I got mine at REI about 8 months ago. It has been out bouldering with me 20+ times, and I have no complaints. The other option I considered was the Fat Bastard, but the fuzzy Velcro-ish outside surfaces really turned me off. They looked like grass & twig magnets. The Cheap bastard seemed superior due to its cheaper construction: ripstop nylon outsides do not attract anything more than dust.

So far, my biggest fall has been 9ft directly onto this pad. I have NO complaints about this pad. It took the impact (feet-first fortunately for me) just fine, and I was right back on the wall. Body-impact falls are a little rough perhaps, but I prefer that to the softer pads that leave elbows "piercing" the foam right into the ground below. The shoulder straps work fine, but the waist belt IS a little clunky since it is not well attached. Still, it works fine on the various approaches I have taken it on. The thing is a bit wide, so narrow passages require you to take it off and turn it sideways. Also, there is no gear pouch. Jamming your goods between the halves works fine though with its side & bottom straps. It securely holds my Camel-Bak, shoes & chalk without any problems.

Some people have mentioned seams tearing & shoddy construction. Mine has not exhibited these characteristics (yet), and it seems well made for the $70 I paid (clearance). Overall, I am quite pleased with the design and have no real gripes. It is unfortunate that others are bummed out on theirs.

For the price, these are pretty hard to beat. While they may not have the durability or "precision" that higher end shoes do, they WORK. While many report that they are hard to stick to sandstone, as well as impossible to use on micro toe-holds or smears, I must report the opposite. My favorite bouldering spot is all sandstone, and mainly toe-work.

So far, I have been able to stick most all toe-holds with them, and smears work fairly well (pricier shoes have been superior in this area). However, for the $69 I paid at REI, it is hard to beat the deal. My first pair did wear out after a year of light/moderate use, but mostly because of a sharp toe-hold tearing a hole in the rubber.

The first pair was size 10.5US, which was initially comfy. They stretched, however, and made any serious edging quite hard. My new pair is size 10.0US, and while painful still, I anticipate excellent comfort/performance once they are broken in. In the end though, it is a case of personal taste and opinion as much as anything (like fillet mignon...everyone talks it up, and I cannot stomach the stuff! Gimme a juicy NY strip any day!).