Review > Holdz > Mini Jugz

NOTE: For all of the color options see our review on the Dual Texture Pocketz.. you can find it here:

Now onto todays topic... jugs, no not what you're thinking... honestly you have a dirty mind! We're talking JUGZ with a Z not with an S! But these are not normal jugs, they're MINI JUGZ!! Now I've had these holds for years, I have them in the UK and they reside on a private bouldering wall in Essex. I have the full set..
There's 50 of them, I think that you can never have too many jugs on a wall.. well I also think you can never have enough slopes on a wall... but the get out of jail free card on any wall when you're working long stamina routes is a jug, y'know, when you get pumped and need something to rest on! The holds don't take up much surface space on any part of a wall (because they're mini) and that for me is one of their HUGE plus points... they are always positive on whatever angle you place them on, and when you get to the "smaller" ones they make nice in between holds that you can have a rest on before hauling out the rest of a route.

I don't think there is a set of holds out there that are quite as positive and have such a small surface area on a wall. (I might eat those words)But for now I doubt if eating my words will happen... we had a 10 set here for a while and we've had them all over the place, from side pulls to full on jug over the roof routes (the holds are currently on a route over at Allez Up, our local gym) and every time they've been skin friendly and positive to pull on. If you want quality holds that are good for kids or for setting easy warm up routes then I think you can look no further! They're all quality controlled, marked and stamped when they leave the factory so you shouldn't find anything wrong with them :)

These holds are one of Holdz best selling lines, if we're lucky Steve will carve some more.. you should check out the site to see the Undercutz, they look nuts :)

Come on back next week and we should have pictures of the route that's been set with the holds that Holdz sent us!!!

RATING
NOODLES SAYS
Swirly colored mini jugs, who could want more? They're small so they don't eat wall space, but they have a huge holding area, so they're positive as hell, you can stick them anywhere you want and they're always going to be good to pull on.. what more could you ask from a set of jugs?? These little guys offer you more bang for your buck than normal holds, they maybe a little expensive if you're getting them shipped over (and go for ground mail, its cheaper!) but you'll not be sorry that you brought them. They're currently at our local wall so the climbers there can get a feel for some new holds, from what I've heard they're going down a treat and everyone likes them! I've said it before, I am a little bias when it comes to Holdz holds, but I think that if you're looking for holds that will last a long time then you're not going to go far wrong with these holds. Go buy em, love em and then send me a mail thanking me for telling you to buy them :P

CHRIS SAYS
Unfortunately for me I've only got the chance to climb on this one set of the Mini Jugz (reminder for those with a dirty mind, its jugz with a Z :). What makes these holds stand out is their color. Noodles told me that Holdz will make their holds to any color combination you choose. Left up to your imagination, it opens up infinite possibilities. For their size the Mini Jugz are really easy to hold onto, they're positive whichever way you put them. Great for easy warm up routes when you're tight on space... Go with the Duo Text Pocketz if you're looking to get strong,but if you're like Noodles (in case you haven't noticed he's a hold junkie and likes the slopers) and having hundreds of holds to choose from these are a welcoming addition. Thank you Holdz for bringing your holds west of the pond.

PROS

• Great for beginners
• Mad colors - 3 color swirls, 4 fluorescent colors, 16 regular colors, spotty colors as well! (Spotty is good for colour blind people!!!)
• Nice imaginative shapes. They have a small foot print, which is great for GRP (fibreglass) walls, as you can get them on a very small placement
  
• Each hold is traceable in case of problems
• Each hold is checked and certified
• Can be put onto any type of terrain, roofs included!!
  
• Tendon friendly
  

CONS

• Might be expensive if you're not in the UK, but they're well worth getting!
  

PRICE

• Holdz is a UK company so prices are in GBP > Great British Pound
  
• Set 1 is 10 holds at 20.00 = 2 GBP per hold
• Set 2 is 10 holds at 22.00 = 2.20 GBP per hold
• Set 3 is 10 holds at 24.00 = 2.49 GBP per hold
• Set 4 is 10 holds at 26.00 = 2.60 GBP per hold
• Set 5 is 10 holds at 28.00 = 2.80 GBP per hold
  
• The full range is 50 holds at 110.00= 2.20 GBP per hold
  

Review > Metolius > Cobblestone

If you look in the dictionary (or in these days of technology.. dictionary.com) and look up the word "Cobblestone" you will be given the following:

Cobblestone – noun :
a naturally rounded stone, larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder, formerly used in paving

And when you get these holds from Metolius...

..they're almost exact definition of what the dictionary says... Now these days as climbers, our roads are vertical and not horizontal, and the only time our feet will touch a Cobblestone is when we're trying that tricky hand / foot match on that new problem at the gym, rather than walking about town in Victorian times :) So the holds are aptly named!

The holds come in Macro, Modular and Micro sizes (we've got the modular) so depending upon your needs you can get pretty much whatever you want...The holds all have a pretty aggressive texture when you first start to pull on them, I'd go so far to say it's a little bit too much for my taste, but thankfully with some blood, sweat and chalk it evens out after a while. Our local gym has had some one the wall for about the same time as we've had ours and with the amount of traffic that the holds get over there headed down midweek to have a sneaky climb and to see how they felt... I was pretty impressed, despite the fact that someone should get up there with a brush the holds were still positive to pull on (mind you this is on a 40 degree wall and the holds are part of the crux sequence on a 5.10)... so the texture came into it's own as even with a lot of traffic, the holds were still nice to pull on, surprising really, no one likes slick holds. If these get too slick give them a quick brush and have another go at the route, I think you might be surprised, they come back to life.

But saying that, don't be afraid to get out the ol sandpaper if you want to knock down the texture some, the holds are all good even shapes and its not hard to do.Now normally with holds once you've had a route up for a while you'll end up taking it down and moving the holds about (I know, I do it A LOT) but one thing I found nice about the Cobblestones is that you can just turn them... the holds generally have an area that you want to pull on (i.e: the best (biggest) bit) and then they taper into the wall, so all you need to do is rotate a hold a little and your V1 just became a V3, I found it a nice way to keep people on their toes. Chris was over twice last week and he's climbed the route a bunch, so when he left I turned all the holds... leaving them in the same place and then a few days later suggested he try it again. Oh the fun I had watching him flail about on a route that he'd nailed before, I left it for a few goes before I told him that's what I'd done.

The Cobblestones all look like they're pretty similar at first glance, but there is enough difference in the radii of the holds to make them all feel unique... Most of the holds aren't that positive (but there are a few) so they're not really destined for any super overhanging walls, but if you're strong and know how to use that core tension you're going to have a whole bunch of fun setting problems with these.

RATING:
NOODLES SAYS
At first they're going to make your hands burn... and then over time they become nicer to hold. Too much chalk build up will make them a little slick especially if your wall is warm, but a quick brush and you're cooking with gas again! If you want some good slopers that are going to last a long time then you can't really go wrong with these holds, I've climbed on all of the sizes and they're as good as each other. If you're tight on space on your home woody so for Micro, if you have room to spare go with the Modular, if you want something larger then hit up the Macro's, three sizes and one common goal... to make you strong and yet be tendon friendly :)

CHRIS SAYS
You had me fooled on this one noodles! Rotating these holds a few degree's make them especially harder to stick. Some of the holds in our set were a little too small for an open hand and too round to crimp so its all about footwork on these guys. They have enough texture to stick them on a slight overhanging wall like we did but be prepared to be shut down a few times. The set is well rounded (excuse the pun) and is great for anyone who is looking for a way to train hard and save tendons.

PROS

• They hold up pretty well in a commercial gym
  
• Holds get better the more they are used
• Changing a route means rotating a hold a little
  

CONS

• They only come in one color... green
  
• They do take a few climbs before they get REALLY good
• Depending upon how strong you are will dictate how overhung a wall they can be used on
  

PRICE

• 5 pack of holds is $34.95 = $6.99 per hold
• 15 pack is $97.50 = $6.50 per hold
• 30 pack is $177 = $5.90 per hold
  

Review > Holdz > Dual Texture Pockets

What's got some mad swirly colors, a slick outside casing and a textured inner?
If you're thinking of something that Willy Wonker has made in his sweet factory you'd be close, but wrong! We're talking about the Dual Texture Pockets that Holdz sent us over the holiday period. Now there are holds that have a swirl color system, and then there are these:
Not only do that stand out on the wall but the climb amazingly, lets talk more about the colours and then we'll talk about the shapes... Not only are the shapes nice but Holdz holds come in lots of very bright very vibrant colors, how many colours?? THIS MANY COLOURS!!
and it doesn't stop there.. oh no, they'll make two or three colour swirls for you and offer spotty holds as well (You'll see these more in a later review), our holds are the three colour variety, white, pink and blue, they look like bubble gum! They stand out on the wall and just want to be pulled on... here's what they look like on the floor..Now when you get these holds you're going to notice someting stamped on the back, this is the quality control stamp,it means that it's free from defects. The holds are also strength tested, and checked to make sure that the backs are flat and the bolt is perpendicular to the back of the hold so they will lay flat to the wall... all to international standards So you're going to get quality through the post. Quality that's been 12 years in the making... Steve the owner has been shaping for over 12 years, he shaped the Jerry Moffat ranges for DR climbing walls and has shaped for King Kong, Bendcrete and French Rock, so he knows the hold game pretty damn well! :P

Right lets get onto the holds...
The first thing that you'll notice is that these holds are dual texture, not half arsed dual texture but the real deal. Depending upon the hold you're going to notice that the contact area is very well defined and that the rest of the hold is slick as hell, you're going to find that if you want to force a move that these holds are going to be amazing, there is no way that your foot is going to stick on the outside, you're going to have to be very exact with what you do or you'll find yourself on the floor! Kinda just like the outside, a good hand hold but a crap foot hold!

Setting with the holds will make you think, we're lucky as we set a huge route with the 5 sets of holds that we got, so we mixed and matched between the Mini Jugz, the Dual Texture Crimpz, the Dual Texture Pocketz, the Screw Onz and the Crimpz. (The other holds will be reviewed in the future) But as we were reviewing the pockets we paid attention to where they were and what moves we wanted to make happen. It's pretty easy, the holds can only be grabbed in one way and most of them are at least a pad deep, there's no sharp edges on them so they're finger friendly and the texture is just right. In fact the texture is just enough so that you know you're in contact with the hold, but still have to work holding to be able to move off of them, and this for us is where they're the best. They are forgiving, but not that forgiving, if you do something silly you'll pay for it, but not in a painful injury kind of way, you'll just be sitting on the floor wondering if you can stick the move.

We've had these holds all over the wall, and no matter what you do with them they're always thought provoking, if you need to spice up you wall at home or at the gym these are going to be just the job...

RATING
NOODLES SAYS
I've had Holdz holds on my walls for a long time, it's taken a while to get them over to the Great White North that is Canada... I've had the Mini Jugz (a later review) for years and have loved them and I've had their Sloperz as well and I have to admit that I am a little bias on those holds. I've never climbed on the Dual Texture Pocketz and I was impressed, I shy away from pockets dues to a slight finger injury that I picked up a while ago, and I have found that some of the dual tex stuff I've had in the past has been a bit lacking, you could haul on the non-textured part which kind of defeated the object or you could easily use them for feet again they missed the point. Not so in this case, they're small but not too small, they have a nice texture that gives you confidence and they look awesome! I'd like to see some of these in more gyms in the US and Canada because I think the climbers will thank you.... love em, buy them... make sure you order the most off of the wall colours you can think of because they will stand out on the wall... hell buy a black light and have a neon wall :P

CHRIS SAYS
A black light, disco ball and club mix we could call it cosmo climbing:)

The only other dual text that I've climbed on (before the petro grips review that is) are the Mini disks from Globe. Unlike the Globe, Holdz has decided to give us climbers a variety of dual text holds to chose from. Fortunately for us Holdz has sent us multiple sets of holds to test. There are the swirly pockets and swirly mini jugs and screw on crimps plus these poka dotted........I'm getting carried away.......... Back to the dual text pockets. Precision, precision, precision. That's what you'll need to stick and move on these holds. Most of the holds in our set could only incorporate two fingers (two and a half at most). If you're weak with your open hand crimp these are good holds to train on. I noticed when I first picked up a hold was how dense it was. These things are heavy and you can tell by the quality that Holdz has the experience of a well seasoned craftsman. The investment that Holdz has put into its QC department has paid of with a product that is well made and feels good on the skin.

PROS

• Great for setting sequenced problems on or for teaching certain types of moves
• Good for where you need an intermediate hand hold, but a rubbish foot hold, good for routes that aren't reachy
• Mad colors - 3 colour swirls, 4 flourecent colours, 16 regular colours, spotty colours as well! (Spotty is good for colour blind people!!!)
• Each hold is traceable in case of problems
• Each hold is checked and certified
• Proper dual texture, you're not matching on these!
• Tendon friendly pockets

CONS

• Might be expensive if you're not in the UK (But well worth the expense)(Just hope they find a US distributor - fast!)M
• Not exactly for beginner climbers unless they're on vertical or very slightly overhanging terrain
  

PRICE

• Holdz is a UK company so prices are in GBP > Great British Pound
  
• Set 1 is 6 holds at 17.99 = 3 GBP per hold
• Set 2 is 6 holds at 19.99 = 3.30 GBP per hold
• Set 3 is 6 holds at 21.99 = 3.70 GBP per hold
• Set 4 is 6 holds at 29.99 = 5 GBP per hold
• The full range is 24 holds at 84.99 = 3.50 GBP per hold
  

test

Review > Metolius > Wood Grips

Metolius have been around for years and have the name that go's along with being a first rate hold manufacturer! Well there's always been Metolius holds on my walls, either here or in the UK and a welcome addition came in the shape of some Wood Grips. I've been aware of the holds since they came out, and always wondered what they'd be like to climb on, thankfully Brooke headed my call and sent me some over...

Now when you get the holds you're going to think that someone has just chopped up some wood, sealed it, chucked a bolt hole through it and then packaged them, well you'd be wrong! I've always thought of holds as works of art, and a climbing wall (if you have one in your home) as a piece of furniture and this is where we get to the holds. They're made from offcuts from a furniture factory, they're ALL hand sanded, shaped and hand sealed so essentially you are buying a work of art! A GREEN work of art, Metoilus have taken someone else's waste and turned it into something that people buy, I wish I'd thought of the idea.

But what are they like to climb on?
At first pull you find yourself being very very delicate on them, they're slick and hard to hold onto, but once you take some time and learn how to get onto them you start realising that they're amazing... point blank amazing. Climb on them for long enough and you'll realise that the more chalk, sweat and hand oil that touches these holds the better and better they get... skin friendly, these are probably the friendliest holds that are on the wall!
So the more they get used the better they get... at the start there would be no way I would have attempted this:
NO WAY, i'd have tried that (Sorry about the video quality, I really should get a new camera)

Let me wax lyrical about the texture some more...
Image a big dual texture hold..
Without the grippy bit!
This is what these holds will feel like the first time you climb on them, add some chalk and hand oil and they get better and better! If you want to loose some of the sealer because you want some more grip? Grab some fine grade sandpaper and sand down the area you want to hold.. you can dial these holds in as you want... I'd suggest just climbing on them for some time before you do this though

We've only got 5 of these holds but there is all of these and two training boards available, the compact and deluxe versions and they're well worth a look at:
RATING:
NOODLES SAYS
Hard to hold, but pleasing to grip. An environmentally friendly hold that should be the staple of any home wall, I wasn't sure what to make of them once I had them and climbed on them but they just get nicer and nicer the more they get used. They are complete buggers for you feet, so they will help your footwork, you're going to find your feet slipping all over the place so careful placement is paramount!
These holds probably aren't for everyone, but if you have beginners on a slab, vertical wall or very slightly overhanging I think that they'd be a welcome addition, you beginners will thank you for the skin friendliness. For anyone that's a "hardcore" climber you're going to find these holds give you more pump per movement as they're harder to hold onto.

CHRIS SAYS
After a little chalking these holds turned out to stick better than expected. Really good to hone technique and you could set a sequence with them without worry of burning skin or injuring tendons. At first I thought noodles was going mad when he suggested a dynamic move to the one crimp of the set and after a few goes its obvious that these holds have a lot to offer.

The Metolius Wood Grips look great on any home wall and would turn heads at the gym but we believe that they would not last in that kind of environment

PROS

• Skin friendly
• Environmentally friendly
• Holds get better the more they are used
• Look amazing on a wall and will make anyone look twice
• Would make an amazing addition to a home wall
• You don't have to brush them, they are better with hand gunk on them :)
  

CONS

• We're not sure what they'd be like in a commercial setting... how would they hold up to the traffic
• They do take a few climbs before they get REALLY good

Review > Woodys Holds > Garage Cluster

Woody's sent us a hold from their line up called the "Garage Cluster", and we stuck it on the wall a while back, grabbed our chalk bags and had a pull.. to see what was up. At first glance the hold grabs your attention, it's pretty big with five of pockets clustered about the shape, upon climbing its obvious that it can be approached pretty much from any direction and that there are a multitude of ways to grab it, and then you grab it and then quite quickly (in some cases) you let go again, look at your fingers and wonder what happened!

So you try again, you move into the hold, grab the same pocket and let go again. If you're anything like us you're pretty quick to grab a wrench and to get it off of the wall so you can closer inspect whats going on... and here's what we found:

A texture that's not only some of the roughest we've come across in a long while but areas of imperfection in that texture that is just plain painful... very painful. Now add this into the fact that the pocket lips are pretty sharp and not rounded and you start wondering whether it should be bolted back onto the wall...

We're troopers over here... so back it went:
Overall it's a good hold to grab onto, anyone from a 5.5 climber or above are going to have little or no trouble pulling down on this monster. Moving dynamically into this hold does require some attention to where you're going to hit but that's just a case of practice more than anything else.

I went on over to Woody's holds and checked out their entire line, and there's a fair few holds that I've not seen before, they also have a kit that allows you to design your own hold! For $50 you will get a 3" x 2" x 7" foam blank and some sandpaper with which you can shape your hold. Once done you send off the blank and 2-4 weeks later your hold will arrive, it will be added to their catalouge of holds and you'll earn store credits for everyone sold to spend at Woody's. Now that's a pretty neat idea... we'll give it a try some time soon!

Anyway's back to the hold (I got side tracked) all that's really left to do is to rate the hold, our rating system has changed so we'll use our new "Pro's and Con's" system... with our usual comments!!

RATING
NOODLES SAYS
For $24.99 you're getting a pretty big and versatile hold, unfortunately you're also getting is a bunch of imperfections that go along with it, now i'm not really into getting holds and then having to get my Dremel out and sanding down the imperfections, I don't expect to have to do this so it's a pretty big negative for me. I also found, like we said above, that the edges on the pockets are sharp and could cause someone that's not aware of tendon injuries some harm, I've nailed alot of my finger tendons at one time or another so I was pretty careful when I climbed on this hold.
I've seen some stuff on the web from people that are super happy with the design a hold stuff that Woody's does, they looked well finished and smooth. I'd be interested to see how our hold turns out!

CHRIS SAYS
Like Noodles said you want to be careful when committing to this hold. Its big enough to do chin ups on but I wouldn't recommend doing dynos with it. On the positive, when this hold is on the wall you just want to grab onto it. So that got me interested in what other designs Woody's has to offer. I took a peek at their website and was impressed with what they have to offer. They take the time to design most of their holds around real rock. Hey Woody's: Ever think about making mold's of the real thing? All things considered, other the loss of some skin, I think this hold is a good addition for any wall.

PRO

• Easy to hold, and lots of options to hold
  
• Quite light
• Unique design
  

CON

• You must used a deck screw to stop the hold from spinning
• The general texture is pretty full on
• There are bobbles for texture flaws in areas that you're going to grab, that do need to be sanded down...
• Pocket edges are quite sharp and could cause an injury if you're not careful
  

greengrip