So last night I showed up at the gym, and the manager/head routesetter asked me if I had brought in my shapes to show him. I mentioned that I didn't have them and that I dont wish to transport them around un-necessarily (Spelling?) Nonetheless I showed him pictures and then we started walking around the gym looking at the new holds they just got in. Two set were pointed out and they were both from the same company, yet interestingly enough, the one set was well received and the other not. Granted they were completely different sets, but what I took away from the conversation is that routesetters and owners look for specific, lets call them attributes, in every hold.
Therefore I pose the question, what does the community look for when looking at slopers, crimpers etc? Im not looking for "good edges" or "sweet real rock texture" more so the actual fundamentals that make one hold better than another. Obviously this will at some point lead down the road of personal opinion, but I kind of get the feeling that those who use the product often enough and those who produce the product are sometimes detached.
For instance a comment made was... you dont see SoIll holds on big competition walls because they're not conventional shapes. While this maybe true, a really knowledgeable setter could theoretically set anything with everything. But what about the other 98% of setters out there. What are they basing their decision on when it comes to, "I used this hold instead of this hold because..."
I have my own approach, but I was interested to see if what I thought and what I have heard from others is in line, or way off topic!
Thanks for sharing...