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Review > DRCC > The Force Edges DSC / ESC

We're looking at the dual texture line of holds from the DRCC, there's a bunch; so here we go!

The Force ESC and DSC

From the start, the colors of these holds is going to grab your attention, from the the crazy green and white swirls of the ESC and DSC's; it's not a color combination you're going to see very often on holds.. of course what else you're going to notice is the fact that the slick part of the hold is very very reflective

The next thing (if you know holds) is that they're similar to some other holds on the market... sim-i-lar, but not the same! From thin positive crimps on the ESC (Easy Side Crimps) to evil non positive crimps on the DSC (Dark Side Crimps) you're going to have a blast setting, but remember to play nice as hauling off of crimps isn't the best for your digits!

We had a couple of routes about the place from the instant you get onto the holds you're either going to love em or hate em; we gave them to Marty to set with as he loves the small stuff to see what he'd try to get us to pull off, in all honesty the route wasn't that bad the horizontal pull on the steps is actually that bad, the cross over on the super thin edges on the box ok... what was hard was the undercling on the 45 degree walls feature... and getting across the 30 degree wall without getting spat off on to your ass (Bear in mind, the large holds we're using are also from the DRCC and will be reviewed at a later date)

Next up we took one of the large holds and put it upside down to gauge how slick the dual texture part of the hold was... answer? Pretty damn slick, it's a shame we didn't have the camera rolling when Noodles got onto the hold he just put his weight onto it, got his thumb onto the textured part of the hold and then swung under the box to the small crimp that was there... it looked precarious to say the least!
VIDEO

VIDEO END
So you can manage to get your weight on the holds when they're shiny side up and move, if slowly, through the move you want.. put your foot onto it and it's a different case altogether.. it is not going to stay, even when you have some nice new 5.10's on your feet and you dig your toes into the top of the rubber backing.





We have two different kinds of shapes with similar uses. The Force (DSC) are flat and slopey and because of the dual texture you need to rely on the friction of the edge to keep you on the wall. We had the edges on the 30 degree wall and they were hard to stick, so we'd only recommend these holds on walls no steeper than 30 degrees. They're hard to hold onto when you're on anything more than about 15 degrees overhung, but are more than ok to climb on if the moves set are delicate and you're not forcing a dynamic move of any kind.

The more positive holds (ESC) could be set on steeper terrain and once again because of the dual texture setters will be delighted to force moves. We personally find them kind of small and have taken it pretty easy with these holds, well easy is hard to define, we used them a lot all of the place but they never went anywhere near the 45 degree wall, but we did set some interesting underclings, laybacks on essentially a roof section and other cross over monkeying about that used the holds every which way but how and then some.

Both sets of holds are nice to set with side by side, we did set some short problems with the ESC's and then switched the holds to the DSC's to see if the moves we're still stickable; result? You can but you're going to find yourself being so much more delicate than you were on the Easy Side Crimps... that's the difference in the holds.. slightly dynamic and can get away with it; to slow and gentle. Together they make a pretty formidable team to play with, kind of like Contacts Hex and Rex holds... oo oo get all the holds from Contact and the DRCC and you're got a route of crimps and semi crimps that you're going to have to tape up and work for for a long old time!!

Review > DRCC > Force Edges A & B

Like "Who killed JFK", these holds are surrounded with controversy. When DRCC first put the images for the Force Edges up onto their website we received a phone call about how these particular holds look a lot like some other duo textured holds that are on the market. So with Pandoras box open, the debate over whether DRCC had copied shapes from other companies started. Take a look for yourself:
What holds? Do you know? Do you even care? Thought not :) Read our comments if you'd like to know, because we don't... actually won't talk about the oter company until later :P

When we took a look at the holds side by side, they look very similar in shape but the quality of the hold and DRCC's duo texture is better. The million dollar question is if DRCC copied the design and we say that these holds are similar, there are some minor difference in shape and size, but what DRCC has done is taken an old idea and made it better and it seems like the competition can't keep up.

A while back we did a review for the DRCC Force Edges ESC and DSC, the smaller versions of the Force Edges A and B. The whole line consists of duo textured holds and they are SLICK, so slick that you can see your reflection, we mean how many holds can you groom yourself in:P

The Force Edges are purely a open hand hold. The holds have no friction and when you get the thumb down on the slick part there is a good chance that the ground is the next move you make. Then we tried putting the holds into the corner upside down so we could palm the slick part of the hold thinking that we could wedge ourselves in the corner and keep ourselves of the ground. That ended as a fail (Well I'd like to weigh in here (Noodles) I did stick that move!!). DRCC is a young company and has only been open for business a very short time, but they have done their home work and have damn near perfected the duo textured hold.

These larger Force Edges are mostly slopers but there was one that we received that has a positive edge. We figured that we could haul ourselves off the ground on the 45 degree wall but when you watch the video, that the holds should just stay away from any steep overhanging terrain.

So these holds are not for the kick about climber, the go once a week to the gym to check out the chicks kind of climber. These holds are HARD! Every time we set with the holds (we try to set without any fore running) we looked at the problems with doubt, then fell on our butts trying to get through the sequence. You can't move too dynamically to the holds or you're hand is sure to slip off. So it made for some interesting setting on our part.

What we haven't included in our videos are those few problems that were just un-sendable. With three holds, they fit perfect on the vertical wall and we could get right under the hold and get our weight on them as you need all the friction you can get:) So we moved onto the 30 degree wall.... and that's where it got interesting, but look at Jeremy's face.... he's not having fun on the vertical wall, and what's climbing? It should be fun, it's nice to see him suffer :D

Vertical? Yes! 15 degree over hang? OK!!. 30 degree wall, OK, but be careful with your feet..... 45 degree overhang? Ok? Well, ask yourself this... is your name Ben Moon?

Although they lay flat on the wall, these holds are slopes and any over hanging terrain will increase the difficulty of the holds. We had them up on the vertical wall so we could set long moves. It wasn't the easiest of sequences, we had the holds down low and we got a good ab workout, but after we found what feet to use we got around the problem. The 45 degree wall was a no no, we tried starting low on the holds and their near impossible to pull on! We could make a problem with another set (Force Edge Easy anyone?) with longer moves and the same shapes but slightly more incut will give you a fighting chance!!

These are the kind of holds that will make you work for the move, and even though they're chalked up like no bodies business they still suck chalk off of your hands :) If your foot work is bad then these holds are going to teach you to use your feet as you're going to have little or no hope of hanging them otherwise

These holds are very specific and setters will find that they can set their sequence without much worry about people cheating the moves. You can only use the hold as an open hand slope. They would be a great addition to any gyms boulder wall but may not be suited for a very small home wall.

Versatility: Open handed dual texture slopes / flat edges
Screw Holes: No

First thing that struck us: Colour. Wow. It takes us back to the 60's when love was in the air and tie die was in. Now personally, I'm not into the whole tie die t-shirt fad (if there really ever was one) but when it comes to holds we're not complaining (but matching these holds into a route unless you're taping is going to be hard!!) The quality of he holds are like no other. DRCC has perfected their mix for the dual texture holds and the smooth part of the hold feels like glass.....seriously, there's no other way of describing it. This is so much of a pride point for the DRCC that when the molds that these are poured from stop giving super slick shiny holds they make a new mold so the shapes stay consistent.

The holds could use a screw hole but DRCC sent us the holds with the optional rubber back and the hold didn't spin on us (When I say Us I mean me!). There's nothing to complain about with the build they're solid, we'll see how strong they are when we run our strength tests later on next month

Get out the bong and take a hit, these holds come straight out of the era of free love and great music. The tie die color scheme gives the Force Edges a WOW factor of ten. I've been impressed with the holds coming from the DRCC. The shapes are specific and can be tricky to stick so that climbers will find themselves a little weary when they come up to some of these holds. I've never felt confident on the Force Edges. We've had them set as long moves on the vertical and we had to move dynamically from hold to hold.. it's not very comforting when you know that there is a good chance that you're going to end up on your ass. Bringing in the holds a few bolt holds made it easier.. thou not by much

So on to some controversy. IF the DRCC blatantly ripped off some of Voodoo's design we will never really know, but I've climbed on Voodoo's holds in the gym and they have a wide range of half moon shapes that are just horrible to hold onto but at the same time it'll improve you're climbing. It doesn't surprise me that the DRCC has made half moon shaped holds, they reflect other shapes that they've created in that they specifically force the climbers into a sequence, they're winners in my books (the Force Edges)

OK, I know I'm probably giving the DRCC a little too much praise so I'll talk about what I don't like about the holds (other than falling on my butt!) I found that even on Noodles home wall (which is pretty big) it was hard to tap into the potential of the Force Edges. The shape of the hold wants to you to force your body down low to get all of your weight onto the hold, mind you we did do a pretty good job on one of our traverse. The next test for the FE's is the gym!

• Some of the best dual texture holds you'll ever see
• Any color you want, just ask Led Zeppelin
  

CONS

• Price VS size why the price difference between the two sets? The size isn't that much different!
• These holds suck chalk off of your hands even when covered (Is this a pro??)
• No screw hole
• If your wall is steep (+30 degrees) good luck
  

PRICE
Force Edges A are $29.99 for 2 holds
Force Edges B are $54.99 for 2 holds

Review > DRCC > BFD's

The Detroit Rock Climbing Company, or the DRCC are new... how new? Well we're the first people to get their holds in Canada, these guys despite the fact that they've been in the climbing world in different capacities for years have only had holds on the market for a very very short period of time. I've been talking to Vince for a long while, since I found their site, I've been a real pain asking when they were launching, asking for sneak peaks of holds and generally making a nusience of myself :) Well once they launched and got some holds out the door a package arrived... a package that i've been looking forward to seeing... Welcome the DRCC's BFD's

From left to right we have: BFD Crimps, BFD: Edges & the BFD Sloper, together these holds are the Divoted Series... and we've been having some fun, well I was having fun listening to Chris hit the deck on the last move for a few hours... man that last move on the route I set stopped all of us for a while there, until you figure out where you feet want to be, where your hands need to be and you just crank up and catch the last hold... watch the video and enjoy our pain for a few minutes!

Ok so I set an interesting route, I was trying to make it harder than it had to be... I made sure there were some nice balancy moves, some power moves and a stinker of a final move :) Overall I don't think that we've had a route that's stopped us for most of a session in a while, it was part holds and part setting that caused this :D But that aside, these are nice holds.. the texture is super good for your skin, the shapes are friendly and the rubber backing means that they sit super flush to the wall!

There's not a great deal (if anything) that you can say about the shapes from the DRCC that is bad, or could be contrived as being bad... we looked and looked, had a few beers and thought about it and came up with nothing...... THAT is surprising for us, just as surprising as the shapes themselves. There are enough holds in the range to make even hardcore hold freaks happy, and when you look at this you're going to get excited.







A dog is a mans best friend, slopers are a climbers best friend.. we keep saying it, infact we say it so much we probably sound like a broken record! So one more time, for the cheap seats... slopers will make you strong and won't wreck your fingers!
The BFD slope is a beast, super hard to hold onto on a vertical wall and then flip it and it puts your route / move up about a grade... yup, V2 to V3 with the turn of a wrench and a spin of a hold! On anything past 30 degrees over we're having trouble holding on, but trial and error (plus the new 45 wall we're building) will see us conquer this hold on steep terrain! This hold is all about where you place your fingers, and how good your core tension is.. you'll get a workout, it's not what we'd call a "beginners" sloper (I'd err more towards the BFD Edges), but if you love the slopers then you'll love this one aswell... it's just haarder than most!






Edges is an interesting term for these holds!! They are edges, but really big edges with big smooth radii, I'd call them slopers.... These guys will take you all the way to 45 degrees, and if you're super super strong past it into the really steep terrain! The holds are primarily flat, but we think they're reall nice friendly beginner style slopers (you can match most of them), don't get us wrong they're amazing edges aswell. They're going to be easy going on a vertical wall, and then the going (as you can see from the video) get's really interesting on a 30 degree overhang, see everyone hitting the floor on the last few moves of the route, that's these edges for you... super fun climbing, super interesting move and yet our fingers don't complain! Now if you want to make life really hard, turn the holds upside down (from the obvious grabbing area) and see what happens.... brutally hard to hold :)





If these are crimps then this is the way holds for indoor walls should be made from now on in... I don't think I saw one person crimp on these holds, not one... they're more openhanded then you'd expect rather than bear down super hard and tweak your fingers! There isn't a sharp edge on these holds anywhere... not one... some sides are flat, some sides are slopey, but always with a nice rounded edge so you can position your hand whereever you want! We think that these are more sloping edges than anything else, they're so well designed and shaped that if you really want to you could crimp on them, but as they're so comfortable you'll just open hand them. These guys double as some pretty fun pinches, we've had them all over the place and they double / triple as slopers / pinches and edges depending upon which way you turn them.... it's a three for one! You'll be able to haul to 30 degrees over without too much trouble, but once you hit the 45 over you're going to want to have the hold rotated to the most positive side :D



EVE
"Put yo' hands up fo' Detroit....I luv this city!" No but seriously, good job! These hold are loads of fun. Challenging yea, but not impossible! First of all they are absolutely beautiful, inside and out, with cute colors and fun features. Actually, the features are a bit deceptive. Some look like obvious 'finger grooves' but once on the wall, are absolutely useless! Fun! Secondly, they feel nice. Not too rough, and honestly nothing very realistic but hey, if you want rocks, go outside! Lol! So yeah, Detroit's new line is a pleasure to climb with, but I don't think it's for beginners....well not if you want them to like rock climbing! Like I've said they are slightly deceptive, so I think a minimum of technique is required to get anywhere with them.

Review > DRCC > Setters Delight

Between running gyms down in Michigan and mixing tracks for our videos, Vince and his brother Nick somehow found time to start up the Detroit Rock Climbing Company. We've done some reviews for these guys in the past and it took them some time to get the business off the ground, but with a little persuasion on Noodles part we were the first in Canada to get our hands onto some sweet, sweet holds, since their start less than a year ago they've shipped holds all over the WorldThe holds that we reviewed back in November were the BFD slopers (review here) and this time around we have crimpy purple edges that they've named the Setters Delight. And here's what the website says about these holds:

"Setters find these holds absolutely D-lightful! These low profile positive omnidirectional crimps make creating and forcing sequences a breeze. If setting is your job than these are an excellent tool to have in you bag! Fit for everything from 5.9s to 5.14s. "

You won't have much to work with when you're climbing on them, making them great for setting those forced sequences, as they suggest.. The area that you're going to grab are pretty flat edges, they're not incut at all, so we set to work to see what we could do with them. We set them on the 45 and we barely got ourselves off the floor, even when we switched the slightly more positive holds on the start we still couldn't get past the first couple of moves. So one thing about these holds: crimp strength is a must, but you can get a thumb catch on the little lips that are on the holds if you really bear down on them.... we failed on the 45, not managing to get past three moves, the holds just aren't incut enough for us to be able to stick and then move from them :(

We ended up giving the set to Eve in hopes that she would be a little less naive and set a sequence that we could actually get around. Despite being on a vertical wall the holds still posed a challenge in that you're never quite sure when you're going to pop off the holds, with a little work we all completed the problem.

After we'd all run a bunch of laps on the holds we gave the holds to Jacky; we've learnt in the past Jacky sets like a loon! Because of the nature of these holds the start of Jackys problem forced us to either bump to the next hold or cross over statically. As you can see from the video, the bump takes a certain amount of commitment and after seeing Noodles fail a few times I figured the best was to cross to the next hold. The move itself requires your crimp strength, balance and the weight shift needs to be just right making these holds a Setters Delight (I couldn't have put it better any other way), Jacky set something that made us all work to get the send, with him being taller and having a longer reach he did have trouble on his own problem (something we always like to see), during the session we were filming but we also had a photographer over taking some pictures for the site, keep you eyes pealed as we'll get these images up as soon as we get them.

Overall the holds are fun to play on, they're not painful and really not suited to steep overhung terrain, but if you're looking for some holds that are flat that are big enough to match on for that crimpy traverse you've been wanting to set we'd suggest these.


We'd not suggest going past 30 degrees with these holds, if they were a little more incut then you could probably crank the angle up some more.
As the holds are flat, with varying widths for your hands you will find that forcing moves will be very easy, from side pulls to gnarly cross over reaches you can set some really technical routes, the difficulty will be determined by what you want to do. Noodles wanted to work on some fairly low-wide traverses on these holds, Jacky wanted to set a cross and Eve wanted to play with the holds on our box feature. We all set with them and some interesting routes came out of the sessions, as we've had the holds for a while we've had them all over the place, shallow angles are where these holds shine, pitching the strongest climbers we've had over onto the mats as they try to figure out how to balance on the moves and pull through

Overall, the holds aren't sharp, but some people might find the edges even though they are rounded might dig in a little, but this depends upon how hard you're cranking down on the holds and what angle of attack you approach the holds at. Hitting them at speed is a little trickier than you might expect as you're going to need to be exact on where you hit them, otherwise you're coming off the wall backwards, you can see Noodles and Jacky getting spat off as they try to deadpoint one of the larger holds from the set when it was on the 30 degree wall.

We had the most fun on these holds on the 30 degree and vertical walls, but don't count these holds out for thin undercuts, they work well and you can really force a climber to have to lock onto the hold and then work their way up to the next hold. If pretty thin is your game, then the Setters Delight will fit nicely into you arsenal





Eve and Noodles found that the edges bite and are a little painful to climb on but I didn't have an issue with that (then again, I like crimps so I may not be the best person to comment on the subject). EVE
Setters Delight....sounds to me like climbers hell! But although these holds will leave you panting they are not that bad! They are crimps and I found myself having to tape because they eventually hurt my fingers, I'm glad we didn't have more, a longer route might have been painful. They are fairly soft on the skin though, the corners are nicely rounded and the color is bright and very noticeable on a wall. I set with them and they are fun because you can make climbers do funky moves with these, although rotating them might not be the most practical thing ever! I don't think beginners would appreciate these holds....unless you're the one setting ;) Setters Delight allows one to push their crimping and weight shifting ability to the limit, no matter your skill and therefore can quickly leave you on the mats. I will definitely get on them again....didn't finish Jacky's route and I can't let him have that!

JACKY
At first sight, I was not particularly attracted.

Two weeks before, I had seen them on the wall but I never tried them, mostly because they were tiny, without even a beginning of porosity where fingers are going to hold… the hold.

This week, I didn’t have choice to touch them! Our first track was kind of a warm up track, and I was surprised to stick on that surface. The look and the feel aren’t the same, I can tell you. They are bigger then they look, when it set flat upright. The real fun part began when we tried them on the 45º and 20º wall. This is when, these holds became, to me, a potential good time on plastic. Once on the inclined wall, we started falling and pushing ourselves near our limits. We easily found a way to set them to get a technical track, as opposed to our initial warm up track. There are even some pieces big enough to match on, and there are some you would like to match on. It's a good variety of sizes. I’ve noted that the porosity is so fine that when chalked, texture almost completely disappears. As climbers, we need to get this half-slippery feeling to train our fingers. Therefore, the texture can still be a plus for short track home training, but, on a bigger track then ours, like at the gym, I wouldn't recommend it. I think they'd get shinny within a month! I guess we'll see…