New Simple Board from Tension Climbing

Thoughts on the new Simple Board from Tension? I'm in a new place with a great space for a hangboard, so I'm in the market for a new hangboard. I've subscribed to Dave MacLeod's philosophies on hanbgoarding for a while, but his Edge Hangboard has been sold out for some time. It seems like one of the Simple Boards would be a good alternative with a similar idea.

The big difference is the modular design and the end pieces. It's interesting, but maybe counterproductive if I end up spending too much time planning and experimenting with training plans, rather than actually just hanging (which is why the Edge is so bare bones). Ironically the Simple Board is anything but simple!

So, I got these on pre-release a little while ago and I have to say, it is one of the most comfortable set of boards I've ever used. It has exactly what you need, and nothing more. The small edges are also phenomenal. The 20/15 edges are amazing, comfortable enough to train two finger "pocket" setups without discomfort at all. Would recommend over pretty much any other board setup I've used (but I am very partial to the wood).

As far as it being "anything but simple" that's on you, man. Buy the 20/15 one in the two 5.5in pieces, put them on the wall, and hang. If you decide (during your hanging ponderings) in a month that you want more, then buy the end caps or the smaller edges or whatever, but it doesn't take much to just get to it. If you admire MacLeod's edge hang board, then get the J2015 and use it just like you would that one. No need to overcomplicate it. Just hang!

not impressed.  my tension bloc seems like a waste.  anyone interested?  $40 shipped.

Redyns wrote: not impressed.  my tension bloc seems like a waste.  anyone interested?  $40 shipped.

what don't you like about it? what was your intended/expected use when you bought it?

exactly as it is marketed.  grip training, warm-up/stretching, etc.  i think the wood is slick, edges feel a little sharp, quite frankly, there are a few imperfections (knicks in the wood that i sanded) that should not have passed QC for a $50 item. it's exactly what i paid for, a machined block from someone's garage.  

again, i'm not impressed. i don't really train per se, and for the amount of effort i put towards training, it's a waste and up for sale if anyone wants one.

with that said, i have a regular Organic pad up for sale, pick up only (Philly).  $100.  

KyleMFSpurgeon wrote: So, I got these on pre-release a little while ago and I have to say, it is one of the most comfortable set of boards I've ever used. It has exactly what you need, and nothing more. The small edges are also phenomenal. The 20/15 edges are amazing, comfortable enough to train two finger "pocket" setups without discomfort at all. Would recommend over pretty much any other board setup I've used (but I am very partial to the wood).

As far as it being "anything but simple" that's on you, man. Buy the 20/15 one in the two 5.5in pieces, put them on the wall, and hang. If you decide (during your hanging ponderings) in a month that you want more, then buy the end caps or the smaller edges or whatever, but it doesn't take much to just get to it. If you admire MacLeod's edge hang board, then get the J2015 and use it just like you would that one. No need to overcomplicate it. Just hang!

Hey Kyle, have you by chance used the Tension Grind Stone or Grind Stone Pro boards?  Curious how you thought the new Simple Board compared in terms of comfort and edge radius?  and/or any other factors of significance.

Redyns wrote: not impressed.  my tension bloc seems like a waste.  anyone interested?  $40 shipped.

pmd about the block

Redyns wrote: exactly as it is marketed.  grip training, warm-up/stretching, etc.  i think the wood is slick, edges feel a little sharp, quite frankly, there are a few imperfections (knicks in the wood that i sanded) that should not have passed QC for a $50 item. it's exactly what i paid for, a machined block from someone's garage.  

again, i'm not impressed. i don't really train per se, and for the amount of effort i put towards training, it's a waste and up for sale if anyone wants one.

with that said, i have a regular Organic pad up for sale, pick up only (Philly).  $100.  

I've had a different experience with the tension bloc. We're talking about this right: tensionclimbing.com/product…  ?

I've used the one at my Gym quite a bit for training finger pockets and full crimps. I like it quite a bit for training weaknesses but I haven't tried it for warming up outside. I had to finagle with it a bit to make it hang perfectly straight, but the grips themselves are in good shape and a good addition to a normal hangboarding routine. I guess you could also just take quite a bit of weight off to hang mono/pockets and just use a hangboard. 

yeah. again, i've used it and i think it's pointless for me. training in general is pretty pointless, but that's neither here nor there - not everyone is gifted with off-the-couch strength.  
 
plus, now feel some kind of way that i paid the extra $5 for my cosmetic defect.  i guess they realized they had a problem and started offering good ones and dinged up ones at different price points.

bruno-cx wrote: You could also go to home depot and buy some thin wood strips.

That's what I currently have. It works but has significant downsides which I don't have the woodworking skills to remedy.

DJ B wrote:

Hey Kyle, have you by chance used the Tension Grind Stone or Grind Stone Pro boards?  Curious how you thought the new Simple Board compared in terms of comfort and edge radius?  and/or any other factors of significance.

I've used the grindstone pro a bit, but not significantly. I couldn't give you a comparison on radius, but the simple I find more comfortable on the fingers.

I also got the simple 2015 in the two blocks, so I was able to adjust the width of the edges to better suit me, making it a bit more comfortable on the shoulders than the standard difference of the pro.

Hope that helps!

Okay bruno-cx. My current hangboard was made exactly that way (okay, I went to Lowe's because there's no Home Depot near). But the edges aren't sanded evenly, so one side is significantly harder than the other on some rungs, and the smaller rungs have cracked a bit. If you have the tools, knowhow, and desire to get a better result, great. But I don't, and I would rather spend time climbing and training than woodworking. I can spend a hour or two working at my job and use that money to pay someone else to make a nicer product than I would ever get with many hours of my own woodworking. So, I'm gonna do that.

David K wrote: Okay bruno-cx. My current hangboard was made exactly that way (okay, I went to Lowe's because there's no Home Depot near). But the edges aren't sanded evenly, so one side is significantly harder than the other on some rungs, and the smaller rungs have cracked a bit. If you have the tools, knowhow, and desire to get a better result, great. But I don't, and I would rather spend time climbing and training than woodworking. I can spend a hour or two working at my job and use that money to pay someone else to make a nicer product than I would ever get with many hours of my own woodworking. So, I'm gonna do that.

Agreed - I would caution anyone from dismissing comfortable, standardized edges. When I finally splurged and bought a Tension Grindstone board, I noticed that used it much more regularly than I ever used my homemade one.

If you're data-oriented and want to track your progress / compare your numbers to others, then there is a significant benefit to using a standardized set of edges. This was a key factor in maintaining my long-term motivation.

Woodworking is an art. By the time I was able to sand my homemade edges to a comfortable radius on a belt sander (this sounds dead simple, but it took me multiple attempts to get an actually-comfortable edge), they felt very different than the original "width" that I bought them at. My smallest edge also cracked, even after pre-drilling out the hole.

bruno-cx wrote: 
Rung Sizes: 1/2"  3/8" 1/4"

Once the project is complete head on over to Eva Lopeze's site and follow her protocol.  

For a min edge protocol 13mm, 10mm to 6mm is waaaay to drastic of a jump on the bottom for the min edge protocol. You need an additional 8mm (5/16") edge.  

Your post makes think you haven't actually read her site, because she has WAAAAAY more than one protocol: en-eva-lopez.blogspot.com/2…

Giving benefit of the doubt that you're referencing the well talked about max hang/min edge depth study and poster from the progression/transgression hangboards then you're still off. The max hang portion means added weight on a full pad edge, which clocks in a 3/4". 

Svvenson wrote: Woodworking is an art. By the time I was able to sand my homemade edges to a comfortable radius on a belt sander (this sounds dead simple, but it took me multiple attempts to get an actually-comfortable edge), they felt very different than the original "width" that I bought them at. My smallest edge also cracked, even after pre-drilling out the hole.

Best bet if you are making an edge at home is to NOT use sandpaper, as you found its damn impossible to nail the radius. 

Best results are with poplar (machines well, minimum grain issue) and cutting the radius with a round over bit and a router, then final sanding by hand. Of course the edges we're working with are small, so a hand held router is going to be sketchy at best, better have a router table. Of course if your hobby isn't woodworking and you don't already have access to that equipment it makes far more sense to just buy a commercially made board. 

Can anyone provide a comparison between this and either the edges on the Beastmaker 1000 or the Lattice Rung?

Thanks.

I’ve got the Simple Board in 2015 and 1086 5.5” pieces and the 20mm edge is virtually identical to the Lattice Rung edge (which is fairly rounded hence the increased comfort/added challenge).  From my experience, the Simple 20mm edge is *slightly* deeper but more rounded than the lower outside edges on a BM1000.

Also, from what I can tell, the 10/8/6mm edges are basically identical to the respective Beastmaker Micros.

The Simple Board in the configuration I’ve got it pretty much covers any edge I feel I’d ever need to train on.