Last updated on April 18th, 2023 at 05:11 am
- THE TOP THREE
- 2000
- 1000
- Prime Rib
- Beastmaker 1000
- Beastmaker 2000
- YY Vertical
- Problemsolver Station
- Metolius Prime Rib
- Stubai Kraxlboard Rock
- DUDES vs. GRAVITY’S GRAVITYboard
- BuddyBoard Hangboard
- Friction Labs Hangboard
- Awesome Woodys’ Cliff Board Mini
- How to choose a hangboard
- Fingerboard vs hangboard
- Rock Rings vs Hangboard
- Campus board vs Hangboard
- Wooden Vs Plastic Hangboard
Your ability to climb hard comes down to much more than how hard you can pull on a crimp. While there is a direct correlation between climbing V11 and hanging on an 18mm edge with one arm, being able to climb to your full potential comes down to the delicate balance between technique, mental aptitude, and physical strength.
That said, if you think your fingers and forearms could benefit from a bit of supplemental training, then a hangboard is the perfect apparatus for super-strong fingers!
These simple tools allow you to use a variety of edge types and grip positions to train a variety of upper body muscle groups. So whether you want to be able to hold onto smaller holds or build some awesome power endurance, it can all be done with the help of a hangboard.
Many hangboards are designed to be mounted on a permanent fixture, which usually means drilling holes into your wall or building a dedicated structure to house your hangboard.
For those of us who travel, don’t want to hack holes into your walls, or just simply don’t have the space for a permanent training setup, a portable hangboard can make for a brilliant alternative. Don’t forget that a travel hangboard can be packed up for the crag and used as a warm-up tool before pulling onto your project.
THE TOP THREE
2000
Similar to the Beastmaker 1000, the 2000 is designed for advanced climbing training and conditioning.
1000
The undisputed king of hangboards, the Beastmaker allows for diverse training variations.
Prime Rib
A popular choice for beginners, the Finale creates a balance between performance and power.
I have researched and tested dozens of the best wooden hangboards available in 2022 to help you find your perfect training tool. Here are 10 of my favorite wooden fingerboards available now that will help you crush harder.
HEADS UP: Remember that overzealous hangbording can cause significant strain and injury to your fingers. Make sure you have some solid climbing experience and strength before you start, there’s much more to being a good climber than having strong fingers! Stay safe kids.
MY TOP PICK
Beastmaker 1000
The Beastmaker has earned a reputation as being one of the best fingerboards on the market, regardless if you are looking for a resin or wood hangboard.
Made in Sheffield, UK, each board starts as a solid block of North American tulipwood and through a combination of machine and handwork, it is made into the finely-tuned training machine. The layout, ergonomically designed to increase finger strength, has become the global standard for fingerboards in the 21st century.
These fingerboards are designed with beginner and intermediate climbers in mind, so the Beastmaster 1000 is ideally suited for climbers who are working on grades between 5c -7a. With a fantastic mixture of crimps, edges, and slopers there are plenty of holds on this compact board that will help develop you into a V10 crusher in no time. The holds on a Beastmaker 1000 include:
- 2 Jugs
- 35 Degree Slopers
- 20 Degree Slopers
- 1 Very Deep 4 Finger Pocket
- 2 Deep 4 Finger Pockets
- 2 Deep 3 Finger Pockets
- 2 Deep 2 Finger Pockets
- 2 Medium 4 Finger Pockets
- 2 Small 4 Finger Pockets (10mm)
- 2 Medium 2 Finger Pockets
- 2 Medium 3 Finger Pocket
The huge variety of holds on this board gives you unlimited training possibilities and the slopers are a brilliant addition that isn’t found on many wooden hangboards. Another cool feature is that Beastmaker also has its own training app to help you make the most of your board.
The creators of Beastmaker are big on sustainability and minimizing their impact on the environment. Each board is made of FSC approved wood and their packaging is made from recycled cardboard. They also use renewable energy to power their workshop to ensure they are having as little impact on the environment as possible.
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BEST ADVANCED HANGBOARD
Beastmaker 2000
The other hangboard in the Beastmaster range is the 2000. At a glance, the 2000 looks similar to the 1000, but if you take a closer look, you will notice plenty of differences between the two.
The Beastmaker 2000 is designed with advanced climbers in mind and was even developed with the input of some of the UK’s best crushers.
The jugs have been replaced with some heinous 45-degree slopers, and there are also 4 mono pockets scattered around the board. The holds on the Beastmaker 2000 are:
- 45 Degree Slopers
- 35 Degree Slopers
- 20 Degree Slopers
- Medium 3 Finger Socket
- Smaller 3 Finger Socket
- Mouth Jug
- Big, Little & Incut Rungs
- Back 2 Pockets
- Big, Little & Sloping 2 Finger Pockets
- Sloping and 1 Pad Monos
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BEST MINI HANGBOARD
YY Vertical
The Lattice Training Rung is a pretty simple piece of kit, but this package bundle is a brilliant deal for people who are serious about stepping up their climbing game.
The lattice rung, in honesty, is nothing to write home about. This basic board had a 20mm edge and a pull-up jug along the top. While this is a pretty basic setup, it’s certainly more than enough to keep beginner and intermediate climbers busy. The built quality is also excellent and the edges are extremely well rounded so don’t cause any damage to your skin.
What really makes this offer unique, however, is the 3-month customized training program that comes along with it.
Using your new rung, you will be required to complete a self-assessment, as well as share the focus of your training (bouldering, sport, or competition climbing) as well as the training facilities you have access to.
The lattice training team takes your data and compares it to their data sets collected from 1000’s of climbers to establish what your strengths and weaknesses are. They will then send you your customized 3-month training program.
The results from these Lattice training programs are seriously impressive. Plenty of climbers have reported jumping several grades in just a few weeks and even Alex Honnold recruited the help of the Lattice team to get in shape for his first 9a/5.14d.
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BEST PULL UP BAR HANGBOARD
Problemsolver Station
This fingerboard is ideal if you are looking for a board to hang from your pull-up bar. Not only that, but I think the Station by Problemsolver is up there with the best hangboards available in 2022.
With the Station, there is no need for any expensive or bulky door mounts. This portable doorway hangboard is attached directly to your bar through the use of two adjustable straps, that offer superior stability over a single-point suspension. These straps come with a pair of little metal plates too, which you can use to add a negative slope to the board.
For a doorway hangboard, the Problemsolver packs in an impressive amount of edges into the 436 x 113mm frame. It has three standard edge sizes (24mm, 18mm, and 14mm) all of which can be adjusted with the Problemsolver inserts. On top of that, you also have a couple of two-finger pockets and a central hold for one arm hangs.
Where this board really shines is the add-on accessories. I have already mentioned the inserts, which can make each edge smaller, but you can also buy pinches and domes in different sizes to add a whole new level of variety to your training, as well as 12mm and 16mm rungs that can be added to the front or back of the board to extend those edges even further.
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BEST BUDGET HANGBOARD
Metolius Prime Rib
If you are looking for a hangboard that wouldn’t break the bank, the Metolius Prime Rib could be the one for you. Although it doesn’t come with the bells and whistles of the other wooden fingerboards on this list, there’s still here for a sufficient finger workout.
This board consists of three edges:
- Large (38mm)
- Medium (23mm)
- Small (18mm).
As the board is just a little over 10 cm it’s the perfect size to hang over a door frame. It also only needs 4 screws to mount, making it an easy set-up. At around the $50 mark, you will be hard-pressed to find a better training board around this price range.
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BEST FOR VARIETY
Stubai Kraxlboard Rock
The Kraxlboard offers some of the best variety you can find on a wooden fingerboard for climbing training.
The sheer variety of edge sizes is nothing short of mind-boggling. There are 26 edges in total, made up of mono, 2-finger, and 4-finger pockets. One of my favorite features of this board is that the bottom layer of pockets has negative sloping edges, a really unique feature to see on wood hangboards. There are also two jugs, a central jug, as well as Slopers with a 35° and 22.5° angle, on top of the board.
That alone offers plenty of training variety and progression but Stubai went one step further, and added two 80mm slopers on the bottom for working pinches, creating a brilliant training tool for climbers serious about their hangboard routine.
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BEST FOR STYLE
DUDES vs. GRAVITY’S GRAVITYboard
Bridging the gap between training equipment and interior design, the DUDES vs. GRAVITY’S GRAVITYboard is about as fashion-conscious as climbing equipment comes. These boards look like something straight out of a modern art gallery, with the natural curved edges mincing the edges and contours of the rock.
This wooden hangboard doesn’t just look good, it has a nice variety of edges hidden within its contours too. The edges range from 5mm to 20mm, so offer nice progression, as well as slopers on the top ranging from 20° and 45° allowing you to train various forearm muscle groups.
The GRAVITYboard comes in two different types of wood. The birch model is lighter in color, and retails for $50 dollars cheaper, so if price is a big sticking point for you. The dark and rich color of the walnut version is gorgeous, although you pay a little extra for it.
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BEST OF THE REST
BuddyBoard Hangboard
Danger Buddies might be new to the hangboarding game, but that hasn’t stopped them from knocking it out of the park with the Buddyboard, a fingerboard that’s great for climbers of all abilities.
For starters, this fingerboard is made in Wisconsin using sustainably sourced US hardwood, which we love. But the board itself also boasts a great variety of holds and a bunch of great features. The board boasts the following features:
- Phone Stand
- 2 Practise Anchors
- 2 Jugs
- 20 Degree Sloper
- 2 x Small 40 mm Pocket
- 2 x Small 30mm Pocket
- 2 x Medium 30mm Pocket
- 2 x Medium 20mm Edge
- 1 x Large 35mm Edge
- 1 x Large 25mm Edge
- 1 x Large 15mm Edge
I like the variety of edges and pockets the Buddyboard offers, but the reason we think it is one of the best hangboards currently on the market is due to all those awesome extra features.
For example, we really like the built-in phone stand which is ideal for interval training or following along with a timed training program on your phone.
The practice anchors are also an excellent addition that can add an unlimited amount of versatility to your training, such as counterweighting, practicing clipping, or even assisted one-arm exercises.
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BEST OF THE REST
Friction Labs Hangboard
This might look like a simple budget hangboard but there’s more going on the Friction Labs Hangboard than meets the eye. The most obvious features are the two edges in the middle of the board (20mm and 15mm) but there is also a sneaky 15° sloper and two jugs on the top of the board, which are great additions to this simple hangboard.
What makes this wooden fingerboard unique is its ability to be used as a portable training board as well as a permanently fixed one. It does this by providing you with both a 6mm cord that can hang from a pull-up bar or a tree at the crag as well as 3” screws for mounting to a wall.
Just like BuddyBoard, Friction Labs hand carve their fingerboards in the US, however, the Friction Labs board is left unvarnished to help save your skin.
PREMIUM PORTABLE HANGBOARD
Awesome Woodys’ Cliff Board Mini
I first tried an Awesome Woody Hangboard in a bouldering gym in Brisbane and I was really impressed by the versatility of these little travel hangboards.
If your home is on the road, or you are just looking for a training board that you can take down to your local crag for a warm-up, an Awesome Woody could be the best hangboard for you.
Handmade in Australia by ethically sourced timber, these boards are made by Ross Ferguson, a professional carpenter and climbing fanatic. While Awesome Woodys come in a variety of shapes and sizes, the Mini is the ideal travel companion.
While the Mini certainly doesn’t offer the awesome range of holds as the Beastmaker 1000, there’s still enough crimps and edges to keep things interesting and give you a diverse workout. Each board has the following holds:
- Top rail, 30 mm rounded open handed in-cut.
- 2nd edge, 20 mm rounded flat.
- 3rd edge 15 mm rounded flat.
- Back edge, 12 mm rounded edge. • 2nd row pockets,
- 2 x 3 finger pockets 25 mm ,
- 2 x mono’s 30 mm,
- 1 x 2 finger 25 mm.
- 3 x hand holes.
The open hand holes are great for building your lock off power and are unique to Awesome Woody’s design.
How to choose a hangboard
There are a few things to look out for when finding the best wooden fingerboard. The first thing you will look at is the holds.
Because the purpose of a hangboard is to build finger and grip strength, you should be looking for a board that has a variety of holds, some that you can hold for over 10 seconds, and others that you aren’t able to hold at all. This allows you to progress once you start to develop your finger strength.
Another factor to consider is the size and weight of your prospective hangboard. If you are planning on hanging yours above a door frame, you will probably need a board that is less than 20cm high, although this ultimately depends on your doorways. Wherever you decide to hang yours, make sure your wall is strong enough that it can hold both the weight of the board and you hanging from it.
Fingerboard vs hangboard
Throughout this article, I have referred to both fingers and hangboards. To set the record straight, fingerboards and hangboards are the same things and both names are often used interchangeably.
Rock Rings vs Hangboard
Hangboards aren’t the only option to build forearm strength at home. Rock Rings are also a great option for house-ridden rock monkeys looking for climbing-specific training.
Hangboards, just as the name suggests, are designed for the specific use of hanging on. Despite many climbers also using them for pull-ups, this is not what they are intended for and can actually cause serious injury.
Rock Rings, on the other hand, use a hanging design (opposed to a mounted one) which allows them to move freely and prevent stress and injury to your joints.
While hangboarding has been proven to improve your finger strength, Rock Rings will help improve your core strength too. Check out some Metolius’ training programs here for more information.
Campus board vs Hangboard
s we have already discussed, the goal of hangboard training is to improve finger strength and grip strength. Campus board training is designed to fundamentally improve your explosive power as well as your ability to move between holds under tension and speed.
Wooden Vs Plastic Hangboard
Generally, hangboards are made from two different materials, wood and plastic. There are distinct characteristics and advantages to both of these styles.
If you are looking for the best wooden fingerboard there are a few things you need to know. Wooden hangboards are favored by many climbers. The pros tend to use wooden hangboards because they are a lot smoother, and therefore a lot more gentle, on your fingers. This makes them more skin friendly due to their softer texture, but also makes them more difficult to hold than their plastic counterparts due to the reduced friction.
Another characteristic of a wooden hangboard is that they are often lighter, smaller, and often built with a flatter design, making them easier to mount over a door or somewhere similar in your house.
While using a little chalk can be beneficial, be careful to not over-chalk as this will make your board slippy. Cleaning with a soft brush every now and then will keep your wood fingerboard in good condition.
Plastic hangboards aren’t actually made from plastic, but rather from polyester resin, similar to what you would expect most gym holds to feel like. One of the coolest things about these styles of fingerboards is that they can be made in some unusually shaped molds, giving you a bigger variety of grips, pinches, and slopers to play with.
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Sam Laird
A lifelong climber and shoe geek. His first shoe was the OG Scarpa Helix, although his shoe collection has grown to unhealthy levels in the last 20 years. When he’s not getting shut down on V2 gym slabs, Sam is backpacking around the world in pursuit of his next big adventure.