Polyester (PE) Climbing Holds Pros and Cons:
Pros: Polyester holds offer ultimate wear resistance. PE holds also have good UV stability and thus they are great for outdoor walls. Its hardness and material gives a realistic rock feel and will be colder to the touch. PE will feel less slippery and give the climber more friction compared to Polyurethane (PU) holds.
Cons : Polyester does not react well to the stress of installation or mounting on an uneven surface. Polyester holds are brittle and can easily break, crack, or chip from improper installation and handling. If users are not comfortable with the care needed to handle polyester holds, then using polyurethane (PU) holds are a great alternative. PU holds are light-weight, strong and impact resistant. PU holds won´t chip or break as easily when tightened.
Considerations for using Polyester (PE) holds:
-It is important to consider the amount of force (torque) needed to secure the hold to the wall.
-Ensure sufficient torque to prevent rotational movement of the holds.
-Do not overtighten, as too much torque will result in the hold breaking, or in damage to fixing points (T-Nuts, anchors) in the climbing wall.
-Each holds requires different torque settings, according to hold sizes, and depending on the climbing wall surface. Smooth or painted walls will require more torque, while sand-textured walls require less.
-Check the tightening of the holds regularly, as it is very common for the holds to loosen over time, and tighten if needed
-The amount of force used to seat a hold is an acquired “feel” and should be enough so that the hold cannot rotate during use, but not so much that the hold breaks.
-Never instal PE holds on an uneven wall surfaces,
-Inspect holds for cracks or damage before starting to set the route.Never install a damaged hold.
-If a hold cracks or breaks during installation, discard the hold.
-Impact drills are not recommended, as its extremely easy to apply too much torque. Hand tightening with an allen wrench is recommended for installation. This allows the user to feel the tightness of the holds.
And don't forget, with seconds you can leave notes for us in the comments section to help us pick your holds. Commercial gym on a budget? Let us know what colors you set with and we can dig them out. Looking for some sweet holds to keep your homewall fresh on the cheap? Let us know the wall angle and the style of holds you prefer (jugs, pinches, footholds, screw-ons, super nasty crimps, etc) in the comments and we will do our best to find them for you, but remember, they are already produced Factory Seconds and we are limited by what is currently in stock.
If we have overstock we often sell them as seconds to clear out inventory. The production guys have been known to play around with fun color combinations to spice up the seconds bin every once in a while too. Offering seconds is just one way we like to serve climbing gyms on a budget!
