes pretty quick - I've got an otherwise fairly new pair of shoes with a hole specifically at the point some of the better footholds edges bite. I've also got these from core as the "easy" set of feet and like them: https://coreclimbing.co.uk/buy-holds/shop-by-type/footholds/core-screw-ons_1/
The "hard" feet are little wood discs that came off a mates board - these are great for me but would be unusable on anything significantly steeper I think

Liam - I have my feet semi regularly spaced, but each set is sparing enough that theres not a great deal of choice for each move if restricting yourself to one set.
I don't do feet follow, though I do make an effort to set moves that might require high feet, though this isn't a weakness for me so it's not a priority. If the board was steeper I probably would.
re small holds vs difficult movement - both as much as possible, but the biggest advantage is to get others to set problems, I invariably find these more challenging than my own for "the grade", and feels much better for finding and working weaknesses
I don't worry about how many moves - my problems are generally 3-5 moves, on a board thats 3.2m "long"
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: M1V0 on March 14, 2021, 10:00:54 pm
Bradders and other experienced board users, I have a few questions to try and get the most value out of my board training if you'd be so kind to help.

Are you using 2 sets of footholds on your board such that you can do a problem on the easy feet then work towards doing it on the hard feet. If so do you set them with a regular repeating spacing?

Do you ever set feet follow hands and find it has any strength training value? I think it can sometimes make more realistic movement but my primary concern is getting strong.

Do you have a preference for setting either: (a) basic problems that are hard because the holds are bad, (b) problems that are hard because the movement is hard, or a mix of both?

How many moves do you tend to aim for when creating problems where the intention is getting stronger?

Edit: sorry, I now realise most of this has strayed off topic.

I have three foothold sets. 20mm flats, 15mm (or 10mm) and some domes. Hardly use the 20s anymore, the 15s are the workhorses of the board (they’re round oak ‘coins’ courtesy of Probes) and the domes are desperate. I set using the 15mms and then swapping to the domes bumps the grade by at least what feels a whole number! Foot spacing is regular and mirrored, as the board is mirrored, but differently spaced for the three sets.

Never done feet follow hands, don’t want to ruin the handholds. If you’re after getting strong, then I wouldn’t bother. Climb outside/gym for realistic movement. Tiny screw-one for feet to engage core and get strong.

I’m very limited on space 3m x 1m so a lot of my stuff is hard because the holds are ratty and average about four/five moves or bigger moves I average about three moves to the top hold. As I am constrained on width, the focus for me is catching holds, keeping feet and maintaining tension where I can.

When it comes to setting stuff, I tend to set what feels hard for me usually centred around either an idea of a move or a particular hold or two I haven’t set with recently. Although over the last few months I’ve churned out my own holds so sometimes it is just setting to play with new holds!

Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: M1V0 on March 14, 2021, 10:07:19 pm
I have a mix of mostly Crusher holds, Strongholds, a couple of TaylorMade and ones I’ve made myself to fill in gaps or edges that aren’t so generous with the incut.

Or rather, crusher are quality and the small 15mm crimps are perfect for what I want. I really like the consistent incut on the 15,20 and 25mm crimps as they aren’t always easy to use.

Strongholds make up the main bulk and Rick has been really good in making up a custom set for me. Lots of crimps with a couple pockets and undercuts too.

TaylorMade I got a jug to use as a starting undercut and a couple of the pockets. I find I middle two crimp the duo pockets rather than drag them oddly.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 14, 2021, 10:28:38 pm
Bradders, just a few comments regarding your comments on wood types with reference to you calling my holds not very good quality! First time in 12 years my holds and the Ash I use, has been referred to as such.
There are currently 4 main types used out there, Tulipwood, Utile, Ash and Oak. None of which are very suitable for use on a board outside. I certainly don't advertise them for use outside.
All 4 are pretty standard and are usually shipped into the country by a couple of main importers, so their quality doesn't vary throughout the country.
Tulipwood, softest wood of the 4, cheapest to buy, easy to work and get good shapes, finish becomes polished easy, least hardwearing.
Utile and Ash, similar hardness, similar price, Utile being the easier to work, Ash being slightly harder wearing.
Oak, hardest of all, expensive, difficult to work, great finish, easily absorbs moisture and if so liable to split, if kept well will out last the rest no probs.
Horses for courses pay for what you get.
My ash is the ash I've used on boards, holds & rungs since the start. Some fingerboards & campus boards have been in commercial use for 10 years and still going strong. So may be you have an off batch of ash, no idea what an off ash would be but not counting it out. Or having the holds on a board outside had lead to the wood degrading fast, no surprise there.

Hi Probes, sorry I tried to be as fair and honest as I could be - and I'm not saying they're shit!! I very much appreciate that it's much easier to be a critic. As I said, the pinches are my favourites and climb really well, whilst all of them do have a nice comfortable profile. It's just personal preference really that I'd rather not to be able to thumb cheat, and like a sharper incut. And yeah, holds from other manufacturers maybe look nicer but they're all quite a lot more expensive so it's up to you what you'd like, I just wanted to give my thoughts and people can decide for themselves.

As an example, you'll notice I've not mentioned Lock Holds, and that's because I contacted them for pricing and couldn't believe how expensive they were! But some people won't mind paying minimum £10 for one crimp I guess :-\

On wood types, I should clarify firstly that I've had one previous board which was outside, and my current two which are in a shed. I have some issues with condensation forming on the holds in the shed for some reason, which is a problem I haven't yet managed to solve. I've not heard anyone else really have this problem so not sure what's going on.

I'm no expert on wood types so I can only offer my observations with an n=1 caveat, and on that score holds in sapele, tulipwood and utile are faring significantly better than those in ash and oak. I think this is something to do with the closeness of the grain? As in tulipwood is very fine grained and therefore doesn't soak up moisture whereas oak has an open grain and gets soaked. Whilst ash is somewhere in the middle but seems to get greasy very easily. Just my experience!

I think outdoor boards are a pretty new thing really so there's bound to be a bit of a learning process going on in terms of understanding what works and what doesn't. I imagine you wouldn't advertise the holds as being suitable outdoors, but by the same token you also don't say they're not suitable so how is anyone to know?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cheque on March 14, 2021, 10:38:39 pm
hard to put my finger on it

Never a good thing to say about a hold.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: moose on March 14, 2021, 10:45:29 pm
All of the above apart from hands follow feet.

Same. I really don't want to get my nice handholds covered in rubber. And, small-but-positive hands but dedicated, terrible smears for feet feels more appropriate to my aims than feel-follows-hands contortions. 

Re footholds, I have three "levels" of wooden footholds on my 40 deg board - bigs (maybe 4cm but very slippery, so not as easy as you might imagine); medium (1.5 cm deep disks), and domes (utterly hideous). I try to do each problem on my woodie on each foothold type (but usually give up with the domes).  Being able  to get double / triple value from each problem I set seems a pretty sensible tactic - using a different foothold set can require climbing the problem in a completely different way.

Currently, my favourite holds are my Rginns / Strongholds 2-finger pockets (ergo niceness), Beastmaker leaf crimps (lime-esque knobbly crimp/pinch nastiness), LX Grips / HWH crimp rails (positive and good targets for throwing to). 

Re Crusher, my woodie was originally all his work and many of those holds have now been supplanted with more aesthetic and expensive alternatives.  But Probes' small and medium crimps have been retained as I really like their uncompromising nature, and the triangular pinches and big blocky pinches are still there as nothing else really hits that spot.  Also, I have some undercuts he did for me - not on the website (supposedly a design for Jordan Buys when he was projecting Rainshadow) - which are great (actual undercuts, rather than just upsidedown crimps).  My holds have all remained in good condition - the Depot (Pudsey) had a set of Crusher holds that went a bit flaky but I suspect that was a rogue batch - I've seen that no where else (maybe jet-washing a factor?!). 
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Probes on March 15, 2021, 12:21:23 am
Bradders, to be honest I really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums, especially when its related to products put out by small businesses/one man bands. In such a niche market as this, they can be really damaging very quickly, especially at the moment! People can fickle and shit spreads easily. Comments of perceived weighted opinion can go a long way and I can guarantee your reviews will be read by a lot of people on the look out for holds.

Criticism is great, I actively look for it when putting out a product, I know if I'm doing something wrong then. Criticism from a far based on the personal opinion of someone I don't know is worth nothing to me.

So with that in mind, my small crimps are perfect on a 45, I tested them to shit, you're just not strong enough  ;).
Silly goat make some rad holds, quirky, make you think, a change from pulling a perfectly rounded & finished edge, yawn.
HWH & BMs still the Dons of board holds (utter respect for Alex's sanding tenacity, and resilience to RSI).

All these new kids on the block is great, makes you up your game. Will be interesting to see where it's at in 12 months.
 
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: GazM on March 15, 2021, 07:05:44 am
For what it's worth, I've had 2 sets of the Crusher 15mm crimps and 1 of the 10mms on my board which is outside in a shed in the Scottish Highlands for 2-3 years and had no issues with quality or conditions. I love them.

In fact my wooden holds are generally the reliable ones when humidity sky rockets and the resin holds go to crap, although the oak ones can be a bit exciting then too.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: spidermonkey09 on March 15, 2021, 11:01:24 am
Criticism from a far based on the personal opinion of someone I don't know is worth nothing to me.


Isn't this just a review?

FWIW I've heard loads of good reviews of your holds, but all Nick has done has given his opinion- as he says its not like he's slagging them off!

Interesting point though about online reviews in general and their impact on businesses, particularly on small businesses. I think this is especially true for restaurants on tripadvisor or similar where people are very quick to leave negative reviews. I agree a bad word travels a lot quicker than a good one but what's the alternative? If we were to encourage the 'say nothing nice or say nothing at all' approach surely reading reviews becomes essentially pointless. Anyway, off topic, but rest assured nothing I have read here would stop me buying your holds!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: abarro81 on March 15, 2021, 11:29:49 am
Bradders, to be honest I really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums,

Conversely, I find these the only reviews worth reading because "official reviews" are usually pretty useless
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on March 15, 2021, 12:07:27 pm

If anyone is reading this and has a set, I'd like to get my hands on the Malc Smith Trainingstone holds by Stonesmith.

😉

Ah FFS, does Malc say Hi too? Drop me a price Lincoln (so I can tell you where to shove it).
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: daddy long legs on March 15, 2021, 12:52:45 pm
Ace write up bradders, good work!

I've just had my first proper session on the taylormade pockets (https://taylormadeholds.com/collections/mirrored-holds/products/duo-pockets) and Im well impressed so far. It seems like pockets are a hard shape to get right but these are a really nice profile. As bradders said they've got a pretty finely textured finish which I think works well in this case: they've got a big radius on the edge that would be too juggy if it was resin but makes them feel nicely challenging on a 45 (for my weak fingers anyway).

They are double sided which is a cool feature. One orientation is a fairly positive 2 fingers and the other way up is a slopier 3 fingers.

This sounds good! After some wood pockets for my 45......gonna start a new thread
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jwi on March 15, 2021, 01:10:03 pm
Bradders, to be honest I really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums,

Conversely, I find these the only reviews worth reading because "official reviews" are usually pretty useless

+1. Most reviews in climbing magazines or on larger climbing websites is useless fluff written by clueless people who are pathetically happy to have gotten their hands on free stuff.

The editor of a pretty big climbing site sent me a message asking for guidebooks (that I'd written/published) for free in exchange for a news article and a positive review. I didn't answer the message, of course. And I certainly did not ship any topos.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on March 15, 2021, 01:23:28 pm
It's worth noting that an artisanal hold supplier mentioned on this thread had someone complain about their symmetrical holds because the placement of the logo wasn't symmetrical, which firmly falls in the category of looking at Amazon reviews and noting the 1* review is because Royal Mail couldn't find their house etc. rather than being specifically an issue with the product.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Nutty on March 15, 2021, 01:25:16 pm
I think outdoor boards are a pretty new thing really so there's bound to be a bit of a learning process going on in terms of understanding what works and what doesn't. I imagine you wouldn't advertise the holds as being suitable outdoors, but by the same token you also don't say they're not suitable so how is anyone to know?

For wood holds, the wood database https://www.wood-database.com/wood-filter/ (https://www.wood-database.com/wood-filter/) is useful for information on grain/texture and rot resistance. I've based all my wooden hold purchases for my outdoor board on this: avoiding ash, beech and tulipwood because of poor rot resistance and favouring oak and sapele.

I've crusher holds (in oak) on my outdoor 45 that have been up for 4 years now and are still in good condition: some very minor splitting visible on some pinches but nothing that affects the holds in use. The sapele HWH holds I have still look as new after a year up. I have some beech domes for feet, but I soaked those in wood preservative before putting them up.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Will Hunt on March 15, 2021, 03:42:35 pm
I have quite a few Crusher crimps on my 40 board. The 25mm ones are great for warming up on, and I really like pulling on the 20mm and 15mm ones. The fatty pinches work really nicely as well.
The shapes are pretty basic, so if you're the type of person who wants to take moody pictures of your holds and put them on Instagram then you probably won't like them. The price is good which makes them ideal for when you've a new board and you need to get some holds on it - you can fill in the gaps with some variety later. No complaints about the wood. They've been on there as long as the board has been up (five or six years now) and are as good as they were the day they were put on.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Oldmanmatt on March 15, 2021, 03:46:06 pm
I have Crusher holds, indoors but on a a commercially used board. In fact some are on their third board in seven or eight years (so long I can’t remember exactly) and until Covid shutdowns, were in daily use. They still look/feel new, so much so, I can’t remember which ones are recent purchases and which are originals.
The very small crimps, do have perpendicular side, so you can thumb them, a little. Whilst they’re small, they’re definitely usable and incut enough.

The medium and larger crimps have chamfered edges and are much harder to use a thumb on.

I think you’d have to ask Probes what the wood was on our order now, because it’s long since filed here, but I’m thinking Beechwood crimps and Oak pinches, iirc.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 15, 2021, 04:00:20 pm
Probes will really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums! :)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: csl on March 15, 2021, 04:03:14 pm
Probes will really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums! :)

😂
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 15, 2021, 07:39:02 pm
Probes will really fucking hate these unofficial reviews people put out on forums! :)

:lol:

Looks like Robbie Phillips is going to be doing a holds review on his YouTube channel soon too. Hopefully that ticks the 'official' box?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 15, 2021, 09:21:54 pm
Yeah be good to get some unbiased reviews from a heavily sponsored climber ;)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jwi on March 25, 2021, 09:31:29 am
At the current state of affairs, shipping holds in to our out of EU might be unnecessarily tricky, but for those who doesn't mind sourcing holds from Spain I have to recommend the wooden pockets made by euroholds (https://www.euroholds.com/en/29-climbing-holds#/s/buscador-de-presas/f/material:beechwood). I have the 28 mm wooden two-finger pocket and the wooden mono and they are really comfortable and well made. The two-finger pocket is the best indoor pocket I ever pulled on. I haven't had them long, so I don't know if there are quality issues.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 25, 2021, 11:42:20 am
At the current state of affairs, shipping holds in to our out of EU might be unnecessarily tricky, but for those who doesn't mind sourcing holds from Spain I have to recommend the wooden pockets made by euroholds (https://www.euroholds.com/en/29-climbing-holds#/s/buscador-de-presas/f/material:beechwood). I have the 28 mm wooden two-finger pocket and the wooden mono and they are really comfortable and well made. The two-finger pocket is the best indoor pocket I ever pulled on. I haven't had them long, so I don't know if there are quality issues.

They do indeed look nice. When I tried to order:

Quote
- Due to your location or delivery address, you can't make the normal checkout in our webshop. Please, go to our international order form, fill it with your order and send us for preparing a quotation.

Fucking Brexit.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jwi on March 25, 2021, 11:48:07 am
madness in every sense of the word. I just assume that everyone will come to their senses soon, is that unreasonably optimistic of me?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 25, 2021, 11:50:16 am
madness in every sense of the word. I just assume that everyone will come to their senses soon, is that unreasonably optimistic of me?

Can't blame the company. I can only imagine that shipping to the UK now involves a whole raft of additional shit - that may be worth doing for a £500 order, but not for £30....
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: erm, sam on March 25, 2021, 01:10:48 pm
Quote
is that unreasonably optimistic of me?
almost certainly!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Ru on March 25, 2021, 04:57:26 pm
For consignments less than £135 the EU seller now has to register with HMRC, add VAT onto the purchase price and account for the VAT to the UK. A lot of faff if you have few UK orders, so some EU retailers are refusing to let you buy orders worth less than £135, or charging UK customers extra to account for the extra admin.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Fultonius on March 25, 2021, 07:17:34 pm
madness in every sense of the word. I just assume that everyone will come to their senses soon, is that unreasonably optimistic of me?

Can't blame the company. I can only imagine that shipping to the UK now involves a whole raft of additional shit - that may be worth doing for a £500 order, but not for £30....

I've spent countless hours battling with EXW Incoterms, Postponed Vat Accounting... Honestly, fuck that shit!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: holdfast on March 28, 2021, 05:50:01 pm
My tuppence worth....I built an outdoor 40 board (galvanised roof, enclosed on back and sides with fixed tarp, roll down tarp on front) back in June last year. I've got a selection of different wood holds and despite a particularly damp Dartmoor winter, they all seem to have held up pretty well. The first up were crusher and hardwood. No issues at all with the crusher ones, all as good as the day they were screwed on. A couple of the hardwood holds (light-coloured big pinches) seem to get a moldy film on the bits of hold that don't generally get used, but it brushes off and the wood seems OK. Also bought some beastmaker holds and some very small homemade ratty oak crimps off ebay before Christmas, again no problems so far. Conditions wise, the crusher ones seem to be least affected by high humidity, the hardwood holds the most. At my girlfriends request, I've also got 20 resin core mini jugs on for a circuit / warm up, but I much prefer the wood holds as they are so much kinder on the skin.
I think its good to have a range of different makes of hold on the board, different woods, different finishes etc - keeps it interesting. I'd say the beastmaker crimps have been the hardest for me to use, and also the ratty oak crimps are pretty fierce. Also, after nagging probes to design and make some, I've just put up some crusher monos and two finger pockets which are excellent, with the added benefit that as they are blocky to accommodate the pocket, they can also be used as pinches.
My next project will be to make a couple of small volumes to give a bit more variation, and maybe try making some holds myself....although this may be beyond my gcse woodwork!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Monolith on March 29, 2021, 01:05:55 pm
A big shoutout to our very own rginns for making me these custom crimps.

The brief was for a set of 6,7,8,9,10 and 11mm pair of ratties and he couldn't have nailed it any better. Note the Roman numeral sizes on the front. So very hipster and so very fucking cool.

(https://i.ibb.co/K253Mr9/IMG-5828.jpg) (https://ibb.co/D91SxR7)

(https://i.ibb.co/1vBBPgJ/IMG-5829.jpg) (https://ibb.co/X266KQk)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Will Hunt on March 29, 2021, 01:43:13 pm
So very hipster and so very fucking cool.

And you've displayed them on some distressed wood. Next fucking level.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Oldmanmatt on March 29, 2021, 01:59:39 pm
So very hipster and so very fucking cool.

And you've displayed them on some distressed wood. Next fucking level.

It’s a distressed Workmate.

That’s full Artisan level.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Will Hunt on March 29, 2021, 02:07:36 pm
I feel an article for London Climber coming on.

The Red Brick Set: the top ten traverses on exposed brickwork in Shoreditch apartments - the climbs and their owners profiled.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 29, 2021, 02:20:26 pm
Holdz new range - Brickedgez, perfect for training for your next buildaneering project.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on March 29, 2021, 03:16:25 pm
I feel an article for London Climber coming on.

The Red Brick Set: the top ten traverses on exposed brickwork in Shoreditch apartments - the climbs and their owners profiled.

I think Neil Gresham has that niche already sewn up.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Monolith on March 29, 2021, 03:37:45 pm
So very hipster and so very fucking cool.

And you've displayed them on some distressed wood. Next fucking level.

It’s a distressed Workmate.

That’s full Artisan level.

It's my dad's from the 70s, have been using it to knock up some ply holds this weekend. I'd love to see Rick's workshop!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: M1V0 on March 30, 2021, 12:21:46 pm
Whoever was after Malc Smith's Rockmaster (?), it appears he (or someone using his name and presumed location) is making holds and selling via Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/malcsmithclimbing
Not the OG holds, but maybe you can convince him to remake them!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on March 30, 2021, 12:38:09 pm
That's so random.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on March 30, 2021, 01:51:55 pm
That's mad! Someone called Malc Smith also popped up on Insta recently calling out someone for not starting in the right place on a trav at Dumby.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: csl on April 24, 2021, 03:14:48 pm
I don’t think this is a joke, climbing holds shaped and colours like various cheeses :shrug:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CImdMHlDHqU/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on April 24, 2021, 04:48:18 pm
Whoever was after Malc Smith's Rockmaster (?), it appears he (or someone using his name and presumed location) is making holds and selling via Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/malcsmithclimbing
Not the OG holds, but maybe you can convince him to remake them!

I bought a set of the black resin pinches Malc had on this etsy site.

They’re lovely!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: JamieG on April 24, 2021, 06:35:17 pm
I don’t think this is a joke, climbing holds shaped and colours like various cheeses :shrug:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CImdMHlDHqU/

As long as they aren’t skin cheddars, I don’t give Edam.

(Sorry! That was my best effort)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: moose on April 24, 2021, 07:06:21 pm
Whoever was after Malc Smith's Rockmaster (?), it appears he (or someone using his name and presumed location) is making holds and selling via Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/malcsmithclimbing
Not the OG holds, but maybe you can convince him to remake them!

I bought a set of the black resin pinches Malc had on this etsy site.

They’re lovely!

To test if they were made by the Malcolm Smith, grasp them while executing a drop-knee.  If they spontaneously combust, and shower your unrighteous face in burning plastic, they truly are the work of our broccoli loving purist of power.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on April 24, 2021, 07:19:25 pm
No chance of a drop knee (or a heel) on my board...

They were almost beautifully packed - with a strip of masking tape covering the holes on the back - and then stuck where the tape was with double sided to a cardboard sheet (I’d have bunged them in a box) and a nice handwritten note came with them thanking me for buying them and hoping I enjoyed using them.

14 in total for £65. Each one different. Nice attention to detail.

Not sure they’d exist comfortably on your board with those pockets!! 😱😁
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on April 24, 2021, 07:38:22 pm
I don’t think this is a joke, climbing holds shaped and colours like various cheeses :shrug:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CImdMHlDHqU/

Dear me, that's all a bit "climbing goes mainstream weirdness"!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: duncan on April 24, 2021, 09:10:57 pm
I don’t think this is a joke, climbing holds shaped and colours like various cheeses :shrug:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CImdMHlDHqU/

(https://i.ibb.co/S6K1cxL/8554-C406-40-C1-4-D80-B947-3553-E2-D10303.jpg)

Wearing your parmigiano T shirt
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on April 25, 2021, 10:59:35 am
No chance of a drop knee (or a heel) on my board...

They were almost beautifully packed - with a strip of masking tape covering the holes on the back - and then stuck where the tape was with double sided to a cardboard sheet (I’d have bunged them in a box) and a nice handwritten note came with them thanking me for buying them and hoping I enjoyed using them.

14 in total for £65. Each one different. Nice attention to detail.

Not sure they’d exist comfortably on your board with those pockets!! 😱😁

How positive are they Tom? Look to have ok incut on the pics.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on April 25, 2021, 11:37:18 am
Whoever was after Malc Smith's Rockmaster (?), it appears he (or someone using his name and presumed location) is making holds and selling via Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/malcsmithclimbing
Not the OG holds, but maybe you can convince him to remake them!

I bought a set of the black resin pinches Malc had on this etsy site.

They’re lovely!

Twas me and I've messaged him but I've not had a response. :wavecry:
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: tomtom on April 25, 2021, 12:17:10 pm
No chance of a drop knee (or a heel) on my board...

They were almost beautifully packed - with a strip of masking tape covering the holes on the back - and then stuck where the tape was with double sided to a cardboard sheet (I’d have bunged them in a box) and a nice handwritten note came with them thanking me for buying them and hoping I enjoyed using them.

14 in total for £65. Each one different. Nice attention to detail.

Not sure they’d exist comfortably on your board with those pockets!! 😱😁

How positive are they Tom? Look to have ok incut on the pics.

A mix. Before setting I split them into three groups. Incut, positive and neutral (as in a straight pinch). 4 or 5 incut, 8 positive and 2 neutral.

Really interesting shapes. Nothing revolutionary - but they feel very comfy and non tweaky - despite being hard (some of them).

Not used to plastic though - took a few good chalk brushing to get rid of the slight oily / slickness you get with new ones.

Btw - for decent sized plastic holds, £4.50-5 per hold is a bargain....
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on April 25, 2021, 12:19:55 pm
Nice one, ta.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on May 21, 2021, 09:56:47 pm
I picked up a set of Malc's pinches based on TTs recommendation and would second what he's said. Nice comfy holds, good texture out of the box that doesn't wreck your skin. Fairly good on a 45 so work well for powerful problems with long reaches, if you've got a small board with limited options for wide moves they'd probably feel a bit easy.

I got a few that have a bronze finish too. I think they're the same shapes as the black ones so doesn't add anything other than looking pretty mint.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: MischaHY on May 27, 2021, 09:00:47 am
Since I got the board up I've had a chance to use the Wataaah Dojo set a fair bit and must say I'm really impressed. Compared to some other resin holds that I've had to take sandpaper too, these have been kind on the skin and are really nice in terms of ergonomics. Anyone looking for some small edges should check out the Dojo 1 - I've got them on the 45 and the 30. The pockets (Dojo 6) are really nice as well.

https://wataaah.de/en/dojo/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Helge on July 15, 2021, 11:17:28 am
Since I got the board up I've had a chance to use the Wataaah Dojo set a fair bit and must say I'm really impressed. Compared to some other resin holds that I've had to take sandpaper too, these have been kind on the skin and are really nice in terms of ergonomics. Anyone looking for some small edges should check out the Dojo 1 - I've got them on the 45 and the 30. The pockets (Dojo 6) are really nice as well.

https://wataaah.de/en/dojo/

Are the pockets good enough for a 45?

I recently ordered some of the smaller positive crimps from Flathold (bolt-on, electric flavor series). They are quite nice and were reasonably priced, one set was about £12, another £16 for five holds each.

https://www.flathold.com/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on September 26, 2021, 03:46:43 pm
Foothold recommendations please!

Specifically I'm looking for 2 sets of footholds for a 45, one positive and one slopey.

I'm better at toeing in on positive holds so I envisage setting problems on the positives and then working towards doing them on the slopey ones, which should ideally feel a couple of grades harder.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Nutty on September 26, 2021, 05:01:38 pm
Core Geo screw-ons for something positive (though they can be installed flat side up) - https://coreclimbing.co.uk/buy-holds/shop-by-type/footholds/footholds-geo-screw-on-20mm-feet/ (https://coreclimbing.co.uk/buy-holds/shop-by-type/footholds/footholds-geo-screw-on-20mm-feet/)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Duma on September 26, 2021, 05:50:15 pm
I'd just get two sets of those in different colours, and put them opposite ways up. 10mm might be pretty small on a 45, obvs depends what grade you climb though.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on September 26, 2021, 06:45:18 pm
Core Geo screw-ons for something positive (though they can be installed flat side up) - https://coreclimbing.co.uk/buy-holds/shop-by-type/footholds/footholds-geo-screw-on-20mm-feet/ (https://coreclimbing.co.uk/buy-holds/shop-by-type/footholds/footholds-geo-screw-on-20mm-feet/)

I have the 20mm versions on my 45' board, flat side up. They don't qualify as slopey in my opinion. Never tried them positive side up tbh.

I also have the Core "Board" feet which are a sort of slopey version of the 10mms. They're very hard to use, I'm actually considering replacing them with the standard 10mms tbh, or something larger but slopier.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: webbo on September 26, 2021, 07:25:55 pm
I have moon footholds, the bolt on ones. They are15mm and they can be used four ways from positive to very slopey with 2 less slopey sides. I use the positive side on my board as I’ve got some 5mm ish screw on’s as well. I can’t remember what make they are but I’m fairly sure someone on here recommended them.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on September 26, 2021, 07:35:48 pm
Currently I have a set of metolius greatest chips (all that I could get in go outdoors, march 2020 lockdown eve). They are all odd shapes which I thought was a good idea at first due to the variation, but I tend to always aim for the footholds I can use well and avoid the ones I can't. This is why I want two uniform sets.

To answer the grade question i'm board training as an 8A aspirant, but right now I'm climbing a grade or 2 lower than that.

Bradders, I think the good 20mm edges are probably a good idea for the easier set to enable use of some terrible handholds. How many grades harder do the other set tend to be in comparison?

Anyone tried domes for feet? I've heard plenty of horror stories about how hard they are, which could be ideal for a more dynamic style on bigger holds, but I worry that problems set on 20mm footholds wouldn't translate / wouldn't be possible (or more than a few grades difference at least!)
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on September 26, 2021, 07:44:08 pm
If you want some hard footholds then I think domes are a decent option, but I do find they lead to a move-cut-place feet style of problem which can get a bit tedious. They do have the advantage of being cheap if you buy them somewhere like this https://www.wooden-blocks.co.uk/half-wooden-balls?p=2

Depending on how DIY you're feeling it'd be pretty easy to get some of the larger domes and add a flat edge on top for an easier foothold where you can avoid cutting more easily.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on September 26, 2021, 09:42:33 pm
Bradders, I think the good 20mm edges are probably a good idea for the easier set to enable use of some terrible handholds. How many grades harder do the other set tend to be in comparison?

Erm, hard to say as it does vary but quite a few. I've had problems go from warm ups to impossible...

Currently I have a set of metolius greatest chips (all that I could get in go outdoors, march 2020 lockdown eve). They are all odd shapes which I thought was a good idea at first due to the variation, but I tend to always aim for the footholds I can use well and avoid the ones I can't. This is why I want two uniform sets.

That's interesting, having always had uniform feet I've often wondered whether it would be better to have more variable ones. Sounds like that's a no!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Steve R on September 27, 2021, 08:49:54 am
Depending on how DIY you're feeling it'd be pretty easy to get some of the larger domes and add a flat edge on top for an easier foothold where you can avoid cutting more easily.
Apologies for sounding like a bit of a grandma but would urge anyone taking a chop saw to domes to exercise plenty of caution. They're typically quite a hard and brittle wood which you're then cutting into on a curved surface and they also don't sit against the fence well, again due to circular base and curved shape. Large blade, small bit of wood.. plenty of scope for blade snagging/grabbing, dome rotating/ moving during cut. Worth finding a system which allows fingers to be well clear basically. Grandma out.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on September 27, 2021, 01:25:05 pm
Depending on how DIY you're feeling it'd be pretty easy to get some of the larger domes and add a flat edge on top for an easier foothold where you can avoid cutting more easily.
Apologies for sounding like a bit of a grandma but would urge anyone taking a chop saw to domes to exercise plenty of caution. They're typically quite a hard and brittle wood which you're then cutting into on a curved surface and they also don't sit against the fence well, again due to circular base and curved shape. Large blade, small bit of wood.. plenty of scope for blade snagging/grabbing, dome rotating/ moving during cut. Worth finding a system which allows fingers to be well clear basically. Grandma out.

Word, I was thinking more along the lines of sanding a flat face of them.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: sdm on September 27, 2021, 01:38:02 pm
Depending on how DIY you're feeling it'd be pretty easy to get some of the larger domes and add a flat edge on top for an easier foothold where you can avoid cutting more easily.
Apologies for sounding like a bit of a grandma but would urge anyone taking a chop saw to domes to exercise plenty of caution. They're typically quite a hard and brittle wood which you're then cutting into on a curved surface and they also don't sit against the fence well, again due to circular base and curved shape. Large blade, small bit of wood.. plenty of scope for blade snagging/grabbing, dome rotating/ moving during cut. Worth finding a system which allows fingers to be well clear basically. Grandma out.

Agreed. I went for the cheapskate domes version and drilled holes in them all myself. I didn't have a clamp that could hold them in place effectively so slippage of the domes/drill was a pain.

I didn't like being limited to the move-cut-place style so I cut/sanded the domes so I could use worse hand holds.

For cutting/sanding, I used someone's workshop and tools. I could clamp them safely and could cut about 6 at a time to an identical angle. Then I could roughly sand about 6 at a time before doing some finer sanding 1 at a time.

Unless you have access to decent tools, or money is extremely tight, I would just buy them ready cut. Too much time and effort for the amount of money saved.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on September 27, 2021, 01:55:28 pm
I've got some Core 10mm positive side up on a 45 and they're good, but small. I also made some flat 20mm wooden holds which while bigger have less grip and so require force throughout moves so you don't (or avoid) cut loose. The Core feel a bit harder than the wooden ones, but I do have a few random problems which are weirdly easier with the Core ones. I avoided anything like domes as I worry about feet pinging and injury and I figure if you can cut on every move then the handholds are too good. Or something like that. I'm trying to keep my feet on, basically. Also got Core Angles on the kickboard so that it's not too easy from the deck.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mark20 on September 27, 2021, 02:36:32 pm
The problem I find with the little core footholds is that they feel good when toeing down in a new stiff pair of shoes, but really bad in an old rounded pair which don't really get any contact on the back of the edge. I don't want to be cracking out new pairs of Whites for board projects!
Wooden domes from ebay are pretty good, but like sdm says, you end up with alot of cut loose problems as it's hard to get stretched out without feet firing off them
In the recent video of Ned he has some big, flat surfaced, but slightly downward sloping plastic footholds (ie look about vertical when mounted on a 45 board) which look perfect - not dependent on a new pair of shoes, but require loads of force to keep feet on. Anyone know where to get them?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on September 27, 2021, 03:24:22 pm
In the recent video of Ned he has some big, flat surfaced, but slightly downward sloping plastic footholds (ie look about vertical when mounted on a 45 board) which look perfect - not dependent on a new pair of shoes, but require loads of force to keep feet on. Anyone know where to get them?

They're wood, not plastic, and I'd be very surprised if he didn't make them himself.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on September 27, 2021, 03:39:10 pm
Yeah, he made them himself. I think they've even got fine sandpaper stuck on to them.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mark20 on September 27, 2021, 03:44:24 pm
Ah OK hard to tell from the video. If I put my board back up I'd try and make something like those then, with a length of wood and mitre saw
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on September 27, 2021, 03:50:28 pm
I'd definitely rather buy something ready made. Time is precious!

I'm still undecided. Another option i've seen are the crusher discs, but i'm not sure if it would be good or bad having footholds you can press straight into at any angle even when they are out to the side. Thoughts? Available in 10, 15 or 20mm depth.

https://crusherholds.co.uk/product/crusher-wood-footholds/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: RobK on September 27, 2021, 04:04:28 pm
I'd definitely rather buy something ready made. Time is precious!

I'm still undecided. Another option i've seen are the crusher discs, but i'm not sure if it would be good or bad having footholds you can press straight into at any angle even when they are out to the side. Thoughts? Available in 10, 15 or 20mm depth.

https://crusherholds.co.uk/product/crusher-wood-footholds/

I have these in the 15mm depth and then a set of 30mm core for endurance stuff on my 45. They're small, but not ludicrously small. You might want the 10mm version? I quite like that you can press into them from any angle, but almost certainly a personal preference thing.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Nutty on September 27, 2021, 04:08:41 pm
I have the 15mm crusher dinks on my 45, as well as the core geo 10mm (mounted positive up) and the core geo board (mounted flat side up, except the slopey ones which are upsidedown on the kicker) and some eBay domes. Domes are hardest by miles and I struggle to use them on anything above a warm-up. The crusher dinks and positive geos are probably similar difficulty - dinks larger and multi-directional but less positive, geos better to get your toe in. The board feet are two different thicknesses, the 11mm are easier than the 9mm but both are useable. The dinks are kinder on shoe rubber than the resin core feet.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on September 27, 2021, 05:26:36 pm
I'd definitely rather buy something ready made. Time is precious!

I'm still undecided. Another option i've seen are the crusher discs, but i'm not sure if it would be good or bad having footholds you can press straight into at any angle even when they are out to the side. Thoughts? Available in 10, 15 or 20mm depth.

https://crusherholds.co.uk/product/crusher-wood-footholds/

I've got some resin holds that are similar to this and I like them. Being resin they're pretty grippy so feel pretty good but I reckon wood versions would work well by making you use a bit more tension. Fairly cheap by the looks of it so you could buy a couple of sizes to experiment with.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: kac on September 27, 2021, 06:10:12 pm
I've got a mix of core geo 20mm, crusher 10 mm dinks and domes. As others have said the cores are positive even slopey side up and get used the most. The crusher dinks are frustrating as very temperature dependent as to how well they work. Sometimes they are really positive and sometimes rubbish. On the positive days they are great! Beta blox do some dyed black ones that look pretty good. Would be interested to hear any feedback for these
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Probes on September 27, 2021, 07:26:21 pm
 :jab:  more options for consideration available...  https://crusherholds.co.uk/product/wooden-climbing-foot-blocks/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on October 07, 2021, 02:36:26 pm
Off the back of this discussion I finally bit the bullet and replaced the Core board feet on my 45. Decided they were just a little bit too hard for me at that angle (occasional 7C+/8A boulderer).

Ended up going with these from Beta Blox at 12mm: https://www.betablox.co.uk/product/footholds

Had a couple of (short, sleep deprived) sessions so far and reckon they're about perfect, a definite step up from the 20mm Core feet flat side up, in terms of tension required, but better than the ones they replaced. Require less clawing in with your big toe and more of the sort of consistent tension and pressure that I'd associate with outdoor footholds.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Eddies on October 21, 2021, 12:41:41 pm
Save yourself a fortune:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323927205547

Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on October 21, 2021, 03:08:34 pm
Save yourself a fortune:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323927205547

I've tried these as they've been suggested several times as an option. Got a bunch of the 50mm ones. At 45 degrees they were completely and utterly nails, impossible to do anything other than the juggiest warm ups for me.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Dac on October 21, 2021, 03:34:18 pm
I initially bought some 40 mm diameter one's, and I too found them all but unusable on all but the easiest problems on a 40 degree board. However after cutting an edge off to give a 25mm wide, 12mm deep flattened top ( similar to the foot holds available from beastmaker et. al.) I found them to be excellent.

Subsequently I got a bag of 50mm diameter half domes which I have left unmodified. These have been fine as a harder set of footholds but, I suspect crucially, I gave them a thorough roughing up with some 60 grit sandpaper prior to fitting.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Fultonius on October 21, 2021, 03:50:54 pm
Save yourself a fortune:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323927205547

I got some very similar. Great on the 30degree board, but I couldn't imagine doing much on a steeper board.

Bought some 25mm ones too and they were so small they just split....
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on October 21, 2021, 04:41:30 pm
Save yourself a fortune:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323927205547

I got some very similar. Great on the 30degree board, but I couldn't imagine doing much on a steeper board.

Bought some 25mm ones too and they were so small they just split....

For the smaller ones I had some luck pre-drilling them. Still managed to crack a few though not such an issue as they're so cheap.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Eddies on October 25, 2021, 08:15:21 am
Ive tried a few different sizes. The 40mm dia's are the best size IMHO.
Ive cut almost all of them in-half. Some at a positive angle to give a better jib as i was tending to slip off the square edge in the summer months.
I have a few as full domes, but as my handholds are all tiny on my 45, the domes can only really be used to push off.
At 32p each (with a couple of minutes work) they are the best value footholds.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: webbo on October 25, 2021, 09:33:03 am
I have moon footholds, the bolt on ones. They are15mm and they can be used four ways from positive to very slopey with 2 less slopey sides. I use the positive side on my board as I’ve got some 5mm ish screw on’s as well. I can’t remember what make they are but I’m fairly sure someone on here recommended them.
I finally remembered what make my small footholds are, it actually is written on some of them but I need a magnifying glass to read it.
https://www.holdz.co.uk/collections/foot-holds/products/footchips
They may have changed slightly as mine are dated 2014.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mr chaz on January 06, 2022, 03:39:34 pm
Thought best to keep this in the original thread - Bradders, or anyone else for that matter, any thoughts on which wooden holds or wood types have faired better being out in your shed during cold damp winters?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on January 06, 2022, 03:46:36 pm
Tulipwood and sapele seem to hold up best. Utile too.

I need to revise my review of Hardwood Holds from earlier, they are really good, such comfy shapes and they definitely don't condense as badly as others. Oak seems to be the absolute worst, which is a shame as otherwise it's a lovely wood type.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: cofe on January 06, 2022, 04:38:40 pm
In terms of condensing, birch ply are the worst on my garage board (I've removed most of them now), followed by beech. Oak not bad, and sapele and tulip totally fine.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on January 06, 2022, 04:47:29 pm
Yeah birch ply is awful for it. I dread to think how bad it would have been if I'd gone for the wooden Moonboard set!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jamesturnbull97 on January 06, 2022, 05:10:32 pm
Best get some birch ply to use for some Mag lime replicas then, can simulate to whole experience.

On a more related topic does anyone have any good recommendations for nice 2 and possibly 3 finger pockets? I’ve made a couple out of both wood and resin but seem tricky to get right and a fair amount of faf for the resins one to not have them quite right.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: reeve on January 06, 2022, 05:22:18 pm
I've got some two finger pockets by Crusher, and some by Strongholds (Rick / rginns on here). The crusher ones are a bit deeper but less uncut than the Strongholds, but as Rick made them to my request I'm sure he could do whatever depth and incut is required. All are fairly comfortable.

The Oak pockets (Strongholds) are probably the most susceptible to condensation of all the holds on my board, but the Sapele ones he made me are much more resilient. Crusher don't seem to suffer either fwiw (as long as you don't mind this kind of informal review nonsense!   :))
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on January 06, 2022, 05:22:42 pm
I can't find them on the website at the mo but James Taylor did some nice wooden pockets. They're reversible and on my 45 they're either good 2 fingers or slopey 3 fingers. He seems pretty flexible so Im sure if you got in touch he'd be able to sort you out. https://taylormadeholds.com/

The crusher pockets look decent too though I haven't tried them myself https://crusherholds.co.uk/product/crusher-pockets-wood-climbing-holds2/
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on November 11, 2022, 12:35:00 pm
I haven't had a proper session on them yet but just got a pair of the bm  2 finger pockets https://www.beastmaker.co.uk/collections/wooden-hand-holds/products/cnc-holds?variant=39635641499728

They feel pretty good from a quick fondle, nice and rounded and a good combo of feeling quite tricky but not tweaky.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on November 15, 2022, 08:26:39 am
I haven't had a proper session on them yet but just got a pair of the bm  2 finger pockets https://www.beastmaker.co.uk/collections/wooden-hand-holds/products/cnc-holds?variant=39635641499728

They feel pretty good from a quick fondle, nice and rounded and a good combo of feeling quite tricky but not tweaky.

Put in a bit more time on these over the weekend and rate them, really comfy. As above, they're pretty rounded which forces you to stay open on them and means you end up doing draggy pocket moves.

In a perfect world it'd be nice if they took up a bit less space on the board.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Bradders on November 15, 2022, 08:55:54 am
£32.50 for a pair!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Fultonius on November 15, 2022, 09:31:56 am
£32.50 for a pair!

Teslas don't charge themselves...
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Danny on November 15, 2022, 10:32:10 am
I've got these wooden euroholds ones on my board: https://euroholds.com/en/wooden-holds/1092-deep-bifinger-8435561579399.html (https://euroholds.com/en/wooden-holds/1092-deep-bifinger-8435561579399.html)

I also have the shallow bis and monos. They're all pretty ergonomic IMO, and a good bit cheaper than the BMs.


Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mattsparksy on December 23, 2023, 03:11:50 pm
Not sure if this threads still alive, but does anyone have any suggestions for volumes for a 45, these (https://www.hardwoodholds.co.uk/store/p190/Board__Volume.html#/) where suggested but are now out of stock.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on December 23, 2023, 04:31:50 pm
Would be worth dropping probes on here a message, he makes holds and I'm sure he'd be able to whip up some volumes similar to the hardwoodholds ones.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: kac on December 23, 2023, 05:07:48 pm
Beta blox also sell them. Don't know what the volumes are like but the holds are good
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: mattsparksy on December 24, 2023, 12:07:48 am
Cheers, Ill have a look into both.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on January 16, 2024, 08:01:26 pm
I want to put more slopers on my 50 board and wood slopers have to be too positive such that they don't replicate the hand position (joint angles) of a hard sloper outside. Any plastic or textured wood recommendations?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on January 16, 2024, 09:18:41 pm
I find it quite hard to set sloper problems on my board that feel anything like sloper problems outside. I think the issue is that just putting slopey holds on the board gives you movements that are pretty dissimilar to stuff you find on rock: the wrist position usually feels off, and sloper problems outside often feel to me like there's a lot of heel hooks, toe dragging and foot compression stuff which you don't tend to get a lot of on the board.

Imo the best option would be to add some small volumes to the board to give some more variety in angles and allow some proper rubbish slopers that get your wrist in the right position and allow you some more funky footwork options.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Paul B on January 16, 2024, 09:32:44 pm
Agreed. My favourite slopers are the pusher font range but these would be useless on a board.

The old Foundry barrel had the pusher granite stuff and it was surprising just how challenging relatively large flat holds were. The font stuff was higher up so you'd often end up locked in on a granite heel slapping the slopes stuff.

Anyway, shouldn't you be burning your board right about now?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on January 16, 2024, 09:46:49 pm
I intend to set them sideways so they work in compression (attempting to set a replica of something that is actually slightly steeper). I have long volumes running down either side of my board and have already set many problems with toe hooks, heel hooks, kneebars, etc so i'm not worried about getting that bit right.

On the topic of heel hooks on boards, I was recently inspired seeing a video of Drew Ruana heelhooking a very small edge on a steep board and have been trying to work towards something similar, heelhooking ever smaller holds. Now this feels like useful training!

Anyway, shouldn't you be burning your board right about now?

Not sure why I would do that but if this is a carryover from the other thread, i'm one of the "very weak for the grade" climbers according to Lattice data so I should probably use it even more if anything...
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Yossarian on January 17, 2024, 08:28:44 am
Could you put a picture up of your board Liam? Intrigued by the volume arrangement!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jshaw on January 17, 2024, 09:25:48 am
On my 45 degree board I have a set of:

"Bleaustone Training Dual (15º/30º) Slopers" - which are a little too positively angled to be true slopers, but I like them.
I have some Volx slopers that I really like but I can't find the link to the exact ones at the moment. Maybe they don't make them anymore. I'll have a look later.


Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: remus on January 17, 2024, 10:03:33 am
Could you put a picture up of your board Liam? Intrigued by the volume arrangement!

Assume it'll be something like this https://www.instagram.com/p/C2FuKaHt-pG/ I've done something similar on my board recently, thought with slightly smaller volumes, and it's mint!
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on January 17, 2024, 10:27:29 am
Could you put a picture up of your board Liam? Intrigued by the volume arrangement!

In a couple of threads, I've recently mentioned using my board / training space in a slightly different way, so I've put a few phone clips together. I'm quite good at front-on locky crimping, so I've been trying to limit that style in training even though it is relevant to the climbing I do outside (I just don't feel like crimp strength is limiting me on anything at the moment). The alternative style on a board usually means big moves and cutting loose on pinches, but that isn't relevant to any climbing I do outside, so I don't do much of that either. What I think are more common limiting factors on rock are things like body tension in weird positions, precision and timing, compression, slopey feet, hard heel hooks, and hard knee bars. Since I can only get outside 1-2 times per week and I rarely go to a wall, I'm try to work these things at home. It might seem like i'd be better off just going to the wall if I want to use heels and contorted positions, but I think having it at home allows for a more systematic approach to training, e.g. gradually making the heel worse, or the move bigger/more tensiony/weirder etc. 

My setup has changed quite a bit and I did once have volumes running the full length of the board on either side (like in Dan's video above), but I found that leaving enough room for heel hooks behind the volumes wasted quite a bit of real estate, so I chopped them in half and pushed them further out towards the walls and they are now mostly used for compression hand holds and the occasional toe hook, heel/toe cam against the wall, or bridging/drop knee foot holds on the inner face of the volume. To make sure I still get heel hooks lower down I've added plenty of flat or slopey holds, jugs and pinches for that purpose. For my purpose, I think this is better as there's more variety in the heel hook positions (i.e. not all out to the side). For an example of how trainable heel hooking is as a skill, a few weeks ago I could only heel hook jugs on the flat surface of my 50 board, but now I can heel hook on a 30mm edge quite reliably and sometimes on a 25mm edge. I'm pretty sure this will be more beneficial to my climbing than extra finger strength, for example.

Building an arete style volume on the sidewall was an experiment that I thought would probably be a bit crap, but it actually allows for some very hard and realistic compression moves between it and the board (particularly once left hand reaches the board volume - I have a project that feels like a circa 8A grit arete). The last clip shown below is the most elaborate setup working a replica of a roof project with pulley assistance and it works really well (recently did the crux move on the real thing after around 6 months of trying).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAOx6t2ToN8

Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Fultonius on January 17, 2024, 10:35:29 am
 Is your rope for assistance or fall arrest?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: JamieG on January 17, 2024, 10:41:20 am
Since I can only get outside 1-2 times per week

 :'( I so wish I had this problem. 1-2 times a month is good going. The home board has been such a huge boost to keeping me sane.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on January 17, 2024, 10:46:16 am
Likewise.  I think this time of year on real rock once a month is good for me. My board is incredibly basic by comparison (mostly due to space limitations and effort on my part) which is why I make the effort to get to the climbing wall every week / couple of weeks to do the things that are hard to do on my board.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Liamhutch89 on January 17, 2024, 10:59:40 am
Is your rope for assistance or fall arrest?

I'm using it for assistance. I've gradually reduced the assistance and was able to do the crux move in isolation on the real thing last weekend. This has been very valuable as it's nearly always wet. Still not sure if i'll ever do the problem.

1-2 times a month is good going. The home board has been such a huge boost to keeping me sane.

Well, I've averaged significantly less than 1-2x per week over the last few months due to the abysmal weather, but 2x is my aim when the weather is good.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: Probes on January 17, 2024, 05:02:27 pm
Hi Liam, not sure if you're on my insta (crusher), but ironically I put a vid up the other day that may be useful. Small volumes/wedges on one of my 50s that's allowed me to get some pretty realistic sloper action. Sounds like you are trying to achieve the same as I have been. I've found the change in angle by only 10 or so degrees, and being able to 'twist' the 'volume' allows you tweak the position enough to get some sloper type holds to really work... when if you just slap them on the board are pretty useless.
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: jshaw on January 19, 2024, 08:20:52 am
Volx Euphoria.

Have you ever experimented with covering wooden volumes in fine grain sandpaper?
Title: Re: Hold tight, it's the holds thread
Post by: SA Chris on January 19, 2024, 10:33:30 am
I've got some pine wood balls I cut in half and drilled out to take bolts. They are a complete pig on a 30ish board, would be a horror on anything steeper. I had to roughen the surface a bit with a file, but the friction is definitely better in some parts than others, depending on the grain.
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