Review > Metolius > 40 hold pack

Continuing with our starter pack reviews we have another one for you, winter is kicking in and lets face it... it's time to get the drill out and to start building. We're going to making additions to our wall over the winter and as Metolius states that this pack it basically "a home wall without the plywood" we figured we'd test that claim and see what's up with one of the longest running hold companies out there. Firstly what you generally see is not exactly what you're going to get, you are going to get a mix of holds in differing colors and from Metolius' current hold line up, so if you want a specific color and a specific hold then you're out of luck... remember what this pack is made for is someone that's starting a home wall not really for someone that already has a wall if you're looking for just a bunch of holds to fill out a wall from Metolius then you want to be looking more at: this which is a pretty good option.

Everything that is within the pack is listed upon the side; what's inside well, lets make a list and check it twice:

• 6 Screw-On Footholds
  
• 6 Screw-On Handholds
  
• 1 Screw-On Rail
• 1 Screw-On Plate
  
• 1 Screw-On Outside Corner
  
• 5 Screw-On Modulars
• 8 Micros
  
• 7 Modulars
  
• 4 Mini Jugs
  
• 1 Macro/Roof Jug
  
• Multi-Wrench
  
• How to Build a Home Bouldering Wall booklet

Which ever way you look at this it's a fair amount of holds and there is a lot of variety in the box and here's where we get to something that Chris and Noodles have been talking about whilst playing with the holds: "Is this a good start a wall set or is it a better introduction to Metolius' hold line up?" The answer to this question is really both. It is a pretty good starter set for some one wanting to build a wall and it's also a pretty good look at what Metolius has in their line up as there are some classic holds in the box and some of the newer stuff as well (But no Wood Grips!! WHAT!)

What we did was let Eve set the first route and she set something that was a real surprise, she wanted to have something to work on but it ended up being a challenge for most people that went near to it; some people found the start moves hard; some people found the roof moves to be hard; some people found the finishing move tricky. Like we said there was a little of something for everyone. Chris and Mark (who was a surprise visitor from BC) came in and he walked the route first time... but he's a tall genetic freak that's been climbing for the last year everyday!

One of the other routes that we set was on the 30 degree wall and it included some of the below holds:
The pink guy one of the screw on plate from the Rib range and it is an interesting beast to hold onto, what you've got is two slots for your fingers (neither of them big by any means) and that's about it... maybe we set it a little low for Mark, but we thought that we'd be able to match upon the holds and just cruise on through to the rail that is on the edge of the 45/70 degree wall. Boy were we wrong... if anyone asks you "whats the sound of one hand clapping" then you can answer "a climber on a 30 degree wall on a Metolius Rib Plate blowing off backwards at speed when attempting to match and move from that hold" :) In all seriousness it's a hold that will be great upon any wall less than 30 degrees and will be bomber on any slabs. There is so much variety within this pack that it does get kind of hard to set problems with the holds... something that we overcame quickly as having a lot of different styles means you have to adapt to what you have in hand and adapt we did :)

There was a second question that bounced around the wall whilst we climbed and set... "Do you want to many screw ons in a set of holds?", this is a tricky one, sure, we'd loved to have had more bolt ons in the box and to have had an option of just bolts ons / bolts etc within the box (We guess that's why there are the bulk packs) but right now this isn't the case (unlike the So Ill kit we looked at a few weeks ago: here), you get a bunch of screw ons and some of them are pretty small and are only going to be good for feet (great as this is a variety pack of holds) but bad if you'd want more handholds than footholds. Screw ons are a pain in the ass to move about and most people just aren't going to bother moving them, so there's a plus side and a negative side to having them included!

What is paramount with this box of joy is the fact that you can go from flat walls to something that has a little for everyone for about $120... given that you get everything that you need and that you're going to use most of it means that you're going to be getting possibly one of the best deals on the market for a "set up a wall kit" and that's no bad thing


SUGGESTED USES:







There isn't much you can't do with this pack, there is such a variety of shapes and sizes that it's kind of crazy. Screw on's and bolt on's and some screw on corners and and and and there is just so much stuff you can do with this pack of holds. Chuck them on the ceiling an overhang, make some traverses basically if you're making a wall or you're really low on holds there is only your imagination and creativity that's going to limit what happens. The holds are super varied with little or no theme, the packs could be made with a theme if Metolius wanted... like having a Blue Ribbon wall set or a All American set... that'd really be neat to have as an option.

We set hard with these guys, putting the hold through their paces and other than the Natural holds that are real rock like there isn't anything to really complain about with the holds, they're friendly on the skin and fun to play with


OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 40
  
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Both
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): $129/40 = $3.20 per hold but remember all of the hardware is included within this price
  
• Color: Mixed
  
• Bolt placement: Well placed on all of the holds
  
• Sanding: Good
  
• Hollow backed:
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
  
• Texture: Classic Metolius
  
• Set size: Large
  
• Versatility: Very good
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes: Not on the bolt ons
  
• Shaper: Various
  
• Weight: 8.61kg

There's a lot in this box so lets look at the overall:
All of the holds are really well made, with the exception being on some of the holds there are some bubbles in the backs on some of the holds... overall just a minor point in the grand scheme of things. All of the holds have a very consistent resin feel to them with the exception being the "real rock" like holds that feel like limestone and the texture here can be a little hard on the skin.
The colors are mixed, there aren't very many simple single colored holds in what we received they are mainly swirled colors of varying types, the flat colors that are in there in the normal Metolius colors (Incut Edges are brown, the Blue Ribbons are blue etc)

Hardware wise all of the metal you get within the box is top notch you get all of the deck screws / normal bolts and champagne headed bolts that you're going to need along with enough t nuts to get your new wall up and running. The Salvation Army style wrench is the let down in this section as it's just two Allen keys welded together and then are grounded to make the weld smooth. It looks cheap and brings an otherwise great product down a few notches

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Resin

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Good, everything is bagged and labelled

RATING:
Noodles:
I'm going to say it because I'm not sure we said it enough (and it's one of those things that irks me somewhat)... the wrench is embarrassing to have something that is so crap within a product that a) introduces someone to a brand of climbing holds b) a climber that's possibly starting to climb and c) otherwise a well rounded starter wall set. I really don't think that it's been well thought out... I love tetanus as much as the next person and the only time I removed the rust spotted cobbled together "wrench" was for the walk through. IMMEDIATELY after that I threw it in the bin in case someone either use it for setting and hurt themselves or mistook it for a medieval throwing star and started throwing it about.

The set is one of those things that I think the market needs more of; this set is being donated to a new wall that's opening soon... it's going to give them a great start and something to play with on their new wall. They're going to need some tape to set with as the colors are a little mix and match. We set some pretty fun routes with these guys, some of it was pretty damn hard some of it easy there's such a variety of shapes and sizes of hold within the box that you can be pretty creative with what you do. The stand out route was the one that Eve set, she wanted something to work on and she pretty well stopped us for a little while there

Although you're not going to see these packs being brought by any commercial gyms... if you're building a wall then this is something that could be worth a looking at, like they say there is everything you need within the box to pretty well build a wall... plans included as well!!, so all you need is some wood, some space and away you go!

Would I buy this set if I was building a wall? Yeah I probably would have done just to have something on the wall that I'd built otherwise I've just basically have built myself a huge wooden sculpture. Given the options I'd probably go more with the Bulk Holds packs from Metolius because I'd not want as many screw ons as are within this set; BUT and this is a big but the screw ons are the holds that add the variety to this set of holds and will probably end up being used as footholds most of the time anyway

Chris:
Great diversity in this set. You get everything you need from jugs to foot jibs to get you started on your home wall. The only thing you'll have to look out for is what exactly you're getting in the box. I say this because the images of the holds that are on the box are not necessarily what you'll get when you open the box. When we opened the box to check that all the holds were there we used the description to sort out the holds in the box. It would be nice if Metolius would homogenise this set so that every box has the same kinds of holds. For instance, one of the options you can get for the bulk set is "5 macros/roof jug". What does this mean? Well, you get either 5 macro holds or 1 roof jug. If its the roof jug that you want, you may not get it in the box that you purchase so if you're thinking of getting this set, get it from a store and ask the clerk if you can check the contents of the box.

I think this is a good set for home walls. The big issue I have with Metolius holds is that they do not come in custom colors and it becomes undesirable for a gym. We also like to have holds with bright colours so that way we can set problems without having to tape the holds. Would I have bought this for our home wall? Probably not, but for someone who has built their new home wall and is looking for their first set of holds, this set is a winner.

PROS:

• The pack comes in 30 / 40 / 50 or 60 hold packs
• Everything is included
• Price per hold is cheap and hardware is included in the price
  

CONS:

• You might want to check what's in the box as you might get a jug or a macro
• Limited color options
  

Review > Black Swan Holds > Mini Volume

SUGGESTED USES MINI VOLUME:






Form or function; both is what you need and this guy is really hits the marks on both. You can stick this guy wherever you pretty well want, if you actually bolt holds into the two holes that are provided is upto you, the little rail feature is big enough for you to be able to haul across a roof without too much trouble. We're not going to pass full judgement on this guy as we're still putting it through it's paces.

OVERALL BUILD MINI VOLUME:

• Number of holds: 1
  
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): $30
  
• Color: Black
  
• Bolt placement: Centered, seems a little drunk
  
• Sanding: Good
  
• Hollow backed: Yes
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
  
• Texture: Very crystalline
  
• Set size: Large
  
• Versatility: Good
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes: No
  
• Shaper: Dalton
  
• Weight:
  

Now we like some innovation, this volume in urethane is pretty refreshing despite the fact that it's almost the same size (and price) as a Motivation "Willy" it's the medium of what it's built from that's very interesting. The Mini Volume has a very crystalline texture that pretty well negates having to use the nut placements as you can just (on shallow angles) just use the volume without worrying about anything else thats bolted onto it

Review > Black Swan Holds > Crimpzies

Black Swan holds are another new company, we grabbed a couple of sets of holds from them so we could have a look at their product. the set we're looking at today are called the Crimpzies and they look like this:
Obviously these holds are crimps, they're small and in most cases they're thin... the Black Swan website says this about the holds:
"Seven of the best crimps we could craft! You can hit that crux move over and over and your fingers wont even notice."
Well that statement is not actually correct, for two reasons, in the walk through when talking about the holds Noodles states that "I'm pretty sure I can break this hold by putting it on the wall" and guess what he did; just by chucking a bolt into the hold and acting like an over-eager setter he managed to snap the hold! We're actually pretty sure that if we did the same with the other holds in this line we could do that same thing without even really trying... why? Because the holds are so thin and the amount of material that sits below the washer is so minimal that cranking down on these with a wrench will just snap them; the bottom like (despite the shaping) these holds aren't well designed.

The second reason the statement from their website is wrong is because your fingers will notice that you're climbing on these holds... they're crimps, some are deep some are shallow but they are crimps and they're pretty painful to boot

Now what we've started doing at CHR is setting a bunch of routes with the holds we get, and then we film the one route that we really liked with multiple people upon it. It helps us with video editing and generally the route that's been set will be one that all of the people really enjoyed climbing on. In this case it was a simple Noodles route from a stand up start on the 30 degree wall into and across the 45 and then finishing on the flat (using Black Swans Mini Volume as a base for the final hold. As the holds are crimps it took us a little while to dial in the hold placements (and the feet) to make sure the holds ended up being an interesting and challenging route... it actually turned out pretty well for a short route but there were a few things to note from when we were setting:

• We didn't crank down on the holds when setting for fear of breaking them
• Some of the crimps, although well sanded, flex when you put weight on them!
• The holds are thin so you HAVE to use cap head bolts, if you use normal bolts they head will protrude out deeper than the hold

From the get-go these holds aren't getting a very good rep from us, but we did end up setting one route that we filmed a bunch on, as the set is pretty small we decided that a quick route from the 30 degree wall to the 45 and then to the flat with a crazy cross through would be the most fun and interesting for you to see! The holds on other routes perform pretty well on the 45 degree wall but they are painful to hold and pull on at that angle, if you're playing on these holds then the 30 or lesser angles are what we'd suggest.


SUGGESTED USES CRIMPZIES:







If you do get yourself a set of these holds be warned that they are very painful on your fingers; if you're super strong and like a bit of pain put them onto the 45 and go nuts. But we'd suggest something a little shallower with these guys, more like 30 degrees and try to make the moves easier than you'd like to save your hands for something nicer. Although one thing can be said they are crimps, not in the purest sense of the term but they are definitely crimps in one shape or another.

Shallow angles are the best for these, we'd say upto 30 to make sure you don't hurt yourself, but if (like we said) you're strong crank it up a notch and hit the 45... there is one of the crimps (the one from the walk through where Noodles points out it's "like a deeper Hex or Rex" that can easily be used on much much steeper walls ; something more like our 60 comfortably

OVERALL BUILD CRIMPZIES:

• Number of holds: 7
  
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): $15/7 = $2.14 per hold
  
• Color: Black
  
• Bolt placement: Good
  
• Sanding: Ok
  
• Hollow backed: No
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): Optional
  
• Texture: Grippy, but not rough
  
• Set size: Small
  
• Versatility: Ok
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes: No
  
• Shaper: Dalton Swan
  

Avoid these holds. They build quality is sub-par, the thinner hold will snap when you look at it, they hurt your fingers and we'd not suggest that you buy them...
The devil is in the details with these guys, Black Swan are a new company and sometimes a little direction is needed:

• Some of the holds sanding was a little off, not by much to be honest if some of the thinner holds had been sanded anymore then they could have been transparent.
• It seemed like the amount of material around or behind the bolt hole wasn't enough
• A couple of the bolt holes (because the holds are so thin you can't / don't want to use a standard bolt but a cap headed bolt) weren't big enough to actually take the bolt head
• The edges of some of the holds although not sharp weren't flat and flush there were some imperfections from the shaping
• The slashes and dots that are on the holds look a little amateur almost like it came out of an art class

After we finished climbing on the holds we torqued all of them up like we did with the first one to see what we could actually break and what was bombproof. Other than the one hold we did break on video we did only manage to sink some of the washers on two of the other holds, but and this is a big BUT: we did put these way above what anyone else in their right mind would kind of stresses, the holds were actually making an impression on the wall we had them that tight (about 30ft lbs of torque according to our wrench)... so the thicker holds are pretty strong

Those things aside the texture upon these holds is really quite nice it's smooth and it's got a good grip to it. We like to think that Black Swan are kind of like the Ford Motor Company of old.. you know "you can have any color you like as long as it's black" but they do offer yellow, we need to check on whether you can get other colors. The price when you look at it is just mentally cheap and if they can sort out the QA issues and can keep that price then that'd be amazing

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Poly urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:

RATING:
Noodles:
We like, hell we love seeing new products... but sometimes it's going to be a rough ol review for some people... this is going to be hard for the guys at Black Swan to swallow but checking out their site in the about section I found this... anything italic is from their page:

Our Washers
All holds created by Black Swan feature embedded washers. These washer help spread the load from the bolt across the entire hold making them incredibly hard to crack from over tightening. You have to be very committed to breaking these holds; it won't be an easy task
Urm, reeeeeally? I broke a hold pretty well without even trying. In fact (we should have filmed this) after we were done climbing one night we had Dora break a few, she's 4ft 9in and can't turn a wrench anywhere near as hard as I can

Our Texture
We will never sell a hold that is hard on a climbers hands. We are climbers ourselves and understand how important texture is. We want you to be able to climb all day on our holds, not cursing at your sore pads.
Ok, I'll give you this one, except for the texture on the Mini Volume this is a little harsh, and the little features that are on some of the holds that snap off. What you say texture -wise about the crimp set is correct, if the holds were larger you probably could climb on them all day. Unfortunately the shapes is the thing that's going to destroy your fingers

Our Service
Every single one of our holds are first tested by us on our own wall. After preliminary tests, we sell only to local gyms before providing our selection to other gyms. We will not sell any products that have had any problems whatsoever. This is how we know our holds we stand up to our expectations and level of quality.
FAIL! You guys really need to test your holds and shapes better that you've obviously haven't done so far.

It's going to seem like I'm ragging on these guys, and that's because I am. The Crimpzies should be pulled off of their website and be totally redesigned from the ground up; the shapes technically are OK.... but just OK. These holds are crap pure and simple, if you put them next to say Tekniks Flaps or Contacts Hex OR Rex holds these holds just don't measure up on quality / on design; the only place that they do measure up on is price, because at $15 the price point is great, the problem is the smaller holds can break or hurt your fingers.

Black Swan need to sit down and look at some of their thin holds, redesign them and make sure that when an overenthusiastic setter spins a wrench too much or gets an impact driver that their product is solid. Remove the little details on some of the holds and just work on the shapes and their strength and then work on the supplementary details

Avoid at all costs, even if the cost is just $15. I had some pretty high hopes for this set and I was kind of let down by their QA and the fact that I could sink the washer into the hold or snap them when on a flat wall. Now the other set we have (although flawed in some places) is much better and is something we're having some fun on.... stay tuned folks, it's not all bad when it comes to Black Swan there is some good with the bad!

Chris:
We've seen a lot of holds over the years and we've helped quite a few companies improve the quality of their product. From Climb It putting a center column on their hollow backs to Motivations face lift on their volumes, I see another companies who's product will greatly improve if they spent a little time ironing out the details. These are pretty nice shapes and the texture (apart from the mini volume;) is nice to the touch and provides good friction. The praise ends there. In all aspects of detail, Black Swan needs to make some improvements.

First off: What's with the yellow in the back of the Crimpzies? You probably didn't notice uit because the color is completely hidden from view when the holds are bolted to the wall. I would think that this strip of yellow is for aesthetic purposes but Black swan has wasted their time since the strip is too thin and most of it has come off when the holds were sanded. Second: Bolt holes. The holes on all the holds weren't cleaned up and the bolt doesn't sit sit flush on the seat. There were even some where they didn't pour enough material around the bolt hole and parts of the washer are exposed. On top of that, there were a couple where the bolt hole wasn't centered. We got around that , but most of these details cause the hold to not sit flush on the wall creating stresses and therefore weakening the integrity of the holds.

Although Black Swan's prices are very competitive, it doesn't give them the excuse to make a sub standard product. My advice is to pay attention to the details and I guarantee that the next time I climb on Black Swan holds, I'll rant on how much fun I had climbing and setting.

PROS:

• Great price point
• Good texture
  

CONS:

• Break easily if you're overzealous with the wrench (snapped holds / sunk washers)
• Not much material around the bolt holes
• Some production issues
  

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Review > Greengrip > Composite Stone Set 1

Greengrip is someone you've probably not heard of! Is that because they're from Finland? No not really, it's because they're kind of quiet... they are a company that have been working on a bunch of different material types. In fact a lot of different materials; that aside today we're talking about one of their material types... but first the holds (Which is a promotional set):The material that they're made of is called Composite Stone Materials, the Greengrip website says this about it:
"Composite stone materials not only greatly resembles natural stones, but also have much better mechanical properties for climbing holds manufacturing. Materials for composite stones are different kinds of modificated resins and resin combinations, based on epoxy-silicone resins and natural polymers"
Right... we included some of the spelling mistakes, but what does that mean when it all is said and done?

1. The holds should feel like stone and also look like stone
2. The holds should be strong and light
   
3. They're not normal resin, they are some kind of super epoxy/polymer mix
   

Before we go much further we should mention that the chaps at Greengrip are a bunch of chemists AND climbers that have decided to make environmentally friendly climbing holds! Finland is covered in rock and it snows a lot so they have lots of time to get it right.... but have they done so?

1. These holds do look and feel like stone
2. The box of holds weighed in at less that 1kg, the holds aren't huge but they are extremely light considering they're made of resin, or a resin like material. They're also pretty strong, we'd normally not throw resin holds about but as they said they were strong we had a little session of "throw the holds at the wall" and we didn't break any
3. We can't figure out what they're saying about the epoxy/polymer material (it's not polyurethane or polyester) that they make their holds from... it's based on the same kind of chemicals but it isn't normal stuff... bloody chemists always make life difficult :) (Keep in mind the bigger holds (if you get the larger hold, of which we have a few, are made of something else entirely!! And then there is one hold in the box that is something we're going to review later when we get the rest of the holds in our hands and it's called Iceberg and they look mental) The holds are made without harmful chemicals, so that's pretty good!

Right... enough confusion, let's get to how they feel!

If we read CHR or have been reading this site for a while you'll know that we've had some real rock-esque climbing holds before. Some were good (Dream Holds: Basalt / Granites; Petrogrips: Mixed) and there were some that were bad (Project Holds: Granites; Entre-prise: Imperfect Cobbles) but how do these guys hold up?

Actually they're pretty damn good, they feel like crimps feel outside... people have climbed on one of the routes Noodles set where he screwed the holds together to make little cracks (see image on the left) and people really liked the feel of them and the way that (if they remembered to use the crack and not the outside of the hold) you feel like you're outside. Then Chris (who actually set with the holds first) made something that REALLY FELT like the outside... it was hard and pretty painful to climb. So yeah they do feel like real rock, they don't quite have the same cool feel as real rock but they do feel slightly cooler than other normal climbing mediums

Then we set a short easy route to just to see what they holds were like on easy terrain and they are very very positive, even the smallest screw on was ok to be matched. We've moved these holds all over the wall, we've used the smaller holds as feet and as hands so they can be used either way

SUGGESTED USES:







For their size and shapes are better suited to slight overhangs, unless of course you like hauling down on small semi sharp (in some cases) holds that really feel like real rock. There is a lot of options on all of the holds, bar the tiny screw ons, that allow you to play around and make some pretty interesting routes. Our favorite was getting two of the screw ons, or a bolt on and a screw on, and then making little cracks out of them; the good thing about using a bolt/screw on combination is that you can rotate the bolt on to change the angle of the crack with the spin of a wrench. If you're looking for some pretty real feeling holds then these might be what you're looking for, you can't train too much on them but they certainly add some spice to a wall

What we've done this week is to have the walk through video and the climbing as one video not two! So for Noodles falling on his ass because of the small screw ons you'll have to skip to the middle of the video... we're also sorry about the walk through camera work, we have a new camera person and they're getting to grips with how to film the walk through....

OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 12
  
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Both
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): 41 Euros is roughly: $57.50 = $4.80 per hold
  
• Color: Grey and red
  
• Bolt placement: Depends upon the shape
  
• Sanding: Good
• Hollow backed: No
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): Epoxy rubber polymer
  
• Texture: Rock like
• Set size: Small
• Versatility: Pretty good
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes: Yes on the bolt ons when needed
  
• Shaper: Admir & Mother Nature
  
• Weight: Less than 1kg

We had a session of throw the holds at a wall to see if we could break of chip them and even with people throwing pretty hard there wasn't any noticeable damage; it's not the best test we know but we were wondering what they'd look like after we chucked the HRT stuff off of the balcony :)
Build quality of these holds is very good, all of the backs are flat with their backing sucking the holds to the wall very well (FYI: they have a new backing that is super green so it's no longer the "bad" part of the hold when it comes to the environment!) all of the screw holes are nice and are counter sunk to take the screw heads, same of the bolt holes.

These holds are light, and even adding the grey/red these holds stand out because of their style (what is it's Etch adverts say? "Only mother nature makes better shapes?") well this is the case for these guys. They could do with a logo of some kind but given the nature of the shapes you shouldn't have trouble finding them... unless of course you don't mix screw ons with bolt on holds!

Texture wise these are very real rock like, but like Chris says a little softer than the outside and there are some slightly sharp edges; some of the holds just don't want to be dyno'd to that's for sure

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Expoy / polymer

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Good

RATING:
Noodles:
These holds would be almost the greenest thing on the climbing market except for one thing... they have backing upon them that isn't the most environmentally friendly thing on the planet. In my mind this kind of defeats the purpose of making environmentally friendly holds :( But they do seem to have a bunch of other things going for them:

• Their material is a safety based so it shouldn't shatter easily
• The colors they use are food coloring

Reading their website is pretty interesting (spelling mistakes aside :P), all of the research that they've done is well documented with their trials and tribulations up on the page for you all to read. There's a lot of information up there, so if you're bored go and spend some time.

Now even thou we're reviewing one of their Promotional part bolt/part screw on set this time around there are some other holds that are en-route

These are called the Icebergs and as you can see there are some larger shapes in there and these holds have some very interesting coloring to them; we had a sneak peak of one of the holds and they look completely mental!

That aside the Stone Set is interesting, I generally don't like holds that are too small especially screw ons because they can be sharp... but this isn't the case these holds despite being small are pretty friendly there are some sharp(ish) edges but as these holds are molded from real rock shapes and they're made to simulate rock so it's kind of expected that this is the case. Some of the holds are a little sharp as I said, but I think Greengrip could select the rocks that they're molding from a little more carefully; if you look at the image of the holds at the top of this post the middle most holds is has the sharpest edges but it is also one of the most interesting shapes from the set, it has lots of grabbing options, the only problem with this is that to turn the hold you're going to need your drill

Overall do I like the holds? I really don't mind them I think that easier routes on simple on slight inclines and slabs is where these holds shine, I know I don't want to be making dynamic moves to small semi sharp holds so I generally avoid doing so and I'd suggest you do that same or limit your routes to not include to many of these types. There are a lot of options with these holds, being screw ons you want to set well so you don't have to move the holds too much otherwise your wall is going to start looking like swiss cheese :) Eco-holds is something that I can see being a bigger market over the next few years, Nicros have been doing it with the soy-based holds for years and other company's are getting on the boat, Greengrips have started well if they can sort out their backing material these holds could be the greenest grips on the planet... now I hope the Icebergs turn up before they melt so we can try something larger

Chris:
I don't know if the guys at Green grip have seen our review on the Dream holds Dumby Basalts cause these shapes from Green grip have a very similar feel. We use this word, "similar", quite a bit of late. There are a lot of great shapes out there and those who mold the holds draw influence from other shapers and there is nothing wrong with that, unless you're like some companies and downright copy molds from other companies (we know who you are;). Well Greengrip is not one of those companies. When I say that the shapes are similar, I mean in idea only. These real rock shapes are much smaller than those from Dream holds and since they're cast from real rock, the shapes are much different from those from Dream holds.

In most reviews I talk about the problems we set with the holds and how we held up on them, what I think about the aesthetics and shapes, but I think that with these holds, I must first talk about the composition of the holds. We're entering an age of environmental awareness and Greengrip is on the forefront developing eco friendly polymers and epoxies. I won't get into the chemistry of things (you can get the info on their website) and I won't say that I understand it, I can just say that they've developed a composition that is very light.

So now onto the part of the review you have all been waiting for: What do I think of the holds? Well, I think that we have some brilliant holds in our possession. I would really like to see more shapes with bolt holes instead of being mounted with screws. That just because I'm lazy and I weasel my way out of setting with screw on holds. What I've realized from climbing on real rock shapes is that the holds still have the sharp edges you would find climbing outside but there isn't that bite that would leave your skin burning after a couple of attempts. I would attribute this to the fact that plastic, be it polyurethane, recycled or a secret mixture, is softer that rock and thanks to that we can climb on into the wee hours of the night.

PROS:

• Environmentally friendly
• For their size they are light and strong
  

CONS:

• Limited range thus far
• Screw ons aren't for everyone
  

Review > Asana > Team Pack

A while back and when we say a while back we're talking the best part of a year we grabbed an Asana Team Pack; why? Well we were looking for an everyday bag that could also double as a crag / gym bag. Here's what the bag looks like:

Here's what the Asana site says about the bag:

"This super-smooth backpack brings your climbing team together. It contours to your back to provide stability and it's sleek, lightweight backpack straps keeps it simple. You'll also love the three tubular handles for picking it up and moving it around the boulder field"

Here are the specs:

• Zippered pocket holds wallet & keys
• 3 carry handles
• Shoulder straps
• Heavy duty zippers
• 1440 cubic inches
• 1000 denier nylon and 600 denier exterior
• Price: $58

Review:
Noodles took control of the bag from day one and there's not much he hasn't done with it... let's hear it from him:

This bag according to Asana is for going to the gym, I ignored this and used it as my daily bag for over 6 months. I ride to work in all weathers so I was wondering how useful it was going to be when the heavens opened and it started chucking it down on me; the simple answer to this is it is pretty waterproof if you're not out for too long but more than about 20 minutes of the torrential rain we get in Montreal and then whatever you have in your bag will be wet (remember this bag is for going to the gym) I've also found that bag to be slim enough to fit easily into a crash pad for days when I've been outside and all I was carrying was my shoes, food, and all the other daily stuff you need for a day out and about

As a gym pack it's not bad, you can cram in a half rope and your gear without too much trouble, jump on your bike and have a session before cramming it all back in and heading home. The bag works very well, the straps even when fully loaded are wide enough to not cut into your shoulders (I broke a collar bone years ago and it doesn't like too much load on it), at the top; between your shoulders, the straps are held in place by a huge piece of velcro so any uneven loads can't cause them to slip about.

The bag has some nice handles on the front and one at the top, the ones on the front being helpful for picking the bag up and swinging it about as needed. One thing that (for me) is missing from the bag is a hip belt, but that's because i'd prefer one when I'm riding my bike.

Thankfully I can't really complain too much about the bag being no good for extended trips or for carrying a rack / full rope to your next desitnation as Asana have recently released a larger version of this bag called the Tour Bag:
this is something that I'd like to have when I'm outside and having to haul a full length rope with me to the crag, again there isn't a hip belt which kind of sucks and it's something I'd prefer to see on both packs.

Overall I've run the Team Pack to hell and back, it's done weeks on a bike, it's been in the snow, the rain, one bike crash and has been a constant partner whenever I've been outside.... best thing is that it still looks like new, sure it needs a good wash after the abuse I've given it but it's still in tip top condition. It's something that is a) good value b) a cheap gift for the climbing bum in your life and c) as I've not managed to destroy it... really well built :)

PROS:

• Bomb proof construction
• Still looks like new after 6 months of abuse
• If you have a team Asana will do the logos for free on orders over 20
  

CONS:

• No hip belt
• Taller framed people will have to go for the larger Tour Bag
  

BASE FILE DO NOT DELETE

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Text about what we did here

SUGGESTED USES:















































OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds:
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons):
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds):
• Color:
• Bolt placement:
• Sanding:
• Hollow backed:
• Soft back (Rubber backed):
• Texture:
• Set size:
• Versatility:
• Pre-drilled screw holes:
• Shaper:
• Weight:

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:

PACKING / SHIPPING:

RATING:
Noodles:

Chris:

PROS:

• YADDA

CONS:

• YADDA