UKC

After being crippled by Anasazis for years I discovered Katanas last year and they fit my feet perfectly. I've been really pleased with them on the whole although not quite as sticky as Stealth. However, often hear people talking about them wearing out fast and that XS Edge rubber isn't that great. Question is: do I get another pair and stick with a shoe that fits or do I try something else like the Scarpa Vapour V, which has Grip2 rubber but doesn't fit quite as well? Will I notice much difference? Climbing shoes are so expensive now; I don't want to make a costly mistake.

In reply to dyfed: I am a fan of Katanas, but I do get through about two pairs a year (think I'm onto pair 6) as a pretty average weekend climber. They may not be as sticky as other shoes, they may not last as long as other shoes but they fit me; for my money fit (but don't confuse that with comfort) is much more important than rubber.

Also, I have discovered that they resole pretty well and the resoled shoes are the ones I wear at the wall. So I'm able to train in the same shoes as I climb.

I'd love a pair of 5.10s given that they are so well reviewed but I just can't get on with the fit, so no point.

In reply to dyfed:

XS Grip will wear out quicker than XS Edge, maybe twice as fast? Definitely sticker though. Your choice.

In reply to dyfed: get your katana's resoled in stealth....

In reply to cliff shasby:
Never had a problem with the XS Edge rubber and my feet never slipped off anything.
As someone else mentioned, the XS Grip2 wears out even faster. If you really want Katanas with XS Grip2 why don´t you buy the women's version?
My last pair off Katana W´s only lasted 5 weeks, then i had a hole at the big toe. Tam i the only one who thinks that the new Vibram rubbers are worse than the old Xs Grip?
The cheaper, and more reliable version would be to get your old pair resoled with Stealth rubber. As mentioned before. You get the shoes that fit you best with the rubber you prefer. Also a resoled pair will last longer since the sole i get from my resoler is always a little bit thicker (i like that).
If you send them to some good resoler you won´t notice any difference to new ones. Katanas resoled with a well done Edge are like new cause the have no downturn or difficult shape.

In reply to dyfed:

I'd say fit wins over rubber every time. However as Kingofthehill says the simple answer is to get the Katanas resoled in the rubber you want.

For £25 you can see how different you think the rubber is and then decide from there. I stock Stealth C4 or XSGrip2. Katanas resole pretty easily too as they hold their shape well.



(Oh I'm Llanberis Resoles btw.)

In reply to dyfed:

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll get another pair of Katanas and get this pair resoled in Stealth. Sounds like a great idea: shoe that fits in my preferred rubber. Already had a look at the Llanberis Resoles website. I'll be in touch.