My Shoe Experiences

I admit it. I am a shoe junkie. I believe there are correct shoes for different types of bouldering problems and routes. These are the shoes I have tried in order. You can read the comparison chart on the bottom.

The 1st pair of shoes I owned was La Sportiva’s Cliff. It was a board lasted laced up shoe. It was the most comfortable shoe I have owned so far. Very stiff and couldn’t feel the rock at all. It was the right shoe for the first pair, since I didn’t have the toe strength to support myself.

The 2nd pair of shoes I owned was La Sportiva’s Katana. I bought them actually on accident. This shoe just came out of the market, and I didn’t know a thing about it. No one around the valley owned them, and I didn’t hear any reviews. I bought them because they were pretty comfortable and easy velcro shoes for taking them on and off. My Cliffs were getting stretched too much (I usually wore my first shoes with socks!) and I needed replacement. This shoe is also little stiff and can’t feel the rock as much. This shoe doesn’t smear that well due to its stiff mid sole area. However, I think this shoe is by far best edging shoe I have ever owned. I can stand on any edge or point my toe into any small pocket. I also believe this shoes has the best heel hook. I resoled this shoe 2 times before velcro broke on me.

The 3rd pair of shoes I owned was Madrock’s Shark. I bought them at the PBC comp for $60 bucks. This shoe is pretty comfortable and very sensitive. However it doesn’t edge that well due to sensitivity, and it doesn’t smear that well due to a dual layer rubber. The heel hook and toe hook is amazing.

The4th shoes I owned was also La Sportiva’s Katana for the pros on 2nd above. I resoled it twice as well. Currently it has a blown toe area and I haven’t had a chance to resole it yet.

The 5th shoe I owned was 5.10’s Anasazi Velcros. I got them at the PBC comp for $60 bucks. However, I got them very tight and because of my lack of blood circulation in my feet, I could not feel any foot hold. It was my fault for getting shoes that small. I am sure it is a great shoe. By the time it stretch a little for me to feel the rock, toe area had blown on me and I haven’t resoled it yet. Heel hook is comfortable and well, but one time my left shoe completely came off my foot.

The 6th shoe I owned was Evolv’s Kaos. I heard so much from rc.com and I had to try them on. Construction is by far the best. It edges very well inside or outside of the toes. Heel hook is little weak (it lacks rubber), and the rubber isn’t all that sticky compared to 5.10 or Sportiva. The rubber is by far the most durable rubber on the market. I had them for a few months with very little wear. I got tired of my foot slipping off due to the not so sticky rubber, and now it has been retired into my spare bedroom.

The 7th shoe I owned was 5.10’s Anasazi Slipper (blue one). This shoe has blown on the area between where the rand and leather meets around heel. This happened after about a month. I called 5.10 for replacement. It is very a sensitive shoe. This shoe doesn’t edge that well. It is pointy, so it is good for small pockets and smears pretty well. Heel hook sucks due to lack of rubber around the heel area.

The 8th shoe I owned was 5.10’s Moccasym. This shoe is very sensitive and very thin soled. You can feel every edge on the rock. Because it is so flexible, you can smear on anything. However the trade off is it sucks at edging. Heel hook sucks due to lack of rubber around the heel.

The 9th shoe I owned was 5.10’s Zlipper. This is one of my favorite shoes. It is very sensitive and comfortable. It edges very well for a slipper and smears like a champ. However, it does suck for heel hooking due to lack of rubber around the heel.

I also own 2 other pairs of shoes. I haven’t worn them yet, and I will review them as soon as I get to try them on. They are 5.10 Dragons and La Sportiva’s Miura.

Comparison Chart:

La Sportiva’s Cliff (size 8.5)
Construction			*****
Durability			*****
Edging Inside			****
Edging Outside			***
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	*
Smearing			***
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			***
Sensitive			*

La Sportiva’s Katana (size 38.5eu)
Construction			*****
Durability			***
Edging Inside			*****
Edging Outside			*****
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	*****
Smearing			**
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			*****
Sensitive			**

Madrock’s Shark (size 8)
Construction			*****
Durability			*
Edging Inside			***
Edging Outside			**
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	***
Smearing			*
Toe Hook			*****
Heel Hook			*****
Sensitive			****

Fiveten’s Anasazi Velcro (size 8.5)
Construction			*****
Durability			***
Edging Inside			*****
Edging Outside			*****
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	*****
Smearing			****
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			****
Sensitive			***

Evolv’s Kaos (size 8.5)
Construction			*****
Durability			*****
Edging Inside			****
Edging Outside			****
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	****
Smearing			**
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			**
Sensitive			*

Fiveten’s Anasazi Slipper (size 8.5)
Construction			***
Durability			***
Edging Inside			**
Edging Outside			**
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	****
Smearing			*****
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			*
Sensitive			*****

Fiveten’s Zlipper (size 8.5)
Construction			*****
Durability			***
Edging Inside			****
Edging Outside			****
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	****
Smearing			*****
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			*
Sensitive			****

Fiveten’s Moccasym (size 7.5)
Construction			*****
Durability			***
Edging Inside			**
Edging Outside			**
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	***
Smearing			*****
Toe Hook			***
Heel Hook			*
Sensitive			*****

La Sportiva’s Miura (size 39eu)
Construction			*****
Durability			*****
Edging Inside			*****
Edging Outside			*****
Toe Pointing (for pockets) 	*****
Smearing			**
Toe Hook			**
Heel Hook			****
Sensitive			***