I started off wearing the La Sportiva Cobras, and was disheartened when they were taken off the market.

So, I searched for another slipper and came across the Venoms.

I absolutely love this shoe. For a slipper, it edges incredibly well (my previous shoes slippers were the Cobras and the Five Ten Moccasyms) without sacrificing sensitivity. It's aggressive last performs really well on steep terrain, and it makes front-pointing into pockets and accurate footholds a breeze.

My only problem with the Venoms are the break-in period.

They size incredibly funny. I wear a size 8 in my skate shoes (size 40) and have to downsize to a 5 1/2 in the Venoms (size 37.5), and the fit is perfect.

However, the break-in period is INCREDIBLY PAINFUL!!! I have to sit at home and wear them on-off at a substantial amount of time before I even start to climb in them.

However, its all worth it.

My first pair of shoes were these old school beater high top trad shoes that my uncle gave me and as soon as I'd got my strenghth up I decided to search for something a little more aggressive. My questing brought me to the La Sportiva Venom. I'd never tried a slipper before, and my initial response was something like, "Are you serious, wouldn't it just pull right off your foot?" Sigh* How naive I was... The Venom is my ALL time favorite shoe! It's like wearing a second skin. I loved them to death and now I'm on to my second pair. For a slipper they're very durable, especially after long-term use. With stretch and the thin midsole and rubber a slipper won't normally last more than a year's worth of avid use. My first pair of Venoms have lasted me two. The latter part of their life was spent in the gym which quickly added to their demise...these are not gym shoes. Anyway...I love them, they're great. I felt like Spider-Man when I first tried them...five stars all the way!

No text provided

These are really nice shoes. The only problem I have with them is that the rubber on top of the toes (where it meets the meshy looking part) digs into my toe. Other than the pain from that (which is probably just my shoe because it doesn't happen on the other foot) these shoes perform great. They are very sensitive and have a nice small toe for really precise placement.

i actually havent started with them yet, just bought them, but have no doubt about performance.
the thing is, buy them smaller...
i have a 36,5 cobra relly tight, and the Venon 36 was way bigger than the cobra, still amazing but....
it's a diferent shape, so size them smaller.