Review > Morganics > Sandstone / Granite / Joes / Simples & Limestone

So this is the second part of our look at Morganics Starter set... a couple of weeks ago we looked at the screw ons from the set, you can read that review here, this time we're looking at the bolt on segments of this set.

This is what the Morganics site says about their starter set:

This kit is hands down the best deal around for getting the most usable climbing holds while spending the least money. This kit comes with Bolts and a wrench and is an ideal gift for anyone starting a wall. If you have a wall and are looking for more holds then look no further. This Kit contains a variety of holds in the following sizes with assorted colors:

• 5 Large holds
  
• 5 Large Jugs
• 10 medium holds
• 10 Medium mini jugs
• 5 Small holds
• 10 small screw on holds
• 15 screw on-feet
• Wrench
• All bolts and screws included
• T-nuts not included 

The first thing that is obvious when you look at these holds is the fact that there is a large range of sets included and most of them are pretty positive... we'd go as far to say that this set (the screw ons not being included in this statement) that it's more of a beginner friendly set than some of the others we've looked at.
Hell they're roof friendly, the only set you can't use is the Granites on the roof, we've had these holds for a long while and we've had them all over the place, high routes, low traverses, hard moves all over the 45 and then into the 60 degree wall... basically as we've been training for the Tour De Bloc competitions of late we've really used them to train upon.

Training... yeah, we've been training, and it's a good thing that most of the holds are incut and friendly on the hands. There were some really interesting routes that were group set, we'd have all of the holds on the floor and then we'd take turns setting a couple of moves and then go around the group, this makes for some really fun climbing because when you look at the difference in say Dora whose just about 5ft and then you look at Mark whose 6'7 there end up being some really strange short low moves and then you're off into a long move (and as is the case with Mark) that will probably be into the roof.

One thing that no one complained about was skin, that's until we hit the Granites, we looked at some Grantie holds from Project a while back (here) we found those guys to be super painful and just not fun to climb on, it's pretty well the same with these guys.... for a home wall and with people wanting to train for long periods of time these holds just aren't going to allow you to do that and realistically for a starter set they really don't have a place. Basically they should be removed and maybe switched to something like the Simples.


SUGGESTED USES:








If you're building a wall or have just started climbing and have a wall then it's probably a good idea to have a look at these holds, they're mainly incut or jugs, there a few edges in there but not that many. We've had them all over the place, every wall and up on the roof in various guises; we find them nice to pull on no matter where they are placed. The only holds that aren't incut are the granites and they're pretty good on the 45 but you're going to be working hard to stay on them and you might need some new skin if you go steep with them and fall off; those holds have a real bite to them. Although these holds aren't the most inspiring to look at for the price they're pretty good filler for a new wall, some of the sets that are included feel similar to each other despite looking different.

The Simples are a fun set of holds, and it's kind of a shame that there's not more of them in this package! They're just as their name says just smooth ergonomic and nice to climb on....

OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 60 total (35 bolt ons)
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt on
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): $159.99 / 60 = $2.67 each
• Color: Mixed, green and brown
• Bolt placement: Good
• Sanding: Ok
• Hollow backed: No
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
  
• Texture: Good
• Set size: Medium
• Versatility: Good
• Pre-drilled screw holes: No
• Shaper: TBD
• Weight: Light

The build overall is pretty good, there are some bubbles on the backs of some of the holds and some of the sanding is a little off. Other than that Morganic have ticked all of the boxes when it comes to manufacturing, all of the holds are marked with a little 'M', pretty much like the way Revolution mark their holds so they're easy to find when you're searching through boxes.

There are a lot of styles of holds within what you receive, but they do err on being pretty well incut across the board except for some of the screw ons and the Granite holds, they're grippy edges that if you take a fall from you're going to be leaving skin behind. There are a couple of holds that make nice incut pinches (The Limestones and the Sandstones) but most of the time you can stick most of the holds on the roof and if you're half way strong then there's no problem whatsoever. The shaping style has a little to really be desired, the Joes and Limestones despite looking different aesthetically feel pretty well the same, it's the Sandstones and the Granites that really add any character to what you're getting. The texture of the holds across the board is even, it's not super grippy once it gets chalked up, unless you're on the Granites which are always grippy even when they chalked to all hell.

Color-wise they're a dark lime green and the simples came in a brown, it was a little surprising that 95% of the bolt ons were one color and then one set of five holds was another... and then the screw ons were blue. Really they should all be different colors for each set or they should just be one color across the board.

There aren't any set screw holes as most of the holds, even the larger ones aren't really going to be taking enough force to cause them to spin. The holds do feel quite light and a little fragile when you're handling them so it's probably a good idea to not drop them from a massive height as they're going to break.

Also included in the set is an Allen wrench, which is way better than the shocking welded nightmare that Metolius sent us (here), all of the bolts are good quality. The only problem is the screws, they're not that good and we ended up using some of them but once we realized they weren't good we switched to our normal self tapping deck screws.

Overall when you look at the entire set then there isn't really enough variations on the shapes, where are the slopers and where are the pockets? Thankfully Morganics have some different variations on this starter set that you can check out

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Rigid Urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Good

RATING:
Noodles:
I'll get this one off of my chest right out of the gate, I think these holds feel very very similar to Revolution.
BOOM
Let that sink in.

Which would you buy?

It's an interesting thing to think about, there's nothing wrong with the holds, they're all comfortable and they all function really well. The holds feel lighter than you'd expect, there are a few minor bubbles and some of the holds could do with a second run over the belt sander...

Morganics aren't a brand that most people have heard of, hell they're a brand that most gyms don't have on their walls, why? Because they've been quiet for a long time, they don't have the biggest range, they don't have the smallest range... they have an interesting range of holds.

I'd like Granites to be take out of this set and be replaced with some more Simples, why? Skin wear and because they're all way flatter than the rest. I see this set as a beginner set, rather than a starter set, mainly because most of the holds are incut and slightly juggy.... what's cool with this set is the fact that you can use them all over the wall, roof, sure... steep angles, sure... ain't going to be a worry that's for sure. Even though we used these holds a lot across the wall we did make some interesting routes but they were mainly warm ups... fun warm ups that's for sure.

but this is just the bolt ons... let's talk about the WHOLE SET!!

This set for me is something that is a beginner set, because the holds are juggy overall, they miss pockets, slopers and some other holds that should really be included, and it's strange because it's not like Morganics don't have these styles of holds within their line up... it kind of makes you wonder why they didn't include them. I think that this set is a good filler for a wall or a great set for a beginner that wants to get stronger on their new wall. It's all a little samey for me, if they mixed it up a little more then they'd have a banger of a Starter set, especially when you look at the price

Mark:

This set of holds ended up being a lot of fun. Able to be used at pretty much any angle on any wall for the most part and not at all harsh to grip and pull on. These holds tended to not spin and we often used them as part of our warm up`s before we got down to the more challenging things. Easy to work with, easy to identify and generally easy to hold. There were of course a few exceptions that weren`t jugs anymore and required a certain amount of concentration or you`d eat the pads, making for some pleasant crux`s along our  meandering climbs around and across our little gym.

      
Everything in this set would fall under a jug, crimp, edge or pinch, the only thing missing being tricky slopers and some pockets.  It is cool how this kit gave us a taste of varying sets coming out of the Morganic production line, so if ever inclined to get more, you have already  held onto a large assortment of their holds and styles. Overall a good kit, fine handholds that definitely work as great footholds if inclined to use them that way. The key to this one is it`s versatility, an excellent beginner choice or for someone just wanting to fill in some holes on their wall.

PROS:

• Lots of juggy holds within the range
• Good for steep walls
• Good price point

CONS:

• No pockets or slopers :(
• Some holds needed some more sanding

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Review > Climb It > Blockys XL+

Let us tell you a story... it's not long, but it sure is fun :)

In the beginning there were a set of holds, bright orange... neon orange holds. They were born in nice warm California; once born they rested for a few days because they had to go on a trip, away from nice warm California all they way up north to Canada... to Montreal to be exact!

After their little rest, these little guys were wrapped into their paper blankets, were put into a box and they started their journey. It was dark in that box, it was dark and bumpy in that box, they didn't like it... they didn't like it one bit.

Half way through the trip there was a bright light, oh so bright!! Maybe we're at our new home thought the holds... maybe we can meet our new parents... but no, it was just a border guard had opened the box and they wanted to see what was inside. The border people touched and fondled the holds... they holds didn't like it. The light went out, and the bumpy journey continued.

There were noises on that trip... lots of noises, sometimes it was quiet but sometimes it was loud and the holds became scared when they were bumped around :( One noise they'd never forget was the sound of a doorbell, and then a loud buzzing sound... they the huff and puff of a man carrying something heavy up some stairs...
"Ah UPS, what's going on Frank?" The voice was English
"Not much, last parcel today. Sign here" Replied the Frank the UPS man
"There you go!"
"Do you want a hand bringing this in?"
"Nah, should be alright :)"
There was the sound of strain
"Actually, Frank do you mind for a sec, it looks like Zach has sent me a small car in this box!"
There was one last short trip, and then the sound of a door closing.
Light, blessed light! The sound of paper tearing, blankets being ripped off, the feel of calloused hands... oh the light

"Fuck me" said the English voice
"Chris come and see this!"
"Fuck me" said the Asian voice
"I think Climb It and Louie have gone mad this time!!"

That people is how these holds traveled from California to Montreal. Are you wondering what we're talking about? We're talking about these:The Blockys, or Blocky Rocks as they were first named, are a new set for Climb It Holds for 2011, we've had them since day one and we've been using them quite a bit. Those of you with a keen eye will have noticed the holds on the wall since late summer, all over the wall, they're pretty hard to miss that's for sure... why? Because we were sent most of the sizes of the range (except for the smalls) and they're pretty massive all things considered.

We set something easy to start, it's always good to get to know your holds before you hit them... new holds are nearly always begging to be chalked.... so easy and lots of chalk was the way we went. And then... well, then there was this route that defied words, hard awkward start to a couple of roof moves that were shoulder ripping into the flat wall with a couple of slopers. No-one got it, not one person. We worked it, boy did we work that route, but no-one could finish it.

Then we set something a little nicer, using the nicer holds on the roof:

One thing that we did was we started up hold demos, so we can show guys new products that we've reviewed and so we can get some real world data on how the holds perform in a gym and so we can lend people holds for competitions. As our local gym had just stripped their bouldering wall and as we'd just finished most of our filming we decided to lend them some of the holds :)
We let their setters set the routes, but we were on hand to run the routes before the gym opened.... here are some images of what was set:

The feedback that we received from the setters and climbers at Allez Up was great, people seemed to like the route that was set and to really enjoy climbing on the holds. During their time at the gym we asked for the holds to not be cleaned so we could see what they looked like when they came back, so we could see the damage (if there was any) and could look at how they performed overall. They all came back chalked to hell and covered in rubber, nothing a jet wash didn't fix... none of the holds took any damage during the month that they were on the wall; we went over all of them before and after to see if there were any cracks around the screw holes or problems. So they performed super well, people loved them and with the neon orange they stood out on the wall :)

SUGGESTED USES:




Well, where do you want to put them? Some of these guys are so large and so incut you can put them onto a roof, but be warned they're pretty big but they're going to be hard moves to match and move from. The sloper versions are only going to be good on shallow angles as the areas that can be matched are pretty thin, we've found ourselves hitting them open handed and then semi crimping to make the matches for what we were climbing.

The slopes would be great on a slab (that's why the symbol is up there) they're going to be more positive and getting hand/foot matches on them when they're being used like this. They're still going to be tricky and the work out you're going to be when trying this is going to be fun.

We've tried all of the holds on lots of different angles, the slopes work best on angles up to 30 degrees and the more uncut guys are what you're going to want to use everywhere else. If you're going to put the large incut guys onto a roof then you're either going to end up pinching some of the thinner ones and holding on for dear life or you're going to end up undercutting the incut guys and then trying to match and move.


OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 24
  
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt
  
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): TDB
  
• Color: Neon orange
  
• Bolt placement: Not bad
  
• Sanding: Good
  
• Hollow backed: Some of them, yes
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
  
• Texture: Good
  
• Set size: Various
  
• Versatility: Good
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes:
• Shaper: Louie Anderson
  
• Weight: TDB
  

It's going be a thing to note for everyone reading this, that all problems that we found with the holds have been looked into a fixed. We had one of the first pours and as the holds weren't on sale we were able to go back to Climb It Holds and tell them what was wrong and what needed to be fixed. Says a lot about them, as they fixed all of the problems.
Straight out we noticed that the hollow backs seemed a little thin, on closer inspection we found that some of the holds flexed when we bolted them to the wall, this was something that was echoed by Dustin Curtis (one of our sponsored climbers) when he bolted the holds to his concrete curved walls at True North.... so we talked to Climb It and they fixed this problem and replaced the affected holds very quickly. We also noted that some of the shapes had set screw holes that were close to the edge, so close that when you had them on the roof would cause a split in the material originating around where the screw was placed. All of the screw holes / molds and hollow backs were changed on all of the affected holds.

Now the bad news aside, Climb It have to be praised for taking what we said on board very quickly and making the changes that had to be made, replacing the holds super quickly was all very well handled.

All of the other holds have an inset Climb It logo, well placed bolt holes and sanding that is super smooth. Color wise, the neon orange was a stroke of genius, they didn't know that we were going to send these holds out for demo and the color really helped with how the holds showed on the cluttered bouldering walls that they were loaned to. Climb It do seem to make some of the best neon holds on the market right now.

The texture of the holds is grippy, but not as grippy as you'd normally expect from Climb It, what gives the holds their unique, almost rock like, feel is the shaping and the tooling that makes the holds what they are. There aren't any sharp edges to speak of, the holds kind of feel a little like granite that's been climbed on a lot, slightly hard to hold until you find the sweet spot.

Sanding is amazing considering some of the holds are really large, they're all super flat and it's obvious that all of the holds have seen a sander. As these holds have seen a lot of foot and hand traffic it is always nice to see that the holds clean up well, sure the texture does take rubber in pretty well, but a quick power wash and a brush and the holds come up like new

What you're looking at shape-wise is a mixture of massive massive holds that are jug like and then slopes and crimps, there's not actually one bad spot on them, but if you take a sliding fall off of some of the slopers you're going to wonder where that burning sensation came from :)

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Great

RATING:
Noodles:
You all know that we get holds early here... these have been on the wall and out for demo (at various places) since the early summer. The holds, from the get-go, had some serious issues, the hollow backs were too thin and holds were cracking, some of the set screw holes were in just retarded places... basically there were problems that needed to be fixed!! And fixed they have been, I've just seen the newer versions of these the other day and everything is sorted

The route that stands out for me with the roof route... sure I couldn't do the contortionist start, and I couldn't quite get off of the roof as it was too long... but I put a lot of blood (yup) sweat and tears into that problem only to be shut down time and time again. I actually took that route down the day after is was almost flashed because if it stayed up there someone was going to get seriously messed up :( Chances are it'd have probably have been me :)

Every shape is subtle, you have to be poised with these holds, especially the slopers.... they're not my favorite holds from Climb It by a long shot... but they are pretty bloody good that's for sure, there's so much variety within the set that you can pretty well set whatever you like with them... just put them up and go. These holds aren't the easiest and aren't the hardest, they're in the middle and pretty interesting; I love the slopers and I like the smaller holds that are crimps/edges, the super huge ones are a laugh but I didn't like them so much... I don't know why because I set some great foot hand matches with them and I do keep putting a few of them up on the roof time and time again. Maybe it's because they're either "hard" or "easy", I don't think that (in the larger shapes on the roof) there's any middle ground unless you put some of the smaller holds up. Mind you on steep angles these holds are a hoot, trying to stick the slopes on the 30 degree wall will test any ones power to the limit... because you`re hanging on for dear life and you KNOW that the next hold is bomber you just...have... to... get...there!!

I think I need to get stronger, maybe I should put them all on the roof again and just climb on them... I'd be a beast in no time. These holds would make for a mental lead route :D

Chris:
Ah Blocky...Roof sequence memories :) Of course and like usual, Climb It has shaped a sweet line of holds, but since we are here to critic, I will have to point out that there are quite a few places for improvement. The big thing for me was placement of some of the screw holes and the fact that we cracked some in the process of re-drilling new screw placements. Climb It has fixed the problem by using more material in the pour. The other small issue is the texture. When it comes to grip, Climb It is out there with some of the grittiest texture and its great, you won't fall off but when you climb and work sequences like we did, you might aswell hold my hand to an open flame ;) There was some burn skin kicking around :P

What I like about the shapes from Climb It and the larger ones in particular is that they will offer more than what you'd expect. The are plenty of grip options and placements and you would think that it would classify as an "easier" hold but you could really get some hard power sequences with the crimpy style holds. Even the incut guys are just good enough to stick, and at times your counting your lucky stars for the extra grip the texture will give you ;)

Great set. Some flaws but that's what we're here for and Climb It has made the necessary modifications and improved on the design. Also, like most of Climb It's sets, they have shaped a full range in this set , covering jugs to crimp, to accommodate all our climbing styles.

Eve:
Climb It are rarely way off when it comes to doing good holds anymore. Admittedly, I didn't get to play with the whole set because of an "evil setter" infection that's been plaguing the wall but I did climb on the Extra Large Blockys. I had fun but have to admit that I have nothing shocking to say on the subject. They are big and comfy, they are great beginner holds if you want to get good on roofs and they are bright orange! ;) Other than that I think that the entire set (meaning all sizes) provides a nice variety of holds allowing them to be used at different angles and in a range of routes varying from tricky, technical ones to endurance routes.

PROS:

• Most of the XL+ holds are good for easy matches
• Hollow backed for cheaper shipping
• Friendly texture on all of the holds
  

CONS:

• The first pour(s) we recieved needed to be modified
• Some of the set screw placements aren't optimal
  

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Review > Project Holds > Carbonates Mediums and Large

It's been a while since we looked at Project Holds, they've been pretty quiet of late... and now they've starting dropping new sets left right and center. This week we're looking at an interesting set of holds called the Cabonates. It's an interesting name, as a carbonate is a mixture of salt and carbonic acid... we're guessing that the name comes from the fact that the holds look and kind of feel like carbonate rock.... What is interesting about the holds is their shape, nothing unusual you'd think considering what we do here, but the sets are broken up into two seemingly separate lines. The mediums consist mainly of pockets and some scooped pinches:and then when you look at the large holds they turn into large matchable edges and matchable pockets:So are these a setters dream or a nightmare? It's obvious when you get up close and personal with the holds that most of them are matchable, sometimes easily and sometimes they're a little less subtle to see but, be assured, they're all there just look.

As we've had the holds on the wall we've set some very interesting routes, some of them super easy, some of them just plain crazy. We set hand and foot matches, routes where you're tracking your feet and this is where we ran into a couple of problems with the holds, none of them have a pre-drilled set screw hole... it's something that we'd kind of expect these holds to have. Even though the bolt hole placements are good when you get cranked down (especially on the larger rail holds) you can get them to spin. How did we find this out? Well just set a route where your feet are at the same level as your hands and then try to move... we were kind of surprised that this element was missing, sure we could just go and drop a screw into the offending shapes, but it's something in this day and age that we shouldn't have to worry about because the hole or the hole placement should be there already!

If you're going to go steep with these guys then you're going to be working on some pretty exact control of where your hands are hitting and where your feet are going to be placed, we set a few routes on just the pockets and we made people only use the pockets for their feet and hands as they went around the route, there was some pretty creative stuff being done with peoples feet as they (at times) struggled to get their toe where they really wanted them to be. In some cases where people found sticking their toe into a hole too hard we let them just use any part of the hold for their feet and the route probably then ends up dropping a couple of grades. Why? Because if you use the entire hold for your feet they end up being massive... this is going to be good on easy routes for beginner climbers that may not have the footwork to be as precise as they should be.




SUGGESTED USES:






We have the mediums and the larges of this new set and one thing is clear, there is always a match to be had on these holds, sometimes easy, sometimes hard... but it's always there somewhere. This makes setting a forced move hard to do, unless you want the move to be from a match... and then lets face it, into another match :) So there's good and bad to the shapes from a setters point of view, one thing the match does give you is the ability to use these holds on steeper walls than you'd expect... roofs are pretty well out unless you're getting into some really crazy matches, mind you we played with them on the roof and then we found you can just about stick them but you're going to be rolling with some pretty strong opposing moves... work your core people if you're going steep or horizontal with these guys.

These holds really come into their own on a shallower angle, something around 30 degrees. At this angle you can work on your pocket strength and not worry about injury too much. Also on the flat walls it's fun to set long wide open moves that force matches and some tricky footwork to work upon your balance and posture as you climb


OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 15 total
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds):
• Medium 1 & 2: $46.80/5= $9.36 each
• Large 1: $67.60 / 5 = $13.52 each
  
• Color: Yellow / Pink / Orange and Green
  
• Bolt placement: Good, sometimes off center because of the shapes
  
• Sanding: Good and flat
  
• Hollow backed: No
  
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
  
• Texture: Rock like and very grippy
  
• Set size: Medium and large
  
• Versatility: Most holds are matchable
  
• Pre-drilled screw holes: No
  
• Shaper: Louie Anderson
• Weight: Medium 1&2: 2.5kg / Large 2: 5kg
  

We have these holds in a number of different colors, all of them neon, from pink / yellow / green and orange. All of them are well colored with no light spots and they're all very bright, except for one of the holds, one of the yellow ones that turned up in a slightly off color, it's more baby yellow than neon yellow.

All of the holds have good sanding and are all super flat and smooth, most of the holds have a little Project logo and well placed bolt holes and inset washers.

On the texture from they're all pretty even, where the grip really comes from is the shaping of the holds and their real rock like appearance and feel. In some cases, especially with the pockets, there is are some that could have a slightly smoother radius to make them slightly nicer on the fingers. The large incut edges have some really nice dimples for your fingers, all of the holds are either matchable, obviously so, but there are a few that will make you look a second time for the sweet areas to grab.

The holds are all solidly built and even the medium have a good weight to them, we've cranked them up tight and have had no problems over the months that we've been looking at them.

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Urethane

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Very good

RATING:
Noodles:
Pockets, pockets, pockets. I have a love-hate relationship with pockets :( Why? Because unless the pocket is outside, or very well designed they're generally a little tweaky on my fingers. I like nice rounded smooth edged pockets, something that allows my fingers to sit nice and flat without and "hot spots" that could cause injury. What we have here with these pockets is something that I think is right in the middle of what I'd like my pockets to be like. The edges are pretty rounded in most cases and most of the pockets have enough space for three fingers without having to stack them... and some of the pockets that are two fingers (thankfully) tend to be on the deeper side. I have to admit I was pretty surprised how much I actually climbed on the pockets before I decided to back off because I could feel the fingers starting to get achy, I was also surprised at how hard we climbed on the pockets (mainly thanks to some interesting setting from Mark).... again I decided to walk away from some moves before I did hurt myself.

The first route we set was just a fail, there's no easier way of saying it. Chris was meant to set a warm up so he just chucked holds around the wall and across the roof and it just didn't work... it was then we started realising that despite being deep coming across a roof, or off of a roof on the pockets (even when they were on a volume up there) wasn't going to be easy or nice to do... mind you I did throw myself at it quite a lot :)
Then Mark set basically a hand foot match on the flat wall that was just burly... it was too strong a move for me so I walked on that one... and then there were lots of in between routes that we didn't film where the sequences were nice and the moves flowed well.

and then...
ah, then I decided to set with just a single pocket for your feet :) Across the flat, onto the side of the wall and then down along the edge to the ground.... that was a highlight for me, watching people swing and try to get their feet up on the hold on the volume. Yup I enjoyed that one, despite the near foot to my face matches I almost took when spotting.

And now the big decision... what do I think about the holds and would I buy them for my home wall? The larger sets because of the slots and the incut that's in them... yup, I think they're an amazing set of holds that despite the matching options on pretty well all of them have a place on a wall. The pockets, well pockets aren't my thing, I enjoyed climbing on them and I liked the simple matching nature of them, but for me with an old finger injury I'd probably skip them... Not that they're bad!! Just because I don't like pockets, I think that they're well designed, easily matchable most of the time (sometimes I didn't even bother using the pocket I just grabbed around them) and are great for feet, it's probably a shame that they are so easily matchable, but I saw them in action at a lead comp just before Xmas and it was fun watching people matching and using them once they've moved past the holds as footholds... they worked well and the setters and climbers enjoyed climbing on them. There's a full on range with bigger volumes coming later this year, so Project has bolstered their line up with a range of pretty unique looking holds.

Now will someone please make some nice pockets?

Chris:
I'm one of those people who like to see holds that mimic real rock. The downside to this is that real rock shapes have the tendency to bite when climbing and the Carbonates are no exception. I've noticed that lately Project holds have quite a bit more grip to them and it adds to the amount of finger pain by the end of the session. Also, the lip of the Carbonates shapes are sharp and painful, especially if you catch one dynamically and lose your footing.

So with these holds freshly in my hands I went on setting and trying to visualize our sequence. The holds are large and forgiving so I figured that making a problem with long moves was an order. I took the good with the bad on this one. I set the first sequence in the video and you can see that the start of the problem was easy enough but it came time to get through the roof, I found out that the holds aren't as forgiving as I thought. I had thought of that while I was setting and put in extra holds to accommodate but it was still a very hard problem. So back to the drawing board for me with these holds ;)

So would I buy these holds? Well on the one hand they are really cool holds with a lot of grip options. The grip options and the fact that the pockets are shallow and not too forgiving made it a little difficult for me to set and force moves. Personally I think that these are really good shapes for anyone. The pockets are made so its very hard to get both hands on and it almost forces you to use the second pocket to match. I say almost because if you're hands are small enough, or you're strong enough, you can attempt to match one pocket. The other more edge like holds (Carbonates L2's in particular) are similar in the fact that there are two ideal hand placements on each hold and the beginner and/or novice climber will be forced to match. For the stronger climber, these are just big shapes to set problems with long moves or burly roof sequences.

Mark:
What can be said about the Project Carbonates? I`d have to say that they are good easy to medium difficulty holds. They aren`t what I would call a jug in a roof but they do hold and the closer to vertical the wall gets; the exponentially better they get as well.

These brightly colored pocket and pinch holds definitely hold the eye, and seem to hold the skin pretty nicely too. In my opinion, they need a fair amount of chalk on them if you are going to be pulling on anything difficult because the pores on them are deep and it`ll burn if you somehow slipped off of them. They`re not too big but still able to be used and gripped in a lot of different manners, keeping the climber and the route setter happy.

We definitely made some fun problems with these, and I have to say that these holds are up to my standards and expectations.

PROS:

• Lots of different pockets
  
• Most holds are easily matchable
• Quite rock like texture
  

CONS:

• No set screw holes
• Pockets are a little tweaky, some of the edges could be rounder