Bison Designs Competition Chalk Review
Climbing chalk might not be one of those life-saving pieces of gear, but it can have a massive impact on your performance on the rock or at the gym.In our view having the right chalk can make the difference between sending your latest project or slipping off that tenuous sloper right at the crux. Finding the right brand for you and your style of climbing can make all the difference.That’s why we’ve done a round-up of the top ten best climbing chalk available on the market today.Having scoured thousands of reviews and having used some of the products here ourselves, we hope this will make your next chalk purchase a good one. Our Top Climbing Chalk. PriceThis is where FrictionLabs may put some people off.
- Bison Designs Competition Chalk. Use this Competition chalk from BIson Designs to dry your hands for a secure grip when climbing.
- Bison Designs, LLC 735 South Lincoln Longmont, CO 80501. Climbing Chalk. 1 Gallon Bulk Competition Chalk.
Whilst they pride themselves on being market leaders, they do expect you to pay for it. So whilst this is the best chalk, it’s also the most expensive loose chalk around at the moment.That said, given the performance of the chalk, this is likely to last you longer than your average chalk, so it may even out in the end. PerformancePerformance of FrictionLabs Unicorn Dust is fantastic. It offers a dry, but not too dry feeling on the fingers, providing a secure connection to the holds.Users report great performance, even with sweaty hands. Although the coarser grade chalks may suit you better if you sweat a lot, or live in a really humid area.It’s also a little kinder to the skin, thanks to the lack of added drying agents, helping to reduce peeling and dryness.Overall, Unicorn Dust is one of the best performers on the market today. CoverageThanks to the extra fine particles the chalk goes on well and provides excellent coverage of the hands.The coverage also lasts throughout your climbing, meaning your hands stay dryer for longer, and you spend less time chalking up.
PriceFor chalk that performs so well, this is great value for money, coming in much cheaper than the FrictionLabs offering, whilst offering slightly more in a bag at 300 g. PerformanceWhite Gold is a solid performer, providing good moisture wicking and lasts well for an entire session.It does tend to clump, so do expect to find a few lumps in the bag. This is a pretty common occurrence loose chalk, but just something to be aware of. CoverageUsers report the chalk going on and staying on pretty well, but not quite offering the same levels of coverage as the FrictionLabs offering.Overall a great choice and a regular goto chalk for thousands of climbers.
PriceTrango’s Gunpowder offers great value for money, coming in at around the $0.03 per gram mark and thanks to its extra fine texture it lasts really well, meaning you only use a little bit at a time. PerformanceUsers report excellent performance, offering a dry and secure feeling that lasts for several climbs.It also doesn’t have quite the same drying effect on the hands as other chalks, meaning it’s great for longer sessions. CoverageThe fine texture of the chalk means it’s a breeze to apply.
Use this Competition chalk from BIson Designs to dry your hands for a secure grip when climbing. Additional information. Brand: Bison Designs. Related Products. Krieg Special K Chalk Bag – Unicorn.
Bison Designs Competition Chalk Review Youtube
One of the reviews we saw said it was like “dipping their hand into a cloud”, just a really dry one.No lumps and that extra fine texture put it on a par with the Unicorn Dust in this department. It also means it’s well suited to use with a chalk ball. PriceWhilst it’s a fairly low price, particularly compared to the equivalent FrictionLabs Secret Stuff, it’s hard to judge value compared to loose of block chalk due it’s a different method of application.Most users are getting five or six routes before having to re-apply and are only applying small amounts, which seems reasonable, but your mileage may vary. PerformanceOverall performance is reported to be great, quickly drying the user's hands out ready for climbing or lifting.Unfortunately, there have been a lot of reports of the bottle failing, causing minor seepage or total, very messy, failure. CoverageThanks to being a liquid, the coverage is great, as it’s applied wet and then dries to provide an even coat across the whole hand.Some users have reported an unpleasant smell for the suspension liquid, but this is a minor niggle. PricePrimo Chalk is at the more expensive end of the pricing range and the bag is a little smaller than some of the others in this roundup, but it does come with a chalk bag, which adds to the value. PerformancePerformance is pretty good also, with users reporting great results both in weight lifting and climbing.The texture is a little heavier due to the essential oils, but they really do help keep the usual dryness and peeling to a minimum, helping your skin last longer.
CoverageCoverage is pretty solid also but doesn’t quite match those in the top two spots. PriceThis stuff is a bargain! It comes in eight blocks of 2 oz, totalling 16 oz or just over 450 g.For a product that delivers on the performance front in the way this does, makes this a very compelling option for the budget conscious. PerformancePerformance reports are great, with some users reporting that this is the best chalk they’ve ever used in their life.This is straight up Magnesium Carbonate, so there are no additives, so you will have to look after your hands afterwards, but the dryness and grip offered is on a par with the top performers. CoverageCoverage is good, but as this comes in blocks you will have to break it apart yourself.You can either keep it in a block, this reduces spillage but will reduce how much chalk you can get on your hands, or you break it down into a powder, more hassle, but easier application and coverage. PriceThe price is a bit of a weak point when compared to some of the others in this category, coming in at the more expensive end of the spectrum.That said, you do get a large 453 g container for your money.
PerformancePerformance is pretty good, offering a good drying action and the expected additional grip. It’s not quite in the same league as our top picks, but certainly no slouch. CoverageCoverage is good, but quite light. The chalk itself is very fine meaning that application is easy enough, but you may find yourself chalking up more often as it does come off during climbing. PricePrice wise the Power Crunch is pretty good value for money, coming in at around $0.05 per gram. PerformanceUsers report a real sense of dryness with this chalk and good levels of grip.The mixed texture does have some critics, as it can be a little messy, but others love the mix of chunks and finer particles and see it as a benefit. CoverageCoverage is great, thanks to the finer grade which help the chalk go on quickly and easily.That said, as you use up the finer chalk, you will find yourself having to break the larger chunks down.
PriceYou may need to sit down for the price of FrictionLabs Secret Stuff as it is pretty pricey. Whilst liquid chalk normally is more expensive gram for gram, as it’s supposed to last longer, this is expensive even for that. PerformancePerformance is good, but users report using it in conjunction with powdered chalk, preferring to use it as a base layer that lasts underneath the powdered chalk.There have also been a few reports leaky bottles or the chalk drying out. This seems to be an issue with liquid chalks, so watch out for this. CoverageAs with most liquid chalks, coverage is amazing, as you simply rub it all over your hands and let the isopropyl alcohol evaporate, leaving behind the chalk. PriceThis is one of the strengths of the Metolius chalk, as you certainly get a lot of chalk for your money.
Throw into the mix the fact that you get a chalk sock as well and this is a cost-effective offering. PerformanceThe performance, however, is a bit mixed. Some users report good performance, but others rate it as fairly average.Compared to the top players such as the FrictionLabs, it’s just not in the same league, offering average levels of grip. CoverageCoverage is good whether you’re using the sock or not, but it can suffer from clumping in the bag, which can be a pain as you’ll need to break the lumps down before you can really apply it properly.
Scoring CriteriaFor us, there are three key aspects that are important when it comes to choosing the right climbing chalk. PriceThere is a wide range of prices on the market and they don’t always correlate directly with performance, which is why we think this is an important call it out.Whilst we don’t price actual prices, we do give you a price per gram, to help you compare one chalk against another. PerformanceIn our opinion, this is the most important.When we talk about performance, covers how well the chalk does at drying sweaty hands, as well as the sense of security on the rock.We also call out any issues with clumping or packaging failing. CoverageFinally, coverage, or how easily chalk goes on and stays on is critical to its usability, which is why we called out coverage as another essential metric.The perfect chalk goes on like a dream and stays there.
More Information Different Styles of Chalk BlockJust as the name implies, block chalk is a chunk of Magnesium Carbonate that comes in the shape of a square brick.You can break off as much as you want to use at a time, or crush the entire block into your chalk bag by stepping on it like a kid bursting bubble wrap. Just make sure the bag is closed tightly before stomping on your block or you’ll have a mushroom cloud of chalk dust to clean up.The nice thing about block chalk is that you get to crush it to your preferred consistency.
Some climbers like it thick and chunky, others like it fine and smooth - you choose with the freedom of a block.Plus, a contained square of chalk is less messy to transport than a bag of loose powder, which we’ll cover next. LooseLoose chalk comes in the form of a powder, ground up to a factory-determined consistency.Some companies offer different levels of coarseness, so you might have to play around with different varieties before deciding which texture is right for you.Another element to consider when buying loose chalk is whether to get pure chalk (MgCO3) or chalk with added-in drying agents.Some climbers like the extra drying qualities of the blended chalk, and others think it’s unnecessary and prefer the purity of Magnesium Carbonate.Which you choose is, again, up to you. LiquidThe most recent development in the world of climbing chalk is the idea of liquid chalk. Combine MgCO3 (loose chalk) with C3H8O (rubbing alcohol) and voila: you’ve got liquid chalk!The advantage of liquid chalk is that the alcohol dries quickly, leaving a chalky residue on your hands and eliminating the dustiness of powdered chalk, making it cleaner and less likely to leave white smears on the rock - Leave No Trace, anyone?Liquid chalk might also last longer than powdered, meaning you don’t have to apply it as often.