UKC

Recently, I’ve had two pairs of climbing shoes wear through the rand, right at the tip of the big toe.  Not underneath but the part you’d point with, if you were pointing with your toes.

Each pair is a different brand and surprisingly one pair is one I use only for slabs.

This seems oddly me.  I’m used to wearing through in the front part of the sole, under the big toe.

Does anyone else have their shoes wear through in this way?

Yup - and my helpful mates tell me it's bad footwork (tendency to drag a foot when moving up).

Might not be the case for you, but I'm heavy on the toes!

As hang_about says, for me it was dragging the foot.  I used to suffer it a lot but improved now so get far less wear.

I wondered if it was dragging the toe up the rock but that doesn’t explain why the pair I use just for (outdoor) slabs have gone that way.

Never underestimate one's ability to drag a foot....

It's often a balance thing, so quite likely to happen more on slabs than anywhere else.  Get a friend to watch you climb - I bet they'll see you drag the toe.

Over the years there have, from time to time, been instances whereby - probably due to carelessness at the sole-trimming stage of manufacture - particular shoes/models/brands have been sent out with sections of rand thinner than they should be. If this occurs at the point of the toe it'll most likely wear through prematurely. It would be an unlucky coincidence if you've experienced this defect simultaneously on two different brands of shoe, but not impossible. I haven't personally seen this during the last decade or so but I assume it still happens occasionally.

Evolv went through a phase of this a few years ago. the rand was so thin that I put my thumb nail through a brand new pair, with very little effort. 

Hard to see them wearing through for any reason other than rock contact...

Yep that's where mine always go, I must have half a dozen old pairs in the cupboard all worn out in the same spot (waiting to get them resoled!).  I've always put it down to toe dragging, which is something I know I do!

Obviously dragging toes - but perhaps not entirely. What about toe scumming to assist upwards process? That's not always bad technique?