Beastmaker 1000 Review: The Most Iconic Hangboard
If you've spent any time in climbing gyms, you've seen a Beastmaker. That distinctive wooden board with the clean curves and warm tulipwood grain has been hanging above doorframes and in training corners since 2007. The Beastmaker 1000 is the most recognized hangboard in climbing, and for good reason. But recognition and quality don't automatically mean it's the right board for everyone.
The most recognized hangboard in the world
- Beautiful tulipwood, incredibly skin-friendly
- Compact profile fits small spaces
- Good hold variety with slopers and jugs
- Companion app with guided workouts
- Proven at the highest level of climbing
- Edge depths not labeled in millimeters
- Large gaps between hold sizes
- Importing to the US adds cost
- No asymmetric layout options
- Design unchanged since 2012
Climbers building a finger strength foundation (V1-V10). Intermediate climbers wanting hold variety. Home trainers who value aesthetics. Climbers who love the Beastmaker community and app ecosystem.
Design and Build Quality
The Beastmaker 1000 hangboard is a beautiful piece of equipment. There's no other way to put it. The classic version is CNC-machined from FSC-certified North American tulipwood, a fast-growing hardwood with a fine, consistent grain that feels great on your skin.
Beastmaker was co-founded in 2007 by Dan Varian and Ned Feehally in Sheffield, UK. Both are elite boulderers; Ned is one of a handful of climbers to have flashed V14. The boards are still made in the UK, and that craftsmanship shows. The holds are ergonomically shaped and generously radiused, so nothing digs into your skin during long sessions.
The board measures 580mm x 150mm x 58mm and comes with 6 mounting screws (2x70mm, 2x60mm, 2x50mm). It's compact enough to fit in most training spaces while offering a solid variety of holds.
Aesthetically, the Beastmaker board is hard to beat. The light honey tones of tulipwood darken with age and chalk, giving it character over time. It's the kind of training tool that looks good on your wall, not just functional but genuinely attractive.
Wood is the material of choice for serious finger training. It's naturally porous, handles chalk well, provides consistent friction, and is far gentler on skin than resin or plastic. Beastmaker climbing products have been a major part of why wood hangboards became the standard.
The Beech Edition
In recent years, Beastmaker introduced a beech version of the Beastmaker 1000 series. This edition uses FCS-certified European beech sourced from continuous cover forestry in the EU. It's a meaningful upgrade in several ways.
Beech is denser than tulipwood, with a darker color and subtle grain. That density translates to better durability over decades of use. The wood is biomass kiln-dried and transported via road from EU sources, giving it a lower carbon footprint than importing tulipwood from North America.
The hold layout on the beech edition is identical to the tulipwood version. Same dimensions, same ergonomic shaping, same screw kit. The difference is the wood itself: feel, appearance, and long-term wear.
The beech edition costs more. While the tulipwood version runs about $138 USD, the beech model comes in at roughly $150+ USD. If you value sustainability and premium materials, beech is worth considering. If you want the classic look and feel that put Beastmaker on the map, tulipwood is the original for a reason.
Hold Breakdown
Here's what's on the board, straight from the manufacturer. It features 21 individual holds:
| Hold Type | Count | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Jugs | 2 | Warm-ups, feet-off hanging, one-arm progressions |
| 35-degree slopers | 2 | Open-hand strength, body tension |
| 20-degree slopers | 2 | Moderate sloper training |
| Very deep 4-finger pocket | 1 | Entry-level pocket training, warm-ups |
| Deep 4-finger pockets | 2 | Building base finger strength |
| Deep 3-finger pockets | 2 | Three-finger strength at easy depth |
| Deep 2-finger pockets | 2 | Isolation: front two or back two fingers |
| Medium 4-finger pockets | 2 | Standard training edge for intermediate hangs |
| Small 4-finger pockets (10mm) | 2 | Smallest holds on the board, advanced |
| Medium 2-finger pockets | 2 | Focused two-finger strength |
| Medium 3-finger pockets | 2 | Three-finger loading at moderate depth |
The layout is symmetrical. Each hold type appears on both sides of the board. The progression runs from jugs and deep pockets (great for warming up or if you're new to hanging) down to 10mm small pockets for stronger climbers.
What's notably absent: monos (single-finger pockets) and the steep 45-degree slopers found on the Beastmaker 2000. This is intentional. The 1000 was designed to remove the holds that could be risky for newer climbers and replace them with more pocket depth variations.
The holds themselves are smooth and well-radiused. Beastmaker's wood shaping is among the best in the industry. Nothing feels sharp or aggressive, and that matters when you're doing multiple sets across a training session.
Who It's For
Beastmaker markets the 1000 series for climbers from V1 to V10. That's a wide range, and it's mostly accurate. The generous pocket depths and jugs make it approachable for anyone getting into finger training, while the 10mm pockets and slopers give intermediate climbers enough challenge to keep progressing.
This Beastmaker hangboard works well for:
Climbers building a finger strength foundation. The deep pockets and jugs let you start with feet-assisted hangs or light body weight and work up gradually.
Intermediate climbers wanting variety. The range of pocket widths (2-finger, 3-finger, 4-finger) at various depths lets you target specific grip types.
Home trainers who value aesthetics. If looks matter to you in a home gym, this is one of the best-looking boards on the market.
Climbers who love the Beastmaker community. Beastmaker has a training app, a strong social media presence, and a community of climbers who use the boards together.
The 1000 series starts to feel limiting once you're consistently climbing above V10 and need more aggressive slopers, monos, or precise edge progression. That's where the Beastmaker 2000 or other boards come in.
Training on the Beastmaker 1000
Most people use this board for one of three well-known protocols:
Max Hangs (Eva Lopez Protocol)
Pick an edge, add weight or reduce assistance until you can hang for about 10 seconds at near-maximum effort. Do 3 to 5 sets with 3 to 5 minutes of rest between sets. This builds peak finger strength. The medium 4-finger pockets work well as a default training edge.
Repeaters (Anderson Brothers Protocol)
7 seconds on, 3 seconds off, repeated for 6 cycles per set. This targets strength endurance. The variety of holds lets you move through different grip types across sets: open hand on the slopers, half crimp on the medium pockets, focused two-finger work on the 2-finger pockets.
Abrahangs (Abrahamsson Protocol)
A newer, research-backed approach: sub-maximal hangs twice a day, every day, with 6+ hours between sessions. The total session is under 2 minutes. This low-intensity, high-frequency method builds tendon resilience over time. You can run this protocol on the deeper holds comfortably.
The Beastmaker app also provides structured workouts and a timer, which is a nice addition for people who don't want to program their own sessions. For our full training protocol guide, check out the Beastmaker workouts guide.
One thing to note: the board doesn't label its edge depths in millimeters, so tracking progressive overload through edge size is harder than on boards that do label their edges. You can measure the holds yourself, but it's an extra step. For detailed protocol breakdowns, see our hangboard training guide.
Limitations
No hangboard is perfect, and this board has some genuine limitations worth considering before you buy.
No Labeled Edge Depths
This is the biggest functional gap. The holds are described in relative terms: "deep," "medium," "small." There are no millimeter measurements marked on the board. If you're following a protocol that says "hang on a 20mm edge this week, 18mm next week," you'll need to measure the holds yourself or guess. Labeled edges matter for structured training.
Limited Sloper Progression
The 35-degree and 20-degree slopers are useful but relatively moderate. If you're training sloper strength seriously, two angles isn't much to work with. The Beastmaker 2000 adds a 45-degree sloper, but you'd need to buy a separate board.
Importing Costs for US Buyers
Beastmaker is a UK brand. In the US, So iLL distributes the boards, and the tulipwood version retails for around $138. The beech version costs more. Prices can push higher with shipping and availability issues.
No Asymmetric Options
The board is perfectly symmetrical. This is fine for standard training but means your shoulder width changes depending on which hold you're using.
How It Compares
| Feature | Beastmaker 1000 | The Hangboard | Tension Grindstone | Metolius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Tulipwood/Beech | Beech wood | Poplar (coated) | Resin |
| Labeled Edges | No | Yes (6 depths) | Yes | No |
| Smallest Edge | 10mm | 10mm | ~8mm | ~6mm |
| Slopers | 20° and 35° | 40° | No | Yes |
| Price (USD) | ~$138-150+ | $89.99 | ~$170.90 | ~$70-115 |
| Asymmetric | No | Yes | Yes | No |
vs. The Hangboard ($89.99)
The Hangboard is a beech wood fingerboard with 6 labeled edge depths running from 40mm down to 10mm, plus jugs and 40-degree slopers. The asymmetric layout lets you set up different hold combinations on each side. At $89.99, it costs significantly less than the Beastmaker while offering labeled millimeter progression that makes structured training straightforward.
The Beastmaker wins on heritage and sloper variety (two different angles versus one). The Hangboard wins on labeled progression, steeper slopers (40 degrees vs. 35), price, and asymmetric design. If your priority is tracking progression through specific edge depths, The Hangboard gives you that out of the box.
vs. Tension Grindstone Mk2 (~$171)
Another wood board with a strong reputation. Labeled edges from 8mm to 30mm with clinical, training-focused layout. The priciest option here, targeting climbers who want very specific hold types for structured protocols. Less variety than the 1000, but precisely sized holds.
vs. Metolius Simulator 3D/Project (~$70-115)
Metolius boards are resin, not wood. Affordable and widely available, but the texture is rougher on skin and less pleasant for high-volume training. Good budget option for testing whether hangboarding is for you, but most climbers who stick with training upgrade to wood eventually.
Labeled beech wood edges from 40mm to 10mm at $89.99
For climbers who want clear, labeled progression from 40mm down to 10mm, a wider sloper angle, and beech wood construction at a lower price, The Hangboard is worth a hard look at $89.99. You get more training structure for less money.
Verdict
The Beastmaker 1000 is an iconic fingerboard. It earned its reputation through quality craftsmanship, ergonomic design, and association with some of the strongest climbers in the world. The tulipwood version is beautiful, and the beech edition adds premium materials with a sustainability angle.
If you value heritage, community (the Beastmaker app and training ecosystem), and a board that looks as good as it performs, this hangboard delivers. It's a solid training tool that will last for years.
That said, you're paying a premium for the Beastmaker name. At $138+ for tulipwood, it's not the most cost-effective option. The lack of labeled edge depths is a real limitation for structured training. And the symmetrical layout, while clean, offers less versatility than asymmetric designs.
Bottom line: This is the board that put wooden hangboards on the map. It's earned every bit of its reputation. Just make sure you're buying it because it fits your training goals, not just because it's famous.
For more brand comparisons, check out the Hangboard Brand Guide and our Best Hangboards 2026 roundup.
Want labeled edges for less?
Six edges. 40mm to 10mm. Beech wood. $89.99.
Shop The HangboardFrequently Asked Questions
Yes. The 1000 series was designed with newer climbers in mind. The jugs and deep pockets give you comfortable starting holds, and you can use feet-assisted hangs to reduce the load as you build strength. Beastmaker rates the board for V1 to V10, and the gentler hold selection (no monos or steep slopers) makes it more forgiving than the 2000 series.
The 2000 is the advanced version. It removes the jugs and deep pockets in favor of monos, 45-degree slopers, and smaller edges. If you're climbing above V10 consistently and need holds that challenge elite finger strength, the 2000 is the step up. The 1000 is the right call for most climbers building their base.
Both have identical hold layouts. Tulipwood is the classic: light-colored, fine-grained, and proven over nearly two decades. Beech is denser, darker, and slightly more durable long-term, with a lower carbon footprint from EU sourcing. The beech version costs roughly $10-15 more. If sustainability matters to you, go beech. Otherwise, tulipwood is the tried-and-true option.
The board comes with 6 mounting screws in three lengths (70mm, 60mm, and 50mm). You'll need to screw it into a solid surface like a wall stud, a wooden beam, or a dedicated mounting board. For detailed instructions, check our hangboard mounting guide.
That's a design choice by Beastmaker. Their holds are described in relative terms (deep, medium, small) rather than precise millimeter measurements. It keeps the board looking clean, but it means you'll need to measure the holds yourself if you want to follow protocols that call for specific edge sizes.
It's a high-quality hangboard with excellent craftsmanship. At ~$138 for tulipwood, you're paying for premium wood, ergonomic design, and the Beastmaker name. If heritage and build quality top your list, absolutely. If you're more focused on value and labeled training progression, boards like The Hangboard offer comparable quality at a lower price.
Ready to start training?
6 edge depths from 40mm to 10mm. European beech wood. One board that grows with your climbing.