Comparison
Boulder Block™ vs therapy putty
The short answer
Therapy putty is the standard hand tool for good reason: graded resistance, low cost and a wide range of movements. Its weakness is that it is repetitive, so people stop using it. Boulder Block™ ($69.99) is not a substitute for graded resistance work — it is a handheld climbing game with twelve resin holds and 32 routes, which is why people pick it up on their own. Most professionals who use it describe it as sitting alongside putty, not replacing it.
The two, side by side
Therapy putty The standard
Graded silicone putty, usually color-coded by resistance. It is inexpensive, covers a wide range of hand movements, and is the default hand tool in occupational therapy for good reason. Its weakness is the one every therapist already knows: it is repetitive, so it stops being used once nobody is watching.
Boulder Block™For picking up again
A wooden block about 10cm across with twelve screw-on resin climbing holds and a deck of 32 routes across four levels. It does not replace graded resistance work and we would not claim it does. It is a game, which is the whole reason therapists tell us they buy it: people pick it up on their own.
Compared
| Boulder Block™ | Therapy putty | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A handheld climbing game | Graded silicone putty |
| Movements | Pinch, crimp, open hand, single fingers | Squeeze, pinch, roll, spread |
| How it gets harder | A harder route | A firmer grade |
| Graded resistance | No | Yes |
| Something to aim for | 32 routes, 4 levels | No |
| Over time | Durable; broken holds replaced free | Consumable; replaced periodically |
| Cost | $69.99 | Low |
Therapy putty is sold by several makers in color-coded grades; costs vary by brand and size. The Boulder Block figure is its US list price in September 2026.
How to choose
-
If you need graded resistance, use putty
A specific load through a specific range is what putty does well, and cheaply. Nothing about a climbing block changes that, and a clinician's program should not be rebuilt around a game.
-
If the program is right but not being done, look at motivation
When the exercises are sound and the problem is that they stop happening at home, adding more resistance options does not help. An activity people want to return to is a different kind of tool, and it tends to sit alongside putty rather than replace it.
-
Clinical decisions belong to the clinician
Whether either of these suits a particular person, and how it should be used, is a judgment for their therapist or doctor. Neither is a treatment for any condition.
Questions people ask
Is the Boulder Block a replacement for therapy putty?
No. Putty provides graded resistance, which a climbing block does not. They do different jobs, and the Boulder Block™ is best thought of as something that sits alongside putty — an activity people pick up between sessions — rather than as a substitute for any part of a therapy program.
Why do people stop using therapy putty?
Mostly because it is repetitive. The same squeeze feels the same on day thirty as on day one, and there is nothing to aim for. It is not that putty stops working; it is that it stops being used.
Do therapists use the Boulder Block?
Some tell us they do, in their own words — one wrote: "I will be using it with clients who have arthritic hands, and with a child who I think will enjoy the challenges." That is their clinical judgment about their own clients, not a claim we make.
Is the Boulder Block a therapy or medical device?
No. It is a game — a wooden block with climbing holds and a deck of routes. It is not a medical device, it is not a treatment for any condition, and it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent anything.
Can the two be used together?
Yes, and that is the most common way professionals describe it: putty for the graded work, and something engaging to keep hands busy the rest of the time.
Sources
- 1. What is Occupational Therapy? — American Occupational Therapy Association
- 2. American Society of Hand Therapists — ASHT
- 3. Hand therapy exercises — Flint Rehab
- 4. Fine motor skills — activities and background — The OT Toolbox
- 5. Boulder Block Honest Review — an orthopedic occupational therapist's independent assessment — ChadGOrthoOT (YouTube)
- 6. Hand therapy tools clients actually use between sessions — Climber's Gift
Written from our own post-purchase survey — including every buyer who described themselves as a therapist, educational assistant or teacher — and checked against the professional and reference sources above. We make one of these two things and recommend the other for graded resistance work. Nothing here is medical advice.
Two and three-block packs are available for a caseload or a classroom.
See the Boulder Block