Submited By: Andrew Armstrong on 01/12/2010
Short: After testing quite a number of different boards I am the very happy owner of a beastmaker 1000. It comes out top over other boards in almost every way you can possibly think of comparing them, and after only a relatively short period of use I have made some amazing gains in lower arm (finger) and core strength. If your serious about making improvements to your sport, buy one, you wont regret it for a second.
Long: When I was first considering a hangboard as a training aid the £70 pound price tag seemed VERY expensive, but after plenty of research and finally making a purchase I now know all my misgivings were totally unnecessary. If you’re looking to make real progress in climbing/bouldering (especially), get one now!
I'm not the richest guy in the world and so when I was told to invest in a hangboard I was very sceptical of the associated price tag. That said not having much cash forced me to consider my brand carefully, I wanted the best for my money. So, I entered into a campaign to get as much hands on experience with as many different boards as possible; through friends or whatever the local matrix had on offer.
Boards I trained on:
Beastmaker 1000 Hangboard
Beastmaker 2000 Hangboard
Bleaustone Trainingstone Fingerboard
Metolius Simulator 3D Hangboard
Moon Fingerboard
Rockworks Reflex
Metolius Project
To keep it short I wont review every board I used but the end result was the beastmaker 1000 coming out consistently on top for feel, usability and value for money (The 2000 is also a fantastic piece of kit, but the 1000 is more my level).
Feel: The wood is much kinder to your hands than the resin of most other boards, resulting in less lost skin.
Usability: I know the moon fingerboard has some great reviews, but I found the number of holds to be underwhelming and didn’t really cater for my needs; yet another area the beastmaker excelled on. The vast number of holds really gives me something to aim for and keeps me interested time and time again.
Finally value for money; sure all boards are costly, but for the amount of use I get out of mine and the gains I've made because of it; I cant question it for a second.
Installation: Pretty easy! (Unless your me) To clarify, as stupid as this sounds, I didnt realise every door in my house has a glass panel above it. This makes finding a place to put your hangboard pretty hard. In the end, I bought some wood, made a frame and mounted it to that. On the bright side, while it did cost me another tenner, my girl doesn’t complain that I've drilled into the house and I can do my hangs in front of the tv!
If I could give this 6/5 I would. Service from banana fingers was also as always, amazing. thanks!
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