The 2000 series Beastmaker lives up to its name even more than its 1000 series counterpart. The main reason is as simple as all the holds on this are bad. Its warm-up holds are the mid-sized to smaller edges on most other models in our review.
For most people, edges (which we describe as a hold we can put all four of our fingers on) are the foundation for most training sessions. However, that is not the case with this board, which is centered around symmetrical two-finger pockets designed to be used with two arms and a variety of three-finger pockets that most climbers using this board will likely hang from one-armed or one-armed with some assistance.
This Beastmaker only has two sets of four finger edges (1 1/4" and 1/2") and are the warm-up holds for this model. Just for comparison, a 1/2" 4-finger edge is the smallest for quadruple digits most other models feature. The larger 1 1/4" depth is basically a pad and a half in depth for most climbers.
This model does offer two four-finger edges in the center of the board (2" and 1" depths) that are more or less designed to be used to work on one-armed lock-offs or to assist in hanging onto more challenging holds when you are getting tried (for example one hand on the 4-finger edge and the other in a mono).
PocketsThe 2000 series is stacked full of pockets (especially 2-finger ones) of varying depths and a few pockets at slopingly vicious angles. This model features no symmetric pairs of 3-finger pockets (we know, right??). It's not that you can't hang with both arms on two different three-finger pockets, but this board isn't necessarily geared for this. The only three-finger pockets are 1 1/2" and 3/4", both just offset from the center of the board and more-or-less designed to be used individually.
This board has four sets of two-finger pockets. The depths of these are 1 1/4", 1" 3/8", 3/4", and an evil, sloped 7/8" depth pocket. The deepest 2-finger pockets have an offset hole to work on 1-finger hangs. Lastly, there are three one-finger pockets. One of the mono's is slightly sloped.
What all this stacks up to is that the 2000 series Beastmaker doesn't offer climbers in the 5.10-low 5.12 range much to work with, but for 5.13 and higher climbers, this board is the bomb.
This model has three pairs of slopers and no jugs. The middle-most sloper (19°) is more or less designed to be used for one-armed hangs and to help get the blood flowing while warming up. Like the rest of this board, the outer two slopers bring the business and aren't super forgiving, to say the least. The middle-difficulty sloper is 33 degrees steep, and most users will find this angle challenging enough while the outside-most and most-challenging sloper is an are-you-kidding-me 42 degrees. For those less familiar with angles, these are the sloper versions of having three sets of mono pockets and no symmetrical three-finger holds.
This model has some of the best texture in our review. Both of these models are wood and have a very smooth finish that wrecked our skin the least of any model we tested. We especially appreciate the smooth texture of this board as all of our body weight is often focused on such a small portion of our fingertips.
The smooth texture is also better for training; because the smoother surface offers less purchase, you need to try harder to hang-on. A potential downside of wood is you don't want to use much chalk as it will produce a gummy feeling over time. This is hardly a big deal because as long as you don't wait too long, you can clean it off.
The Beastmaker offers no real pinch training. While this model has a lot going for it, pinches of any kind aren't what it's about.
Along with its less vicious sibling, the Beastmaker is compact. As a result, it is easy to mount. Its dimensions are roughly 22.75" x 6". The 2000 will fit above nearly any doorway, even in places with lower-than-average 7-foot ceilings. More standard, 8 foot ceilings are easy. The Beastmaker's short height means it can also be mounted in many other less-visible places, like the inside of a closet. The polished wood finish of this board looks pretty nice, too, if hung in a visible area. It also only requires six screws. As far as mounting a board goes, this is one of the easiest.
With a triple digit price tag, this model is twice the price of several other models included in our review. While we think this board is without question better than those models, we aren't totally sold that it is twice as good. If you do decide to throw down the cash for this model, you get a board that is CNC machined and finished by hand in the UK with the straight-up best texture we have ever felt. We think the greatest value lies in if you are a 5.13 climber or V7/8 boulderer. If you're a high-end climber like this and want to keep tackling challenging routes, then there is no better board for you.
