Review > StickyRock.com > 15 Incut Pinch Set

Lets get this one out quickly; yes there is a Synrock logo but these holds are from StickyRock whose website isn't ready yet. But you know Synrock, that's owned by Mr Jim Bowers and this is his new company... we've reviewed his holds many many times and sometimes the reviews are good sometimes and this is way in the past, way way in the past before he perfected his products they have been so-so

Now we'll say this is a different company and a different type of product that's has similar design calls to his older products but at the same time its different... so lets get rolling and see what we're talking about

A 15 incut pinches, fairly normal.... bolt hole in the middle and you know you bolt them to a wall and away you go; again nothing strange going on here. It seems that this is just a normal set of climbing holds, pretty much the same as what Jim has made before, but if you assumed that then you'd be wrong. Very wrong; lets take a closer look:

Do you see it?

No neither do we! Apparently these holds are carbon-ceramic composite which makes them stronger, no we don't understand it either... Chris was the first one to call BS on that so we did some research and you can buy this stuff easily and cheaply to add to pretty much anything that you can mix it into. We wonder at what made StickyRock think about even trying this...

But it is a new mix and it is better than what has come before. So lets talk about the holds themselves...

Like anything Synrock / Petrogrips that came before these holds when you touch them on a wall (we have one here) they actually feel cooler then the other holds you have, we'd say probably around 5 degrees cooler and they do feel like rock, in-fact the texture of these holds is probably the most sandstone like texture out there; which means your skin doesn't get nailed as much as you'd think it would which is a huge plus

Let look at something else...

This new mix for StickyRock is actually stronger than before, this is also true, Jim's holds in the past had to be handled like a prized religious relic because if you dropped them they would chip quite badly. These holds don't! They're actually really really strong
They're so good that they don't even seem to take chalk or rubber, and Noodles points this out in the review video, its actually surprising how much some of the footholds got used and didn't actually take rubber. Lets put this into context, we (everyone that climbs here) uses old and new shoes, both are likely for one reason or another, will leave a rubber smear on footholds... 2 months in these holds have barely any rubber deposits... so little it deserves a picture!

Yes that's an actual hold that was used on a wall for two months as a foot on many many routes and the rubber build up is so minimal it's surprising considering the grip that they actually give when you're bearing weight onto them

So lets look at chalk build up; this is one of the start holds that was on the wall for the same amount of time and WAS NEVER BRUSHED

Again this is an actual hold from a real World test! That is the right hand start hold where everyone has chalked up before they hit the route... yup lets face it it is pretty phenomenal!

Before we continue you should watch this video with (fat) Noodles (it was after Xmas) talks about the holds

VIDEO

Now you've watched that lets talk about the route and a few more things;

1. This route is almost the same as a route that Noodles want's to repeat from way back when on some E-Grips holds. These holds were the perfect training aid to work the moves again before trying that route again... bare in mind that the E-Grips are 1/3rd the depth of these holds
2. We made sure that the holds were used in many other routes and were never brushed by anyone because we really wanted to see how this new composite mix fared up against normal plasitc
3. We never had to re-tighten these holds, despite the lack of set screw hole
4. We'll talk about 3 below in our comments and overall build
5. We did throw these holds around and used them at a comp and they came back looking like new, a few scuffs but no chips

It seems that Jim has actually found a mix that will work within a commercial setting and we're happy for him... we've given him some grief over the years and each time he has come back with a better product time and time again. This of course comes with some caveat's that we'll address in our comments below 

We did exactly the same testing we'd normally do for any holds and then more because we're horrible people :) and we can't complain, we will, but you know what, these holds are great, they're better than expected, sure they don't look as polished as other companies offerings but they do the job and they do it well. Probably better than some stuff from some big companies and that's what pains us a little

Jim, genius that he is, doesn't do holds, Jim does Jim and the holds are the result. IF he shaped something like the Artline Fonts... HELL any font series with this texture, with this mixture then they would be the best Font shapes on the planet because other than actual rock these are the best feeling sandstone holds around. Sure they'd be heavy, sure they may scuff up a little but you'd forgive that because of the way that they felt when you climbed on them

That is one thing that we're certain of; we buy holds and train on holds because of the feel. Look at the wall in Noodles office, it's StickyRock, some Teknik and Wataaah holds; nothing else makes the grade for what he wants to do right now and that says a lot. When you buy holds you should ask a setter or a reviewer what they have on their wall because they will always "these holds" but they'll always be able to tell you why they have those holds... what you want to see if what they've brought and thrown away or don't use, that bucket of holds tells a story and that story is what to not buy! People have come past the wall and talked to us online looking for something cheap and cheerful for their wall our answer of late has been this new mix and shapes from StickyRock

Let's wrap up this part; StickyRock are a little heavy but if I had a home wall then I'd buy them because of the price...

Oh yeah... the price

Cheap

Very cheap; these holds are $14 for 15 holds including bolts

Yup cheap, durable and shipping is $6 in a flat rate box across the US

You will have to try very hard to beat that price

SUGGESTED USES:

These holds will go to 30 degrees with ease and to 45 if you're feeling super strong, considering these holds are mainly incut squares then you have many options if you spin the holds around a little

OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds: 15
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Bolt
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds): $14 / 15 = 0.93 cents per hold
• Color: Light pink
• Bolt placement: Middle
• Sanding: Ok
• Hollow backed: No
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
• Texture: Sandstone
• Set size: Small
• Versatility: Good
• Pre-drilled screw holes: No
• Shaper: Jim Bowers
• Weight: TBC
• Where can you get them: http://stickyrock.com/ 

These holds have great texture that's what they have in spades, these holds are probably the best feeling real rock holds currently on the market. Not because of their shaping but because of the material that they're made from. As we speak about in our comments these shapes are very simple, they're four sided squares with various degrees of incut edges... they're simple but most small shapes generally end up being like that... NOW if we dream a little... if this material was poured or shaped into something that most people consider a climbing hold, not that these aren't holds, but something with more "form" to it like for instance The Boss from Pusher then, well wow, they'd be heavy but they would be just amazing. The grip and texture would be second to none, because these holds have a positive texture where most other holds have a negative texture, it's different for sure and it would yield some crazy feeling holds... like FONT holds

The addition of a set screw on larger shapes (and the smaller ones) from StickyRock is something that would be welcomed for sure, we never had a hold (of any size) spin but they could probably do with it in the end. The reason that these holds don't spin is because they don't seem to expand or contract like urethane (urethane creeps over time) or resin with temperature changes. The other reason that these holds don't spin is because they are super stiff and they transfer all of the force from the bolt to the wall. (We mention the set screw because we do have some larger shapes on the wall for a later review)

They are cool to the touch no matter the weather (if we take into account the "old" mix then those holds never span either).. sanding is minimal which gives a slight recess to the back of the holds so this also explains why they don't spin, because they "suck" into the wall a little

Weight is also an issue, these holds are heavy for their size; but again ceramic composite is always going to be heavy... think old skool resin holds and that's pretty much what you're looking at weight wise. Of course these holds couldn't have been hollow backed because they're too small but larger shapes made from the same material could probably do with some 

On the color front, the website doesn't show this, but there are color options available. You'll never get a color matched green to what is the industry standard but you can get most basic colors if you ask for it, the one color that will always match is white. People that have brought these holds for gym use generally use just StickRock holds for routes and they don't mix between ceramic and plastic because they feel so different

You get what you pay for and you're paying very little for these holds, they're functional and they climb very well. We have some of the larger sets and it's the same story... they're very good if a little simple... basic is good most of the time

If you order six boxes of holds that come in the flat rate USPS boxes then there is a discount

Will Jim every make a set of Font holds with this mix? We don't know, but we hope so!

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
Carbon-ceramic composite

PACKING / SHIPPING:
USPS Flat rate box crammed full of holds

RATING:
Noodles:
Let me talk about "Number 3" from above quickly.
We, I, Us, have spent so many years harping on about set screw holes and adding set screw holes to holds in every review, currently with this set of holds it's like an elephant in the room and he's drunk :(

All holds need pre-drilled set screw holes whether they need them or not, in our test case we heated the room, opened the balcony door when it was -25 outside for hours to see what would happen. These holds didn't spin

NOW

These holds if they were ever to be used in a commercial setting NEED set screw holes, they need to have a screw... not because they necessarily need them but because the insurance of the gym owners need it because that's what their policy says. A spinner where someone gets hurt means that they could pursue legal action...people sue people, people are stupid... if the hold has a set screw and cannot spin then you don't have a problem

I don't want to let Jim and StickyRock off lightly, but man I love these holds! They're simple, they're clean and sure they could do with some TLC but they work and when I look away from the weight of them and look at the cost I can't complain

But I will, it's what I'm not paid for :)

We said it above but I'd like to reinforce what we said, these holds are the best we've seen from Jim... he's getting better and better... now if he sat down and sculpted a set of Font / Sandstone holds that "looked" like the other holds available on the market but used this material then you'd find me climbing to the highest point locally and you'd hear me scream about it... (you'd probably see that here as well)

I'm incredibly proud of these holds, not because of what we've said in past reviews about Jims products, and not because what we've said about other products but because Jim has read everything we've said and just ignored it and he'll continue to ignore it because Jim is Jim, Synrock is Synrock and StickyRock will be StickyRock

I can and will complain until the cows come home about weight and all the other stuff but Jim is going to ignore me and Jim will continue doing what he does

He makes functional holds that are cheap and now it seems are strong... oh yeah and you can get them in colors.

I like em and I love Jim

Chris:
Right; I've seen Noodles break old holds with his hands, I've seen him throw boxes in videos out of windows, I've seen him to terrible terrible things to holds. Did I ever think that I'd see the day when he said he liked these holds?

No sir I did not!

In the past, way back when, I remember a video clip that was never shown where he called some of Jim's old holds a "disco penis and vagina"... yup I have the clip, I've also seen him break some of Jims holds that were cracked with his hands.

That was a long long time ago and times have moved on!

These holds remind me of HP40 (google it if you don't know) and I know that the texture reminds Noodles of Southern Sandstone in the UK, these holds despite their I'll call it... lack of form are great. We're all used to urethane out of the mold shapes and StickyRock is something that is simple, a little rough (and they're getting more refined it seems) around the edges but they do climb really well

I'll echo Noodles where if this mix was actually poured out of a mold like some big companies (and these do come out of a mold) like say Kilter, if Ian Powell shaped a hold and poured it with this mix then you know it'd be an amazing holds and I guess that's what we're trying to get at.... these holds are the best we've seen from Jim and StickyRock, they are recommended for all home wall owners whether they are on a budget or not because they're good holds and if the rest of the lines are anything like this then hats off, great job, these holds are cheap and are stronger than before and THEY CLIMB REALLY WELL

But, if you poured this mix into a mold from again the Kilter Sandstone line they you'd have the best sandstone holds on the market. You'd have the set screw hole and you'd have all the bells and whistles you'd want but with a little more weight but we'd let that slide... you'd have some of the best feeling holds on the planet

Jim will probably get around to this

Imagine the Teknik NKR1 with this feel and coolness to the touch, our minds, my mind runs amok that's for sure

If I had a home wall then my base before I brought anything else would be this companys holds because of price

And no we're not going soft, they still need refinement and they need a set screw hole... what we're saying is that there is potential here... more than we'd even have considered before. Jim / StickyRock / Petrogrips (we have a long memory) / Synrock, whatever you want to call yourself  these holds are great!

PROS:

• Price
• Ship in a flat rate USPS box to keep cost down
• Bolts included, not extra
• Don't take on rubber residue or chalk

CONS:

• Weight
• Basic colors only
• This new material really calls for some Font style holds... 

Review > Binary Climbing Holds > True Grit 1 & 2 and Almost Triangle

It's pretty unusual that a climbing hold company flies under our radar! Binary is one such company that for some reason we missed until someone who was stoked on their products brought them to our attention... they managed to get away with almost 2 years of hold making before we got some of their shapes and started to do what we do...

And you know what we do :)

We have three sets for you this time True Grit 1 & 2 and Almost Triangles

The True Grit's are part of the Grit Series that Binary Holds produces and the Almost Triangles are part of the Waves series...

Review > Metolius Climbing > Mixed Bag Review (Basic Pockets / Morphology / Rimple and Splines)

Last time we looked at Metolius climbing holds it was because they had released a new line of urethane holds. Where they were one of the innovators of things to bolt onto walls they were soon surpassed by new materials that was better than their resin offerings.

Controversial statement?

Probably! Actually a fact the industry did leave them behind for a great number of years but now they produce urethane and resin

Resin DOES have a place in the market because it lasts a long time and if you don't throw your holds onto a hard surface then they do basically outlast urethane. But Metolius did shape a new line of climbing holds that we looked at (you can read that review: here) last time we looked at Orbs. Cobbles, New Wave, Mud and the Sunspots... not the full ranges but a sample offering of what they had at the time. This time it's pretty much the same, except we're kicking it with some Basic Pockets, Morphology, some Splines and a Rimple volume

As usual there is going to be a bunch of information, so lets get kicking with the holds, actually lets do two things.. lets look at the holds and look at Metolius' own walk through on some of these holds :)

Metolius Climbing Basic Pockets

Metolius Climbing Splines

Metolius Climbing Morphology

Metolius Climbing Rimples

Metolius Mini Tech Feet

loop

Driftless

Scout and BAv logos

Social Media Icons

Review > Plastick > Bananas

AHA! Another Canadian company that you've not heard of; we do love getting holds from new people and showing them to the World

You may not have heard about Plastick because they're small, but you might have heard of the guy who shapes, pours and mails out these holds to his customers... his name is Seb Lazure and he's a pretty good climber... you know he climbs for the Canadian team, generally places on the podium at most of the competitions he enters... boulders double digit problems, is sponsored by 5.10 and Organic and when he's not kicking peoples ass' in comps he makes some holds

He's also super humble and a great person all round...

So holds; that's what we're here for right? We have two sets for you this time, both of them are screw ons and they're very minion like...

BANANA!

Review > Citrus Holds > Oysters

So when there's a presidential election the exchange rates generally go a little crazy; importing holds from another country is generally expensive but when you have a small handed buffoon and someone who claims to not know how to use email properly in a race for the big red nuclear button then things get a little weird

Where were we going with this?

Ah yes; the exchange rates (elections aside) are sometimes in your favor but most of the time they're not and when they're really not then you tend to shop in your own country.

Citrus is a new company that's actually not far away from where we hide in Canada and when we saw these holds... and the price we couldn't resist asking to review some.

Lets check out the Oysters:

Firstly we'll point out that Citrus really should add some better pictures of these holds on to their website thankfully Noodles is a shutter bug and he took some photos when the holds arrived:

Binary and vertex

Binary and vertex

Review > Motavation Volumes > Teton S & Eldo S

We have history with Motavation Volumes.. we go waaaay back from when they started making wooden volumes! It doesn't mean we're not going to be our usual selves BUT if you want to see where they started and where they are now we suggest that you look at our older reviews:

Small and medium GEN 1 volumes: here
Waylon and Billy's: here
James and Pele: here

So that's starting back in 2009; that's a bunch of reviews on a company that started out small (two car garage) and has now grown to a 8,300 sqft facility that now boasts a C'N'C machine and probably air conditioning. They've sponsored World Cups and now they've added some more stuff to their already great line up which we'll get into later

Lets talk about what we're reviewing:

Two volumes that are a little bit different, Motavation have upped the game again by adding aluminum bracing to the insides; that's what makes these completely different from anything else on the market. Yes bracing will add some weight but it will also add a huge amount of strength to a shape

Now we've never had a problem with Motavations shapes; we have the original gen 1 shapes that apart from a few t nuts that have had to be replaced because they had become cross threaded over time have performed well. That's the same for anything that we've received over the years, before the bracing was added; they're all still on the wall and they're all still going strong. Even the one we parked (did wheel spins on) a jeep on top of way back when

So what was the point in adding aluminum bracing when their design was already super strong?

Well the market advances and lets face it even if their design was completely bombproof there could be an issue over time (we've not found one yet) so if you add bracing to an already solid design you're going to have a volume that's going to last something close to ten years and then that means apart from the initial cost of buying them you're probably going to save money.... you don't need to replace your volumes!! Lets put this into context; we have screwed screw ons onto these volumes time and again, and we're talking the older ones not just the newer ones here, and they're still solid. Our 2009 volumes (apart from holes as they were bare wood) are still going strong; that's 7 years so far, they only need 3 more to make 10... that's quality

Wood is good!

So what did we do with these guys? Apart from pressure washing them clean?

Roof's; check
Using the textured and un-textured versions as holds: check
Threw them from a great height to a concrete floor (didn't mean to do this): check
Mashed holds into the t-nuts like we didn't know how to use an impact driver: check
Put them on and off the wall just we wanted to see how the screw placements were: check
Park a truck on top of them: Nope; we don't have a truck anymore :(

We did everything reasonable and pretty unreasonable to these volumes; of course we set with them on multiple routes and we did horrible things to them and they came out like new. Even the pressure washer where we thought we'd get some water into the wood and could create an issue failed.... FYI: these holds are painted BEFORE t nuts are added to the wood is sealed and they're not just painted on the outside, they're painted on the inside as well.

Everything we tried failed; like Noodles says hats off to Jared and his team

Next time we want pink volumes :)

SUGGESTED USES:








These are screw on volumes so put them where you want them; sure we'd like to see some more set screw placements on them because they are pretty big and a little heavy; but they add variety to any wall, choose a color, choose if you want texture and away you go!!

We've used them, abused them and we ABUSED them and they're of the highest build quality, hell we ever pressure washed them and they came out brand new after six weeks on the wall.

OVERALL BUILD

• Number of holds:
• Teton S: 1
• Eldo S: 1
• Type (Bolt / Screw Ons): Screw on basically wooden features
• Price per hold (set price divided by number of holds):
• Teton S: $190 USD
• Eldo S: $195 USD
• Color: You can choose; 
• Bolt placement: None
• Sanding: Great
• Hollow backed: Yes
• Soft back (Rubber backed): No
• Texture: We have one that's slick and one that's textured
• Set size: They're S lol, but they do things bigger in Texas
• Teton S: 45in x 12in x 5.57in 
• Eldo S: 43.5in x 11.5in x 5in
• Versatility: Great
• Pre-drilled screw holes: Yes
• Shaper: Jared Stains
• Weight:
• Teton S: 8lbs
• Eldo S: 7lbs
• Where can you get them: here

Jared, the owner, told us from the start of this review that there were two flaws with the volumes... so we searched and we searched and found nothing except for the lack of set screw holes; we'd like more of them for sure because of the weight of the volume... and then you add holds, you see what we mean

There are 12 color options that are available and of course if you wanted you could have them "naked" or you could have them with textured or un-textured paint (that option isn't available on the website but as we have both we assume that you can order it

The difference between the two volumes price-wise is $5 USD and the difference is the cheaper one is larger (really?) but lacks on t-nuts (11 to the Eldo's 12) but has a slightly longer piece of bracing. It's really confusing why there is a price difference at all :(

T-Nut placement is good with the Eldo having a couple of placements that will only take smaller holds on the front of the volume due to where they are. All of the t-nuts are screwed in with three screws and are solid

Sanding as per usual is great, and it's something you'd notice on a volume where it's just screwed onto the wall because you'd have to really hammer the screws in to get it to sit flush (the joys of wood being flexible), thankfully all the screw holes are reinforced so you can really hit the volumes hard to get the screws to sit in properly

We'd of course like to see a placement for a bolt hole as an option for some of the volumes from their lineup because the larger (and the make massive volumes) really need it more as a back up than anything else

On the texture front the slick version is slick, depending upon the angle you "can" get a hand on it and make a move BUT it really depends upon the angle. It's not DRCC slick but its really close. The textured version has enough bite for you to grab onto and haul, but it does get a little chalked up and does need brushing. Both textures come up squeeky clean after you wash them!

Both volumes are braced with aluminum which is screwed into the plywood from the rear, this adds some weight but the strength is there for sure. All of the pieces are cut to length with no sharp edges (same for the volumes the edges are so nice) and they're all put together super well; these are probably the best built wooden volumes on the market right now

TEXAS STYLE: The logo is burnt into the wood on the volume

WHAT ARE THEY MADE FROM:
10 ply plywood with aluminum bracing

PACKING / SHIPPING:
Bombproof

RATING:
Noodles:

Right let me get this one out of the way quickly... every volume that Motavation sells they work with an organisation to plant a tree! Now that's pretty impressive and a great way to give back to the Earth for sure... I'm guessing that they give away their wood shavings to people that add it to their compost (Jared: you can thank me for that one later)

We sort of tried everything that we'd done before with these volumes and then did a bit more to see what else abuse they could take and they took everything we threw at them well, even hitting the floor from 20ft up just left a couple of scuff marks that were barely noticeable

Let me get all teary eyed for a second

It's great to see a company that we have seen grow up first hand, there are many that we've been a small part of over the years and this is one of them... from sending me shirts that were the size of flags to volumes these guys have always been super great to talk to and to work with, Even with this review (which took the amount of time for a baby (yes a proper human baby)) to be born to complete because of injury, vacations and mainly for me as the head of CHR... work and deadlines they took it in their stride and were always funny and gracious to us... they are true gentlemen of the industry

Also... elsewhere on the interwebz; someone poked fun at us a while back about "writing nothing but good things"; we tried to rip Motavation a new one, we really did but apart from wanting more set screws and maybe a bolt hole (which we've been honest about), some bolt holes being close to the edge and a few other minor gripes there's nothing wrong with these volumes.

We tried we really did; we've been critical and we count these guys as one of our friends, we talk on the phone, we chew the fat about the industry and we have a great relationship; so much so that if we did find fault and pointed it out that they'd except it, learn from it and would grow

Maybe we're getting to a point (ha) where there just isn't anything to point out anymore... hahahha roll on the next review. These volumes are the bomb and will last ten years or Chris will eat one of my hats

Chris:
Noodles actually suggested buying a truck or just throwing these into the street to get them hit by a car as part of our testing... we also didn't have access to a shotgun which was a genuine shame.

I'll shadow Noodles thoughts; we don't hold our thoughts back, never have done and never will. We pride ourselves on just saying what needs to be said; whats the worse that could happen? Get sued? Happened! Won't have people send us holds? Happened! We have to buy holds... we did that at the start and we'll do it again :)

Now lets talk 10 ply, I say it's 12 ply Russian but we had an argument about that that lasted a few days... volumes

I want more set screws if that is the only means of attaching them to the wall! Even though the holds had been on the wall when the walk through had been done I really wanted more points of contact for sure; safety first! Every volume we'd ever reviewed from Motavation before now always had a bolt (apart from maybe one very small volume) and they were bomb proof, but loading these holds up with holds and then bouncing on them right in the middle you could tell that three screws wasn't enough... and it's not!

My main problem is set screws and the lack of them, but the bracing is a thing of beauty.. well made and it fits into the volume nicely. There are more screws holding in the bracing than t-nuts lol
If you do need to add extra set screw holes (and we added some more) then you might need to drill through the bracing which takes a proper drill-bit (not a wood bit people) and a little time but I feel it's worth it. I like that the set screw holes are reinforced so you never really have to worry about their placement once the volume is on the wall

These volumes are probably a little pricey (remember we're in Canada) and the exchange rate is against us as per usual... but considering we have their early volumes and they're just glued together and are still fine I wonder how long these will actually last.... time will tell

PROS:

• Aluminium bracing makes them super strong
• Screw in t-nuts are super strong
• These will last a long time... for sure

CONS:

• Could be expensive with exchange rate
• Needs more set screw holes
• Why the price difference between two volumes that are about the same size
• You'll have to contact them for textured vs non textured options