Read review: Metolius Wood Grips Deluxe II.
Our team of avid climbers spent months training on the boards we review to provide in-depth, detailed analysis to help you find the best model for your climbing goals. It has jugs to warm up on, a few slopers, and an excellent progression of edges, which our testers loved. The positioning of its edges is similar, but the depths are far less diverse. Nearly all Training For Climbing type books include a comprehensive fingerboard section. Inevitably, your fingers come into contact with the sides of the pocket and give you more surface area contact and friction, thus slightly increasing holding power and making the holds easier. In general, our testers like pockets and edges that decreased by around 1/4 inch/6-10 mm, especially once they are smaller than approximately 1 inch/25 mm. They would argue that, while subtle, this is somewhat "cheating you" of your power workout. This model offers only three edge depths 38mm, 23mm, and 15mm. In our review, we tried to pick models that would work for the biggest population of climbers interested in a dedicated training board, around 5.10 to mid-5.13. Contrary to what is sometimes popular believed, hangboards are not primarily for pull-ups. We purchased all of these hangboards, and our team of climbers extensively tested them side-by-side. Our editors have also put together a list of the Best Climbing Gear of 2022 if you're looking for a round-up of our favorite products. The 3D Simulator is easily the best hangboard for your money, although a better description might be an incredible board that happens to be exceptionally affordable. , G , , G . The Wood Grips Deluxe has skin-friendly, rounded edges. However, you'll be best served if the rest is all business. Its smaller dimensions help climbers with limited mounting options squeeze it into areas where larger boards would have no hope of fitting. 9 DIFFERENT HOLD OPTIONS Our Climbing Board has numerous options of different widths and depths to train for every ledge, crimp, and pocket you might come across on the wall! This is also good specialty option for folks who find themselves bouldering on a lot of slopers (such as Fontainebleau) or whose projects might be on steep block sport climbs where the training on bad pinches in addition to crimps will produce tangible real-world gains. Resin won't conduct heat as much as wood and thus won't feel as warm to the touch after extended sessions or workouts in hotter spaces. After effectively being able to hang off of all (or nearly all) of the holds on your board, add a little weight (10-20 lbs.) Fingerboard workouts are pretty much like running wind-sprints or powerlifting for your fingers. Folks who are or want to get serious about their training would be better off with a board that offers a better progression of holds from a difficulty perspective. The Iron Palm also has the best pinches of any board we have ever seen. Climb higher, faster, more efficiently, and with more confidence! Technology is improving, though, and manufacturers are trying harder to produce polyurethane models with a smoother texture, with some models now being very similar or equal to wood. Slopers are great for warming up, finishing your workout when your fingertips are trashed, and working on whole-hand strength, but you shouldn't put too much focus on them as this is only a small part of your workout. It fits most budgets and spaces but also provides a great workout, albeit requiring some creativity by the climber. We wore a weight vest to increase power but also to truly decipher differences in texture and friction. We like the Trango Rock Prodigy for its variety of holds of different difficulties, providing great warm-up options as well as very challenging edges, and plenty of hold in between. We also like when edges are slightly rounded at the entrance because it is generally a less harsh feeling on your finger pads. The most recent Simulator makes enormous strides in overall ergonomics while offering a more well-thought-out progression of edges and grips. This model's smallest edge is 19mm, which is pretty small. The Yes4All board had two full sets of very similar pockets at 10mm and 12mm deep. Polyurethane also polishes slightly quicker after repeated use compared to polyester resin, which is an interesting note because it is otherwise more durable when it comes to resisting chipping or cracking. G . Using less than 4-fingers is another easy way to increase the load your fingers are taking to increase strength, though this needs to be worked up to. Because it's a great choice for stronger climbers, conversely, it isn't the best for folks who aren't already climbing in the mid-5.12 range. Their board offers various pockets and edges that are the most systematic in its progression of difficulty of any board we tested. Hangboards vary wildly in size, dimensions, and mounting patterns. We'll let you be the judge there. Best progression of holds for strength-training, Straight-across 1/4" edge is hard on fingertips. The Rock Prodigy is also a more substantial investment than many of the other options we tested. However, 20 minutes into a fingerboard workout and those same slopers can cause annihilating forearm fatigue. Most training regimes involve 5-8 hangs for 7-10 seconds and then a 3-4 minute rests, equaling one set. ! While atypical in shape, these jugs are still great for warming up or weighted pull-ups. With excellent hold options and a texture incomparable to resin-based options, the Wood Grips Deluxe II is by and far our favorite wooden board on the market. These workouts are short but should be intense. Even though they are mostly in the middle of the board, this model has a reasonable selection of grips for its size. Adding resistance, similar to power-weightlifting, will boost your top-end finger and crimp strength. Its two huge balls at the top two corners are the first thing you'll notice on this model. What space you have in your apartment, house, or dwelling to mount your hangboard could be the number one factor influencing your purchase. They are often a normal hold that you can engage your thumb. They are for building finger strength, which requires a good progression of holds that are challenging for their user. Polyester resin is the material that many climbing holds are made of. It has the potential to help many aspects of your climbing, from pushing harder grades to giving you more confidence while you fiddle in gear or for that long, all-day route with a cruxy last pitch. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. We found its texture to be very similar to Metolius, and its smaller-than-average size makes it easy to find a place to mount. Ian's passion for detail and thorough enjoyment of the training-for-climbing process helps him convey each board's pros and cons and analyze their benefits for certain types of users, from budding climbers to hard-sending veterans. Despite how many folks you might see cranking off pull-ups off a fingerboard, this is hardly its primary purpose. This amount is subject to change until you make payment. Mainly, it has fewer holds. If you are consistently sending harder, we'd likely recommend a more challenging board. While we tend to think of fingerboard training taking place on flat-topped edges, our minds were opened by these softball-shaped holds. The board also has a nice progression of edges, but we wish it had one slightly smaller edge to increase its difficulty. As the largest model we tested, the wide design encourages good ergonomics, making it more shoulder and elbow-friendly than narrower models. We are fine with both but slightly prefer having individual pockets to train as they tend to help inspire progression and motivation. The Metolius 3D Simulator offers one of the better progressions of edges of any model in our review. If the most convenient place to mount this board happens to be in a prominent location in your home, you can take solace in the fact that it's far from an eyesore; we think most people can appreciate the aesthetic nature of this board. Fingerboards are awesome training tools that take very little time to get an extremely productive workout right without even having to leave your home. For a few more dollars, you can make it less of an eyesore with plywood that has one side finished (or you can finish it yourself). For the most part, when considering different models, the difficulty range starts pretty high, and there are no truly "easy" boards. While wooden boards tend to be more limited in their hold selection, their flat edges and pockets provide plenty to work with. Metolius and Atomik recently released a line of climbing holds made of polyurethane, but as of now, their fingerboards are still resin. Seem crazy? Options abound, but few are as in-depth as the Rock Climbers Training Manual by Mark and Mike Anderson. A variety of holds helps to keep training a little more diverse and interesting. For example, wood boards rarely have pinches or anything other than a linear ramp for a sloper. Our wooden hang board can be mounted over a doorway and is perfect for training in winter months when you cant get outside. AT HOME & OFF-SEASON TRAINING Consistency is key to success. This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available. The Iron Palm has no traditional pockets, but the benefit of its four long edges is that it can make 1, 2, or 3-finger groups feel more difficult since you can't "cheat" by using friction on the sides of a stand-alone pocket. Wood is also a good choice for climbers who have to mount their board in a common area for no other reason than it looks nicer hanging on your wall. Polyurethane breaks down quicker than resin when exposed to weather and is thus a poor choice for a board that will be mounted outside. Privacy | Cookies | Terms, We tested climbing hangboards from Metolius, So iLL, Trango, and more to find the best products for your training needs. For those looking for a pinch-specific board, it is pretty tough to beat the So iLL Iron Palm. Plus, the "easier" the holds feel, the longer you can hang on. Simultaneously, this means mounting options may be more limited, but we found it can still fit above most doorways with average height ceilings (7.5-8ft). . Hangboard training is an easy way to finger power with just a little bit of time every week but it is easy to overdo so be careful. This model only has three edges, 15mm, 23mm, and 38mm, which basically equates to two training edges and one warm-up edge. For strong climbers looking to take their climbing to the next level, we highly recommend the fully-featured and burly Atomik Yaniro Power. At only 4.2-inches tall, this model can squeeze above basement doorways or other places that most other training boards wouldn't even be a consideration. While they don't do a ton for making your fingers stronger, they are key for warming up, working on lock-offs (don't underestimate the benefits of these), or just cranking out pull-ups, weighted, assisted, or straight-up. Our testers also love its two-part design that allows you to mount the two halves the perfect distance apart to match your body size and shape. Got feedback? Pockets are great because they force you (or provide the opportunity) to isolate one, two, or three fingers on your board. All of these boards were tested by a motivated crew of strong climbers who are into training, to say the least. Here the Metolius Wood Grips Compact II barely fits above a standard height doorway with a 7-foot ceiling. If it's too easy, try hanging with just one hand for a power boost, or by hanging a weight off your harness or wearing a 15-lb backpack. They are designed to be nice depths for 5.10-5.11 climbers, but overall we didn't think this model offered as good a progression of difficulty as most other models, even more-priced focused ones. At this stage in your climbing, you'll get more benefits from just continuing to climb rather than adding fingerboard work to your training. For example, an intermediate climber won't get nearly as much out of a burly board, like the Atomik Yaniro Power, as something like the Metolius 3D Simulator, which is a more intermediate board. Unlike with wood, you can use as much chalk as you'd like on resin, though it's still not a bad idea to clean it now and again. It's important to note that this type of training will greatly increase your finger power and, to a lesser extent, your contact strength (ability to latch onto a hold dynamically), both of which will enable you to hang onto progressively smaller holds. The Metolius Wood Grips Deluxe II is our favorite all-around wooden model and is a fantastic addition to almost any climber's home training plan. It basically offers the jugs, slopers, and for what most people will be a warm-up edge, and then two very similar depths (10mm and 12.5mm), which is too small for all but the most elite climbers to use anything but the four-finger edges. Great price, especially for a wooden board, Takes creativity to keep workouts interesting, Limited to two training" edges and one warm-up edge. It also doesn't offer a good progression of holds compared to most of the other models we tested. A bigger board typically means more holds, but don't underestimate how effective a compact board can still be if your space is limited. Don't let its lower price tag fool you; this board has what most climbers need to make progress and push to the next climbing grade. We think the Wood Grips Deluxe is perfect for folks who might redpoint from the mid 5.11 to the harder 5.12 range and will even still work for 5.13a. From 4-Finger Pockets to 1-Finger Pockets; from 0.60 inches deep to 1.58 inches deep; new and experienced climbers will benefit from the variety of holds our board provides. The Trango Rock Prodigy is designed by well-known climbing coaches Michael and Mark Anderson, authors of the famed book The Rock Climber's Training Manual. Based in the damp and rainy Pacific Northwest, he is forced to turn to the climbing gym and his collection of hangboards to stay strong during the wettest seasons. A good start can be looking for a board that you can already hang onto around 1/3-1/2 of the boards holds with two hands. How can we improve GearLab? Still, if you're stoked to get the best training tool out there, the Trango Rock Prodigy is our top recommendation, and we think the price is well worth the payout. Though it's far from the best board we tested, for those considering getting a hangboard but might not be willing to spend a lot of money on a tool they are unsure they'll even use, its low expense makes it a good option. The Metolius Wood Grips Compact II offers one of the best combinations of holds and textures relative to its dimensions and price. . GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. This allows you to easily adapt your workout to be more difficult as your grip strength improves. Here you see the hollow backside of this model, which helps make it lighter overall. It's also worth remembering that most of the slopers featured on models we tested don't feel too crushing on their own. Like polyester resin, polyurethane is also harsher on your skin than wood. The texture of this model, and all other wooden boards from Metolius, is our favorite, balancing a smooth feel without becoming too slick. This board has multiple grip points of various depths to simulate ledges, crimps, and pockets youd find at the climbing gym or on an outdoor route. The relatively low number of holds and their respective depths is this model's primary downside. Consider doing more one-armed hangs as you continue to progress, or one arm with a little assistance with your second hand lightly hanging onto a nearby sling or large hold. . This board's unique slopers and pinch grips are great for fine-tuning these specific skills, keeping workouts interesting, and building whole-hand strength. This couldn't be exemplified more than Yuji Hirayama, who trained for his Nose speed record attempt by climbing an approximately fifteen-move V14 boulder problem on repeat. Like edges, having a solid progression of pocket pairings is more important than some flashy pinches or jugs, as they will facilitate a better workout in general. We pick the best rock climbing shoes for bouldering We've weeded through dozens of climbing shoes to select to We tested 11 of the best ropes available on the market Best Climbing Harnesses for Women of 2022. Its two sets of pinches can be used separately or mixed to create three different sizes to help you squeeze juice from the rock. Every rep doesn't have to be super severe, but it should rarely be easy, and most of the time, it should be a battle to hang on. The Iron Palm is made of urethane, which is quite strong and can make versatile shapes. This board also offers among the largest selection of grips of any model in our review, including several holds designed to be used in multiple ways. We found the dimensions to be elbow and shoulder-friendly, as this board slightly wider than average. . Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. The Metolius 3D Simulator is mega-popular and with good reason. Something went wrong. It also offers one of the most ergonomic designs that encourages good form while reducing stress in your elbows and shoulders. After just a few weeks with a good training plan, the gains you can achieve are quite impressive. While it's nice to have all sorts of pockets to inspire you, it's always worth remembering that it is okay to put 3-fingers in a 4-finger pocket. Stronger climbers might long for some slightly smaller edges (the smallest edge is 19mm). It's hard to find a better way to target pure finger strength than a hangboard. The Simulator offers a plethora of edges and pockets that provide one of the better progressions of grips from a difficulty perspective of any of the models we tested. Rebecca Schroeder crimps on the Metolius Prime Rib. The systematic layout, wide selection of grips, and variable mounting positions all make this board a personal training center that is truly customizable to your ability and training regime. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. , . After our in-depth testing, we have recommendations for hangboards for specific training regimes and ability levels. Such as is the case with the Metolius Wood Grips Deluxe II. Lastly, in warm climates or hot attics, wood will hang onto heat a lot longer than resin resulting in potentially poorer friction or a warmer feeling workout. If your finger grips seem too difficult, consider two sets of three fingers. Sign up to see our latest collections, exclusive offers & get 10% Off, .css-1aoj542{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;min-width:0;font-family:"sofia-pro", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", sans-serif;font-weight:400;line-height:1.4;font-size:0.875rem;font-size:0.875rem;}@media screen and (min-width:32em){.css-1aoj542{font-size:1rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:32em){.css-1aoj542{font-size:0.875rem;}}Made in Venice, CA & powered by .css-7bfwh6{box-sizing:border-box;margin:0;min-width:0;max-width:100%;height:auto;height:12px;display:block;}@media screen and (min-width:32em){.css-7bfwh6{display:inline;}}, Get A Lifetime Subscription To Rosetta Stone And StackSkills Unlimited For 90% Off. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. The difference in texture has also decreased, and while wood is still superior, it isn't near as big of a gap as it was five or six years ago. While you can easily put 3 fingers on a four-finger edge and there are advantages of this, having true pockets that are shaped appropriately can help reduce the chance of injury and straight-up inspire you to try the harder holds on your board. When will I get my refund for an entire order that is cancelled.
, [] , . Don't be afraid of the smallest-looking edges. Overall, we found the three edge options found them shockingly functional. There are plenty of great videos of suggested workout regimens available for free online. Luckily for you, our teams of experts have put in the grunt work to test the best gear on the market. We have in-depth reviews covering essentials like ropes and harnesses, crash pads for bouldering, and climbing packs for your next alpine adventure. At less than 5-inches tall, it will fit above doorwards where few if any other models have a chance of fitting. Each member of our review team thoroughly tested each model and compared them in five categories. Wood is lower weight than resin, and while this makes mounting easier, once your board is up, this doesn't really matter. A compact board can still be very beneficial with an open mind and the drive to suffer on it if that is all you have room for. This training board is perfect for days your climbing gym is closed, or the months where its too cold to climb outside. and start with some of your board's larger grips before progressively working down in the hold size again. It's a good idea to do some weighted sessions with two hands before committing to one-armed hangs on smaller holds because it will surprise you how much more difficult this is. While wood still garners the favor of many climbers, polyester resin and polyurethane continue to get better and better. Hangboards are built for enhancing finger power and maximizing crimping and grip strength. The fact that polyester resin boards are heavier isn't a big deal except during the moment when you are mounting it overhead. You can use 1-3 fingers on a broad edge to simulate a pocket, too. The Trango Rock Prodigy has one of the largest arrays of holds on the market, several of which offer numerous uses for each edge. Training while hanging from two fingers, index and middle, middle and ring, and ring and pinky. SUPERIOR GRIP STRENGTH A strong grip is such an important aspect of your rock climbing! If you are looking to boost finger strength and start building tendons of steel, we'll help you find the perfect hangboard to reach your climbing goals. It can be inspiring to have specific pockets, pinches, or other interesting grips. Resin boards tend to feature more interesting slopers and cool arrays of pinches and rounded edges. If you have limited space, then no model offers as much training prowess for its given dimensions as the Metolius Prime Rib. . We think this is true even if you share your home board with five or more roommates, with the main "wearing out" quickly issue more of a problem for climbing gyms.