Kilter Grips Sandstone Series

Sandstone series from Kilter Grips offers 42 holds:

Holds	Without Bolts	With Bolts
(5) Sandstone Large 1	$61.00	$63.00
(5) Sandstone Large 2	$79.00	$82.00
(10) Sandstone Medium 1	$67.00	$71.00
(10) Sandstone Medium 2	$72.00	$76.00
(12) Sandstone Medium 3	$82.00	$87.00

The Sandstone Series from Kilter Grips does it’s name justice.  These holds look AMAZING. Each hold is covered with tiny pockets, dimples, and cracks that mimic the look, texture, and feel of sandstone better than any attempt at this theme we have seen.  On many of the holds these features transition flawlessly from the face of the hold and into the gripping surface. This creates a realistic sandstone feel, while remaining comfortable.  The details on the gripping surfaces create irregularities, making different areas along contact surfaces more or less positive.  Like all Kilter holds we have climbed on, the texture of this line is a perfect dichotomy of grit and comfort, allowing for long sessions that are easy on the skin.

The two Large Sandstone sets are a bit of a grab bag.  Set 1 consists of 3 shallow sloping holds and 2 holds that require some crimping and accuracy. This set was used heavily on volumes during this review, especially on the 50 degree wall.  When used in combination with volumes on the steeper wall problems with these holds ranged from V3-V6. Without volumes you are looking at problems nearer to and exceeding double digits. When used on the 20 degree wall problems ranged from V1-V3.  The variety is really cool, but we would really like to see expansion on each of these ideas into additional sets.  Kilter has assured us that this line will be expanding in 2015!

Sandstone Large 1

                         

The Sandstone Large 2 set features more positive holds. There are 3 flake features that and 2 large pocket features. These holds were at home on the 50 degree wall.  Both pockets are deep and feature a comfortable lip, keeping them as comfortable as pockets can be on the tendons. The flakes worked well on the 50 degree wall without volumes, and are absolutely massive on the 20 degree wall. Both of these sets serve different purposes. From a consumer stand point, Set 1 would be for the home wall owner with slight to moderate incline, unless you have lots of volumes for your steep wall.  If not, then Set 2 would be a better choice.   

Sandstone Large 2

Then there are the Sandstone Mediums - Set 1 and Set 3 are rather similar sets, ranging from mini jug to full pad crimps and even a pinch. These 2 sets were a blast on the 50 degree wall. Most can be used without volumes, and yield problems from V2-V5, with potential for harder problems. 

Sandstone Medium 1

Sandstone Medium 1

Sandstone Medium 3

Sandstone Medium 3

Sandstone Medium 2 consists mainly of shallow slots and a couple crimpy buckets.  This made for more technical climbing on the 20 degree wall in the V3 range without volumes.  They forced accuracy and focus when climbing, producing (with volume use) problems in the V5/V6 range.  Without volumes problems could easily creep into double digits.

Sandstone Medium 2 - Slots

Sandstone Medium 2 - Slots

When it comes to criticism, there is not much we can say.  Set screw dimples are not present on Large 2 (the set that needs them most) but are on Large 1 (the set that needs them least).  Aragon plastic takes screws readily without predrilling, so this is not structurally an issue, but Kilter is flirting with perfection here – why not take it all the way? 

As stated earlier, Kilter’s texture is the best in the business, and our set of Medium 3 (while still comfortable) did not seem on par with what we expect from them.  We mentioned it to Kilter, and they asked for some pictures.  They asked for the holds to be sent back, and attributed this discrepancy to old molds being used during manufacturing.  So we took what we considered to be a minor issue, brought it to them, and they insisted on getting to the bottom of it, and will be replacing them for us.  This is a testament to the standard of quality and customer service they strive for.

Bottom line, these holds are not only beautiful to look at, but they climb just as well as they look. They are relatively expensive compared to holds we have reviewed so far, but there is the tradeoff you’ll make as a consumer.  You’re getting what we feel are some of best shapes available, made of high quality plastic, with the best texture we’ve climbed on, and great customer service.  

Klutch Holds - Granite Edges Line Review

The Granite Edges line from Klutch features 28 holds:

1 XXL $52 5 M        $32

3 XL       $44 5 S         $26

4 L         $39 10 XS $17

The XXL Feature is the jewel of the line.  We used it on every problem we set in some capacity – sidepull/gaston match on the 20, compression sidepull on the 50, and on volumes as a sidepull and straight ledge.  The gripping surface starts out small and positive on one side and gets wider and slopier as you move to the opposite side.  The surface detailing not only looks awesome, but creates small thumbcatches across the whole hold.  It has a modest hollow back, but it doesn’t really remove enough material to be worth the effort.  It seems like a borderline candidate for a hollow back anyway, because it protrudes at most 2 inches from the wall.  There are unfortunately some serious texture issues here.  There are tiny little protruding shiny bubbles all over this hold.  They reduce grippiness and if you hit them wrong they can actually be painful.  Klutch really needs to refine their molding process before they make any more of these. 

The XL, Large, Medium, and Small edges vary in terms of positivity, but all share a similar footprint and shape.  Again, the surface detail is aesthetic and creates subtle directional thumbcatches – a nice little variation on a standard shape.  7 of the 17 holds in this range are incut and are positive enough for use sans-volumes on a 50 degree wall in the V6 range.  The rest we used on volumes and on the 20 degree wall no harder than V3.  All holds in this line (including the XXL) are really low profile – another perk for homewall and volume use (but creates some structural issues – see below).  They are definitely fun, but it’d be nice to see a little more variety.  The XS footholds are your pretty standard chips in varying degrees of positivity with potential for handholds on volumes, vertical or slab.  They share the granite-like surface texture and round out the line visually as a theme.

The plastic (a urethane casting resin) is quite brittle and chipped readily during drop testing from 5 feet.  The chipping tendency is likely exacerbated by the fact that the holds are so thin.  As an example, one of the Large holds is about 10” long and ¾” deep in the center, tapering out to a knife blade at the edges.  The others are a little thicker, but the knife blade taper is present in most of the holds.  For our standard tightening test, we take holds over to our local gym which features broadly concave concrete walls.  The hold we tested was about 5.5” long – which would require 1 mm of flex (approximately 0.5% of its total length) to come in complete contact with the wall.  The hold snapped in half before contact was established.  You can see this test in the video above.  Any irregularities or concavity in the wall surface will cause problems with these.  Also, despite predrilled set screw holes, we cracked one of the medium holds when tightening a set screw.  There is no washer in the hole, but given how brittle the plastic is, we aren’t sure it would even help.  Bottom line is that this plastic won’t cut it long term – changes need to be made.  

Speaking with Klutch, they plan to switch to polyurethane before any more holds are poured.  We will post an update here on the new material once we test it.

 Overall, we were really impressed with shaping in Klutch’s first line – a subtle twist on standard shapes.  They look great, climb comfortably and are a lot of fun.  Bravo!  However, the manufacturing process and materials need some work for them to make any noise entering the market.  Keep an eye on them though - they have legitimate shaping talent.