Anyone else having an issue with their mini jugs? The resin that they used seems to be very weak! I broke 2 last night and found another already broken, thats 3 in one day! I walked back into the setters closet and found a bunch more. I advised the head setter about these holds and asked him to notify Metolius, but I wanted to reach out to you guys and see if we are the problem or Metolius has a problem?
Thanks for your help.
Hey Donovan. You are not alone in this. Most gyms I visit have had or are having issues with Metolius' holds. It started (imho) when they sent production to China, but has gotten noticeably worse in the past year.... a bummer cause they do have some super classics.
We bought a bunch of these to replace our old ones, which were due for replacement. This was a mistake. The new ones break even easier than the older ones.
I think this opens up a much more general topic regarding hold quality. I have seen a lot more shoddy work in the last few years, from multiple companies. Boltholes with too-small diameters for the bolts, washers with material all over them (so newbies use the wrong bolts), etc. I realize that many companies say they are willing to replace these at no cost, but it's still a hassle and it happens way too often.
Why is this? Is it that they are mass-produced? The quality of the materials? Or is this just the future of climbing holds in an increasingly flooded market?
LoneWolfe,
This is an issue across the board right now, for both people that outsource and people that are pouring on their own.
I've heard horror stories from people that have brought a bunch of people that have brought stuff, at that point (like this post) I've made sure that the people involved are aware that people are talking about their products being sub-par and then generally they fix the problems
I can see Metolius being one of the people that will strive to make sure that the issues that have crept into their production will be addressed. Holds for people like Metolius aren't their biggest income, but they're pretty pro-active and they're bound to have the problems sorted pretty quickly
Seems like those companies that are very large (Metolius) are selling out, and those companies that are very small, dont have enough to buy in? My understanding is that you can have other companies (E-Grips) make holds for you. When last did you kill an E-Grips or a Franklin?
I cant confirm anything in this post, its just hear-say, but it does make you wonder why some are getting it right and others fall far short of the glory?
metolius is not selling out. they are outsourcing like 90% of hold companies out there, egrips included. they just are having problems right now. im sure they will turn it around.
Metolius holds have been that way for years. You get what you pay for, they are suitable for kids home walls but not the mega pulling in the gym.
Frankly, I've been mostly unimpressed with shapes and/or quality of almost all hold companies out there currently. That's why we make our own, no one to blame but ourselves!
I realize this thread is getting a little old. I'm new to the forum and have been spending the last couple days back reading through a lot of the threads. In response to RhoadsClimbs, I was was just curious as to what you were doing differently since you are now making your own holds. Are there any shapes in particular that you are looking for in companies or just something new? Do you have any tips to share on making better quality holds? (other than other obvious of not using cheap material)
I am curious because I am I student at GVSU in MI and I am the president of our rock climbing organization. We have just recently started experimenting with making our own holds. So I looking for any tips I can find. I have found some great stuff reading through previous post already so no need to repeat info. I was just wondering your take on hold making.
Zech, we make holds out of clay and each one is individually carved.
Here are some complaints that I have a about current holds out there:
-Spinners. Duh, we all know the holds that are born spinners. The ones that are long but can be anchored on the ends are fine. It's the ones that have small base but a long hand hold that suck. Why do they even make them?!?!!?
-Lack of new shapes. Yea, yea, there are tons of new "shapes" out there but in reality they are all small variations on the same thing.
-Pain. What's with those holds out there you KNOW are going to hurt to grab on to? When you have a thin edge that a hand pulls directly onto there will be pain.
Quality encompasses many things. Holds should not chip, they should last more than three years, they should not rip off the wall, they need to NOT spin, they should feel comfortable and look cool.
I think there are quite the few hold companies where the person making the decision on what shapes to produce don't climb or at least don't climb anymore and also don't understand the dynamics of route-setting in a climbing gym. I can't think of what it was specifically but I find myself checking out companies newest shapes and thinking "Seriously?". If there was a little more product testing out there by REAL climbers who operate climbing facilities and have been climbing plus operating facilities for many years I think there could be significant gains in quality.
We've been making these clay holds for over ten years and we probably have a thousand different shapes but to be honest I only think a few hundred would qualify as "quality" shapes. The rest are like the slop that alot of hold companies are producing nowadays. They work but they simply aren't great.
My point is that shapes should be being made constantly and then rigorously tested in a gym environment and only those shapes that pass the highest levels of testing should be mass produced. Unfortunately I think most companies take the attitude of "Well, that'l do!"
If you don't mind me asking, how do you texture the clay before going to mold? My initial thought is to coat it with an abrasive material even sand. But if skilled you could carve the texture into the clay before it dries.
I agree that in all likelihood many of the holds being produced are not tested by experienced climbers and setters that can give good feedback on what makes a great hold. Shapes are designed and if they look ok are passed on to production. Although it would be great for companies to do the testing that you suggest and only produce the highest quality of holds. Quite frankly, this is a different business model.
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