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Review > Climb It > Craters

I took a look outside last night to make sure that the moon was still in the sky because moon rocks showed up at the door in the form of the Craters from Climb It

The Craters sets come in four different sizes, medium, large, XL and 2XL and as usual we here at CHR have the privilege of climbing on them, testing three of the four sets. We have twelve pockets of various sizes, and although the holds come down to big ol jugs, the shapers at Climb It have put quite a bit of thought in the design.

2XL / XL & L

Medium

The Crater sets come in four different sizes, medium, large, XL and 2Xl; and as usual we here at CHR have the privilege of climbing on them... testing three of the four sets. We have twelve pockets of various sizes, and although the holds do come down to big ol jugs (in most cases), the shapers at Climb It have put quite a bit of thought into the design. In every set, there are jugs ranging from three finger pockets to huge open hand pockets. We've had the other DRCC and Atomik reviews the past couple of weeks and they were challenging routes and reviews so at the end of our sessions we were pretty beat and the shapes of the Craters were very welcome on the wall and on our fingers.

The holds, as you can see are big, I mean even the medium set has a big full hand jug. The thing is, each holds has it's own character that sets it apart from the others. The holds are molded so that there is two sides of the hold, the juggy/pocket side and a smaller side so you can set most of them large or small; some of the holds even have grooves in the pockets so you can settle your fingers comfortably when you're hauling. The base of the holds is where you will find the craters, the thumb catches that these create give the holds their versatility.

Some of the holds are better used as sidepulls, slopers or pinches as well as pockets and every one can be used on pretty much any angle wall. There was one problem we set on the 45 where we set a blind dynamic move around the corner to catch a Crater that was set upside down. It was one of the smaller ones and the smaller side of the hold was too small for most of us to hold onto so we ended up using the base of the hold as a slope.. with the help of those little crates we managed.

We really needed to keep in mind that the hold are big when we set, so we let KC have a play. He set the route in the video and he kept in mind to set long moves placing holds so we needed to use the variety of the shape to make the moves work. He put one of the smaller holds upside down on the 45, it felt like a slope and we weren't able to hold on so we just ended up skipping the hold altogether. We modified the section on the 45 by moving that hold a little closer and setting it as a jug. We still skipped the hold, not that it was too hard to hold but the other holds are huge and it was more fun to launch yourself at the end hold :)

When we set our routes, they ended up being warm up problems and other than a few tricky moves we set the holds didn't give us too much trouble. Other than matching the smaller holds, committing to the longer moves, or catching a blind hold set upside down the routes ended up being easy but fun... thanks to the little craters

It's not often that a set of pockets will get the full rating of angles, and the reason that these get the lot is because some of the pockets are deep enough that they're pretty bomber on the roof. Most of the holds are more than two pads deep and this is more than enough for you to haul yourself up and around most things, the holds range from medium to 2xl in size, so if you're looking for pockets for your home wall you don't have the best range to pick from (Climb It do have more pockets under the Powertools selection on their site)

The outside of the holds are dimpled (think of moon rocks) and are dual texture (the inside of the pockets are textures, the main base if semi slick and then the dimples are slightly textured), none of the dimples are big enough to really hold onto but they are placed in such a way that you can use them for your thumbs; but that being said, you can use the outside of the hold if you're careful to get in a sneaky match when needed :)

Texture wise it's the same consistent feel in the pockets as you've come to expect, you can climb on these all day and not worry about your skin being ripped off


Versatility: They're pockets with different grabbing options on some
Screw Holes: No

We've been through a couple of hard reviews lately, one with the DRCC and the others with the Atomik Smooth Edges and Pockets. The problems we set with those holds ended up being on the hard side and there were times when we set moves that we weren't able to execute. We didn't come across this problem with the Craters, this might not be appealing to the monkey who wants to climb hard, but the shapes of the Craters gives setters many options with the holds. Versatility is the key. We made our problems more of a challenge by setting long moves or by setting the holds upside down with tricky matches. The holds are big when they are set the right way up but the intricacy of the shapes make it so that they are climbable on any angle. For us, we set warm up routes and the harder moves made is so that our muscles were good and ready for the night sessions.

These holds are so big we didn't even bother putting them on the roof. By setting them on the roof we were limited on the versatility of the hold and we would have set our problems using the jug side of the hold because ... well ... it would have been a long session of us falling if we'd have set them any other wayWhen it was all said and done, we set many routes, short problems on the 45 to long warm ups all around the wall and I see the Craters as a staple of the CHR wall. They're nice big jugs with something extra so when you find a move too easy, a twist of the wrench will change the dynamics of the move. These holds are the kind of holds that you could climb on all day long, they have a lot to offer, climbing on them won't burn you out and they're easy on the fingers

• Medium set is 4 holds at: $31
• Large set is 4 holds at: $45
  
• XL set is 4 holds at: $78
• 2XL is one hold at: $45
  

Review > Rockwerx > Mini and Mega Jugs

Rockwerx hailing from Baltimore have quite a few holds on their site, we've already seen their Sandstone Big Ribs, this time we take a look at the Sandscoop Mega and Mini jugs and find that the word "jug" seems to be slightly more selective than you think!

Jugs, we all love jugs; who doesn't love swinging about on a roof and campusing across from hold to hold like an ape? Well let us introduce to you the Sandscoop Mega and Mini Jugs!

Mini's

Mega's

Now from the get go you'll notice that these holds look pretty unique, almost alien like from the side, our holds unlike the grey they show on their website (they should really change the images) are a nice dark orange / reddy color and they do look nice.

Remember these holds are jugs!

Actually, they're not really jugs, we've argued over here about these holds for a while and they're not jugs, definitely not jugs; but they're not pinches either... so we made a new word for these holds... these holds are JUGGA-PINCHES! They're in the middle both classes of holds, that's one thing for sure :)

Climbing on these is a strange mix of shuffling your fingers and matching, we set numerous routes that ranged from low traverses to short bouldering routes with a mix of the holds (we only have three of each hold in the sets, not the full five) if you watch the video you can see 90% of the time that there is a lot of thumb action on these shapes, you always want to have it hooked into a little groove somewhere, and despite the shapes looking like hand swallower's they're not that deep, and in places not all that positive. The most fun on these holds is hard technical undercling routes that leave the climber with little or no option on how to grab the hold, you can if you wish just be plain evil with these holds, like out low traverse, the starting move was wide on the 45 yet it was done first time by most people with little or no trouble

One thing is pretty unanimous, the smaller holds due to their size are more "juggy" than the larger shapes and will make fun climbing on a home wall, the larger ones are probably best suited to a gym environment



There are two schools of thought on these holds, roof or no roof! We've decided that no roof is the option to go for, these holds are in the same vein as the Sandstone Big Ribs in feel and style; we reviewed those holds here. But there's a problem with these, with the Big Ribs your fingers settle nicely into the grooves whereas with these holds your hands don't sit quite as nicely and we found that you can get some finger pain from when you hit them. Hitting these holds at speed means you're not going to get optimal hand placement and that you're going to have to move your hand about a little so you can get comfortable.

Roofs? Well yeah you can get on these on a roof, but they're going to be hard to pull off, doable but hard. For steep walls the holds are incut enough that you can get onto the Mini's and Mega's without too much trouble, matching isn't a problem either, there's always an little under cling or a dimple that you can sneak your hand onto.

If you want to be pedantic, and we do, the best terrain for these holds is vertical to 30 degrees. With some creative route setting you can really give beginner / intermediate climbers something to think about, if the terrain gets steep and into a roof, pair these holds with the Big Ribs and you're going to be fine.

Versatility: Trickier than you think
Screw Holes: No


It was a pretty big box, there were a few scrapes on the holds, but nothing too major. All the holds were wrapped by themselves

DO NOT DELETE ME!

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Versatility: More than you think on first glance
Screw Holes: No

Review > Atomik > 10 Pack Pocket Screw-ons

Atomik Climbing has sent us a lot of holds. The first time we experienced their holds they came in by the ton, it was the largest box that we had received. Our relationship with Atomik only grew from there and after some advice from yours truly, they made modifications to their shapes and changes in their mix. So we were excited when we got news that they'd be sending us some more holds.
Atomik has made it really easy to let the buyer know what they're getting. The set consists of a real rock textured finger pockets that can all be used as pinches as well. Although they're screw on holds, they're surprisingly big. There's room for two fingers on most holds and you can even getting the pinky in some of the others. Its a great set because you've got a bunch of holds with a lot of variety at a good price. They have an outdoor rock feel to them and they've been designed with some good thumb catches so all the holds can be used as either pockets or pinches. The holds are very comfortable, which again is a surprise and the pockets don't dig into your hands.

So the only question is where to set the holds. The suggestion to put them on the roof came up and Noodles had a look in his eyes that clearly read "no" so he brought it upon himself to set the first problem. His problem started on the 45 and traversed across the wall. The holds are a little deceptive in that they are screw ons and some of the moves looked like they were going to be a challenge to execute. But deception is part of the game and the we ended up getting through the sequence without breaking too much of a sweat. The holds are big and we could get our chunky fingers well into the hold. We never felt uneasy on any of them and the only problems we had was when we lacked on footwork.

Its been a while since we've set a problem for a review on the roof, but we felt confident that these holds had a place on steep terrain (Noodles: I didn't!). Ok, maybe confident isn't the right word but we figured with some strategic setting we could manage to get through the roof. These holds are so big (for screw ons) that Noodles actually hung from the holds when his feet broke off and was able to get his feet back up onto the wall. So after that send I went played a game with the problem. I call the game Bizarre World, where you take the problem you just sent, and do it in reverse. So what happened? You'll have to watch the video to find out (the one above)




Screw on holds tend to be on the small crimpy side of the hold spectrum. You''ll come across them at the gym and they'll probably be set in a crux sequence or as a intermediate move to get to the next hold but the Pocket Screw-ons are large enough to be put on vertical and steep terrain a like. We'll admit that it is a strain on your fingers when climbing on the 45 but the shape of the hold make it some of the most comfortable finger pockets we've ever experienced. The shapes of the holds make it so they can be used as both finger jugs and pinches, so the steeper terrain is easier to get around with the use of your thumb to get a better grip. What about the roof you might ask? Climbing roofs is usually saved for the more experienced climber and in this context these holds will work well on the roof. Its no easy ride by any means but in the end a well set problem is send able. A strong climber will breeze through a sequence while a more novice climber will need to get through the head games to get through the sequence.

These holds actually when we sat down and talked about them are just about big enough for bolts, can we get a bolt on version of these holds, they're easier to move :)


Versatility: Pockets with some nice pinches
Screw Holes: 4 per hold
What can we say that hasn't been said before. Nice holds, flat backs, good texture and great shapes, everything we look for in a good hold and at a good price. Granted, screw ons can be a bit of a pain because you need to put in all the four screws needed to place the hold on the wall but other than that we have no complaints.

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Review > DRCC > Force Edges A & B

Like "Who killed JFK", these holds are surrounded with controversy. When DRCC first put the images for the Force Edges up onto their website we received a phone call about how these particular holds look a lot like some other duo textured holds that are on the market. So with Pandoras box open, the debate over whether DRCC had copied shapes from other companies started. Take a look for yourself:
What holds? Do you know? Do you even care? Thought not :) Read our comments if you'd like to know, because we don't... actually won't talk about the oter company until later :P

When we took a look at the holds side by side, they look very similar in shape but the quality of the hold and DRCC's duo texture is better. The million dollar question is if DRCC copied the design and we say that these holds are similar, there are some minor difference in shape and size, but what DRCC has done is taken an old idea and made it better and it seems like the competition can't keep up.

A while back we did a review for the DRCC Force Edges ESC and DSC, the smaller versions of the Force Edges A and B. The whole line consists of duo textured holds and they are SLICK, so slick that you can see your reflection, we mean how many holds can you groom yourself in:P

The Force Edges are purely a open hand hold. The holds have no friction and when you get the thumb down on the slick part there is a good chance that the ground is the next move you make. Then we tried putting the holds into the corner upside down so we could palm the slick part of the hold thinking that we could wedge ourselves in the corner and keep ourselves of the ground. That ended as a fail (Well I'd like to weigh in here (Noodles) I did stick that move!!). DRCC is a young company and has only been open for business a very short time, but they have done their home work and have damn near perfected the duo textured hold.

These larger Force Edges are mostly slopers but there was one that we received that has a positive edge. We figured that we could haul ourselves off the ground on the 45 degree wall but when you watch the video, that the holds should just stay away from any steep overhanging terrain.

So these holds are not for the kick about climber, the go once a week to the gym to check out the chicks kind of climber. These holds are HARD! Every time we set with the holds (we try to set without any fore running) we looked at the problems with doubt, then fell on our butts trying to get through the sequence. You can't move too dynamically to the holds or you're hand is sure to slip off. So it made for some interesting setting on our part.

What we haven't included in our videos are those few problems that were just un-sendable. With three holds, they fit perfect on the vertical wall and we could get right under the hold and get our weight on them as you need all the friction you can get:) So we moved onto the 30 degree wall.... and that's where it got interesting, but look at Jeremy's face.... he's not having fun on the vertical wall, and what's climbing? It should be fun, it's nice to see him suffer :D

Vertical? Yes! 15 degree over hang? OK!!. 30 degree wall, OK, but be careful with your feet..... 45 degree overhang? Ok? Well, ask yourself this... is your name Ben Moon?

Although they lay flat on the wall, these holds are slopes and any over hanging terrain will increase the difficulty of the holds. We had them up on the vertical wall so we could set long moves. It wasn't the easiest of sequences, we had the holds down low and we got a good ab workout, but after we found what feet to use we got around the problem. The 45 degree wall was a no no, we tried starting low on the holds and their near impossible to pull on! We could make a problem with another set (Force Edge Easy anyone?) with longer moves and the same shapes but slightly more incut will give you a fighting chance!!

These are the kind of holds that will make you work for the move, and even though they're chalked up like no bodies business they still suck chalk off of your hands :) If your foot work is bad then these holds are going to teach you to use your feet as you're going to have little or no hope of hanging them otherwise

These holds are very specific and setters will find that they can set their sequence without much worry about people cheating the moves. You can only use the hold as an open hand slope. They would be a great addition to any gyms boulder wall but may not be suited for a very small home wall.

Versatility: Open handed dual texture slopes / flat edges
Screw Holes: No

First thing that struck us: Colour. Wow. It takes us back to the 60's when love was in the air and tie die was in. Now personally, I'm not into the whole tie die t-shirt fad (if there really ever was one) but when it comes to holds we're not complaining (but matching these holds into a route unless you're taping is going to be hard!!) The quality of he holds are like no other. DRCC has perfected their mix for the dual texture holds and the smooth part of the hold feels like glass.....seriously, there's no other way of describing it. This is so much of a pride point for the DRCC that when the molds that these are poured from stop giving super slick shiny holds they make a new mold so the shapes stay consistent.

The holds could use a screw hole but DRCC sent us the holds with the optional rubber back and the hold didn't spin on us (When I say Us I mean me!). There's nothing to complain about with the build they're solid, we'll see how strong they are when we run our strength tests later on next month

Get out the bong and take a hit, these holds come straight out of the era of free love and great music. The tie die color scheme gives the Force Edges a WOW factor of ten. I've been impressed with the holds coming from the DRCC. The shapes are specific and can be tricky to stick so that climbers will find themselves a little weary when they come up to some of these holds. I've never felt confident on the Force Edges. We've had them set as long moves on the vertical and we had to move dynamically from hold to hold.. it's not very comforting when you know that there is a good chance that you're going to end up on your ass. Bringing in the holds a few bolt holds made it easier.. thou not by much

So on to some controversy. IF the DRCC blatantly ripped off some of Voodoo's design we will never really know, but I've climbed on Voodoo's holds in the gym and they have a wide range of half moon shapes that are just horrible to hold onto but at the same time it'll improve you're climbing. It doesn't surprise me that the DRCC has made half moon shaped holds, they reflect other shapes that they've created in that they specifically force the climbers into a sequence, they're winners in my books (the Force Edges)

OK, I know I'm probably giving the DRCC a little too much praise so I'll talk about what I don't like about the holds (other than falling on my butt!) I found that even on Noodles home wall (which is pretty big) it was hard to tap into the potential of the Force Edges. The shape of the hold wants to you to force your body down low to get all of your weight onto the hold, mind you we did do a pretty good job on one of our traverse. The next test for the FE's is the gym!

• Some of the best dual texture holds you'll ever see
• Any color you want, just ask Led Zeppelin
  

CONS

• Price VS size why the price difference between the two sets? The size isn't that much different!
• These holds suck chalk off of your hands even when covered (Is this a pro??)
• No screw hole
• If your wall is steep (+30 degrees) good luck
  

PRICE
Force Edges A are $29.99 for 2 holds
Force Edges B are $54.99 for 2 holds