Friction Labs Bam-bam vs BD white gold

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Which brand is better? I don't know for sure, but I've used both and here are my thoughts. For starters, the price is way different. At the local outdoors store, I can buy 300g of White Gold chalk for the same price as 143g of FL chalk. The BD chalk is more the consistency of Friction Labs' gorilla grip chalk, but maybe a little less chunky. I like a lot of chunks, but that's just a preference. Maybe a finer chalk would be better for hard climbs where you want to be able to chalk up quick and go, but I don't know. For what it's worth, Adam Ondra only took one grape sized chunk of chalk with him when he sent his project, "Silence". On my hands, the BD chalk feels slippery and weirdly grainy, whereas the FL chalk feels grippy between my hands. However, when climbing on rock or plastic, I've found that the grippiness of both chalks is quite comparable, with maybe the FL being slightly grippier. Both chalks dry my hands with the same wellness, but neither chalk has made my hands dry out or crack. One thing to note-keep an eye on your skin when you use the FL chalk on say, brand new high-friction plastic holds or really gritty rock, because the FL chalk grips so well you'll lose skin before this chalk stops gripping. Right now, I use BD chalk for hangboard sessions and climbing on my home wall, while I save my FL chalk for hard sends or hot, greasy days on the rock.

Aidan S.

grippy and chunky

The perfect amount of chunk leading to the perfect grip

Anjali Garrett

Yep, it's good

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Keep slipping off your proj? Try this chalk and send it! I had the opportunity to test some of this out before I bought it and it definitely lives up to the hype! Pure magnesium carbonate absorbs more moisture, keeping your hands drier for longer and allowing you to chalk up less while on the wall. Definitely improves friction, but be aware that it can really dry your hands out after a big day of climbing. If you're going to use this it's good to have some after climb suave of your choosing to bring the moisture back to your hands and prevent your skin from cracking.

Jacob Stenberg

Best Chalk

A little pricey but definitely notice the difference. I don't have to chalk up as much and my hands have felt far less dry since using it

Paige Carter

10oz with BD quickdraw for scale

Benjamin August

Best chalk around?

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

This chalk is great, and definitely lives up to the hype. If you're confused about the three different kinds it's simply their texture that is different. The Bam Bam is super duper chunky, the Gorilla Grip is Semi Chunky, and the Unicorn Dust is the finest chalk I've ever felt.

Greg Gavin

The Best Chalk. Period!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

FrictionLabs Chalk is simply the most pure magnesium carbonate chalk you can get. It's all about that purity, and FL has the highest purity available. All climbing chalk is a blend of Magnesium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate, and the stuff you want to keep your hands dry and the friction high is Mag/Carbonate. The stuff you don't want as much of is Calcium Carbonate. FrictionLabs blends of chalk has a higher concentration of magnesium carbonate than any other chalk. Extra stick, extra grip, and better friction. Bam Bam is the most chunky, but if you were to take a chunk of this and grind it up, you would get the Unicorn dust blend. It's like Peanut Butter; some like it chunky, some like it creamy, but it's all the same (within the same brand). Try it and feel the difference.

Elliott Bates

best chalk I have ever used !!

The super chunky makes me feel like I can stick to anything, and like my hands never sweat!!

Ryan