Our top pick? The Premium Sports Chalk by Friction Labs
If you’ve been scaling the walls at your local climbing gym, or ascending a tricky rock face and haven’t been using chalk as the invaluable aid that it is, then what we’d say to you is: you need to get a grip! (Get it?) It may not be a life saving piece of gear like your harnesses or ropes, but using chalk can greatly improve the security you feel while climbing, overcoming common problems like sweat, humidity, creams and oils that reduce friction, making chalk an essential buy for any climber, from beginner to expert.
When it comes to picking the right chalk for you, there are tonnes of different options, so finding the correct type and brand will really make the difference. You may think that all chalk would just be the same, however, although they all do have the same Magnesium Carbonate base, each brand's formulas are uniquely fine tuned for maximum effectiveness when climbing. So, throughout our top picks we have chalked up three main categories (I promise we're done with the puns after this one!) that we believe make up a great climbing chalk: [1] 'application' (how easy it is to apply the chalk), [2] 'performance' (how well the chalk dries your hands, increases friction, and how long it lasts), and finally [3] 'comfort' (how the chalk feels on your skin).
Choosing the best option doesn't have to be difficult, and that's why we've created this list to sort the powdered chalk from the liquid chalk, and guide you through this world to find what best suits your needs! Enjoy!
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#1 — Premium Sports Chalk by Friction Labs
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best chalk for climbing.
What makes it special? The very best chalk that money can buy! Although it is some of the most expensive on the market, Friction Labs premium sports chalk offers the best overall performance of all the chalks tested, perfect for overcoming sweaty hands, rain, oils and creams, to ensure a great grip. With a large number of high profile endorsements and impressive claims, the chalk surprisingly met and exceeded all expectations.
There are 3 different consistencies of chalk on offer, fine, chunky and super chunky to suit your preference, although we found 'unicorn dust' to be the best, the others all perform superbly. It provides excellent grip, is really easy to apply with an even coating, and is really comfortable on the skin, without feeling too dry. So claiming our top spot on the list, if you're happy to spend that little bit extra, we really feel like it is worth it!
#2 — Magic Refillable Chalk Ball by Friction Labs
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best chalk for climbing.
What makes it special? The 'magic' refillable chalk ball is a great addition to every climber’s arsenal! An adjustable drawstring allows for refilling of the fabric bag, and really improves the chalk application process, especially reducing the dust created, so your belayers will be thanking you for not snowing all over them when reapplying. Holding 2.2oz of chalk, it works perfectly with the Friction Labs own blends, however when tested, it also does a great job with other decent quality chalk brands you might want to use, if you happen to have a different preference. Overall for such a simple tool, this refillable ball really does the trick, and is highly recommended by us!
#3 — Chalk Balls by SPRI
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best value disposable chalk balls
What makes it special? These chalk balls by SPRI are a great option if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to other choices on our list, as they are really good value for money. The chalk is quite soft and dry compared to others but the ball allows for a good even coating and a solid grip when climbing, but you get what you pay for, and for the lower price it gets the job done.
With the bags being pre-sealed, their disposable nature means that they will be handy for trips away where you don't want to have to worry about cleaning and bringing a reusable ball around with you, however you must be careful with how they are stored, as the chalk can get everywhere. So although the chalk was not the best performing on our list, we still felt these deserved a spot in our top picks.
#4 — Alcohol Free Liquid Chalk by Friction Labs
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
Best liquid chalk for rock climbing.
What makes it special? If you’re willing to carry a slightly larger bottle with you, rather than the usual smaller options, then this 8.5 oz bottle of liquid chalk provides great bang for your buck! Not only do you get a lot for the price, but a little drop of the stuff really goes a long way to providing great coverage and grip.
We really liked the consistency of SPORTMEDIQ's liquid chalk, feeling a little like a lotion during application until it drys, and with a pleasant light fragrance, there really aren’t many bad things to say about it. The only downside really is the size of the bottle and that it doesn’t quite match the performance of the Friction Labs liquid chalk, but if you’re looking for a great deal then you can’t go much wrong than with this!
#5 — Pro Grade Liquid Chalk by SPORTMEDIQ
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best liquid chalk for sensitive skin
What makes it special? If, like many people, you suffer from sensitive skin and after applying dry or liquid chalk, it causes you to flare up and worsens your condition, this really shouldn't be a reason to not use such a great climbing aid, or worse yet, you shouldn't have to use it and suffer the consequences on your skin.
This Alcohol Free liquid chalk variation by Friction Labs is the specially designed for climbers with sensitive skin, and although the lack of alcohol increases the time it takes for the skin to dry, we still think it's worth it for the right person, and we didn't notice a drop in quality once the chalk has dried. Thoroughly recommended!
#6 — Travel Size Liquid Chalk by SPORTMEDIQ
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best travel size liquid chalk for climbing
What makes it special? Coming in a handy travel sized bottle that contains just 1.69 oz of chalk, SPORTMEDIQ’s travel sized bottle of liquid chalk is perfect for those climbers that love to travel. The small size combined with the carabiner clip, was the main reason we felt we had to include this option as one of our top picks, as we’ve found it to be really useful for keeping it close by whilst always being ready for application during climbing, as it can be attached to a harness, bag or belt loop, which is a feature that was lacking on other bottles we’ve found.
Being the same liquid chalk that’s found in our best value pick, you don’t quite get the same value for money with this, as you’ll be paying a premium for the convenience of the bottle, however the chalk is still really effective for climbing and the bottle can easily be refilled, so we’d even recommend making this a one-time purchase and buying SPORTMEDIQ’s larger bottle to top it up when you’ve run out.
#7 — Liquid Chalk w/ Hygienic Formula by Friction Labs
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best liquid chalk for rock climbing
What makes it special? With the ongoing pandemic around the world, choosing Friction Labs liquid chalk with its new Hygienic Formula is really a no brainer as far as we are concerned. This is particularly true where indoor climbing is concerned, having lots and lots of people climbing on the same walls and touching the same climbing holds, choosing a chalk that not only improves grip and is extremely easy to apply, but also sanitises your hands while doing so to give you that extra protection, was something we couldn’t look past to take our top spot as far as liquid chalk is concerned.
It provides great coverage across the hands with just a small drop, and greatly improves grip as you would expect, keeping the sweat at bay. The premium price of this product may be a reason to put you off taking the plunge, but what we would say to you is just try it once and you won’t be able to go back!
#8 — Chalk Block by SPRI
Our rating: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
The best chalk block for climbing
What makes it special? If you’re a bit more old school, budget conscious, or just prefer the feel of a chalk block over powdered chalk and liquid chalk then this is the pick for you! Although we don’t profess to be the biggest advocates of chalk blocks, for the reasons mentioned prior, or any other, we felt it wouldn’t be right to do a rundown of the best chalk on the market without including a chalk block option.
After comparing a number of different options we settled on this chalk block by SPRI as being the top of the class when it comes to blocks, as not only is it a great budget friendly option, which could potentially be broken down into powder, but the chalk also does a great job when climbing. It’s not quite as long lasting as some of our other picks due to its less dense nature, however it still provides great security, and for the price you really can’t go wrong.
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