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Portable Hangboard Comparison
How The Trainer and The Trainer Mini stack up against every portable training block you can realistically buy in the USA today. Every spec comes from each brand's own product page or the linked source, collected September 9, 2026; prices and stock change, so follow the links for the latest.
| block | price | material | edges | pinch | weight | published edge geometry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trainer | $79.99 | sapele | 6: 25·20·15·10·8·6 mm + unmarked 4·22·28 | 95 mm wide | 300 g | yes: 5° incut, R10 to R1 lip per edge |
| The Trainer Mini | $54.99 | boxwood | 4: 25·20·15·10 mm + unmarked 6 | 80 mm rounded | 180 g | yes: 5° incut, tuned lip radius |
| Tension The Block | $59.00 | maple | 4: 20·10·8·6 mm + 2 pockets | 3 profiles, widths not published | not published | not published |
| Frictitious The NUG | $50.00 | beech | 4: 25·20·13·8 mm + 40 mm jug | 60 mm | 159 g | not published |
| Frictitious Port-A-Board | $55.00 | beech | 8: 30 down to 8 mm | yes, width not published | 397 g | not published |
| YY Vertical Mini Crux | $37.90 | beech | 4: 25·20·15·10 mm | yes, width not published | ≈160 g | not published |
| Tension Flash Board | $99.00 | wood, species not published | 4: 20·15·10·8 mm | none | ≈725 g (reviewer measured) | not published |
| Lattice Quad Block | $110.70 | aluminum | 1: 30 mm | 4 configs, up to 90 mm | 630 g | not published |
Not published means the brand does not state that number anywhere we could find. All trademarks belong to their owners; Refined Climbing is not affiliated with any brand listed, and we are happy to correct any spec a brand updates.
the difference
The spec nobody else publishes.
Every block above calls itself comfortable. None of them state an incut angle or a lip radius. We publish ours because we engineered it: refined across 40+ iterations, every edge is cut 5 degrees incut with a lip radius tuned to its length, R10 on the 25 mm warm up edge down to R1 on the 6 mm micro. That is the number your skin feels.
head to head
Block by block.
vs Tension Climbing The Block
$59.00 · maple · made in Denver
The community default no hang block. Four edges at 20, 10, 8 and 6 mm plus two pockets and three pinch profiles, but no pinch widths, no weight, and no edge geometry are published, and it is rated under 200 lb of load. The Trainer costs $21 more and answers with six edges, a published 5 degree incut and tuned lip radius on every one, a 95 mm pinch, and a 250 lb rating.
their specsvs Frictitious The NUG
$50.00 · beech · 159 g
The closest rival to the Trainer Mini: similar weight, edges at 8, 13, 20 and 25 mm, and a 60 mm pinch, with strong podcast driven word of mouth. It publishes nothing about rounding or incut. The Mini counters with engineered geometry on all four edges, denser boxwood, and a rounded pinch shaped for warming up.
their specsvs Frictitious Port-A-Board
$55.00 · beech · 397 g
Wins on raw edge count with eight sizes from 30 down to 8 mm, and it can be wall mounted. It says nothing about how those edges are cut, which is the spec that decides how they treat your skin, and at 397 g it is heavier than the Trainer and Trainer Mini combined.
their specsvs YY Vertical Mini Crux
$37.90 · beech · about 160 g
The budget pick, Prime shippable, with the same 25, 20, 15, 10 edge lineup as the Trainer Mini. Its trapezoid body offers an incut orientation, but no angle or radius is stated anywhere. If price alone decides, it wins; if your skin decides, the Mini's tuned edges are the upgrade.
their specsvs Tension Flash Board
$99.00 · wood · about 725 g
The premium portable that reviews anchor on, with a clever anti rotation cylinder shape. Four edges from 8 to 20 mm, no pinch, and roughly 2.4 times the Trainer's weight at $19 more. The Trainer gives six edges, a 95 mm pinch, published geometry, and less than half the weight.
their specsvs Lattice Quad Block
$110.70 · aluminum · 630 g
A precision aluminum testing tool with one 30 mm edge and four pinch configurations up to 90 mm, built for repeatable measurement rather than comfort. If you want one wooden block that covers both edges and pinch, the Trainer brings six edge sizes and a 95 mm pinch for $30 less.
their specsbuying guide
How to choose a portable hangboard.
A portable hangboard has one job: finger strength training anywhere, with no wall mount. The specs that matter are the edge depth range for progression, a pinch block function if you train thumb strength, weight if it lives in your pack for crag warm ups, and above all the edge geometry, because the cut of the lip decides whether no hang block pulls build strength or eat skin.
If you are looking for a Tension Block alternative or your first no hang training block, start with the edges you will actually use: 20 and 15 mm for warm ups and repeaters, 10 mm and below for max strength work. A wooden hangboard in a dense hardwood holds those edges for years, and ours are the only blocks above with the geometry printed on the spec sheet.
try the refined edge
Your skin will tell you the difference.
Six engineered edges and a wide pinch in the Trainer, or the same geometry in the 180 gram Trainer Mini. Free US shipping on orders over $100.