UKC

Its unique combination of extreme downturn, extreme asymmetry, and extreme comfort makes the Diamond S a particularly attractive option for those looking to make the leap into steeper and more advanced climbing, says Xa White.

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thanks for the write-up, xa! those rather snug stretchy liners ocun uses work really well, don’t they?

i have only one question remaining: how would you describe their degree of stiffness, roughly? ocun’s 2026 workbook places them pretty much smack in the middle between the extremes of soft (fury and bullit) and stiff (sigma and the ozones) – that does sound a bit like the realm of the laspo solution and scarpa instinct.

Thanks! Yeah the liners are a great feature! In terms of stiffness, I'd say your assessment is relatively accurate, in that the Diamond S is somewhere in the middle, neither particularly soft nor particularly stiff.

In terms of comparison to other shoes, I'd say they're a touch softer than the Instinct S (which is the Instinct I've spent most time in), but considerably stiffer than something like the original Drago.

If I had to place them somewhere on the spectrum of all the climbing shoes I currently own, I'd probably put them marginally towards the stiffer end of 'medium' (whatever that might mean!)

Thanks Xa. Did you ever use the Ocun Oxis? Wondering if these are a close replacement since those have been discontinued.

Sadly I can't help there as I never used them, but from having a quick look my guess would be that the Diamond S has a bit more structure and stiffness than the Oxi S.

Shame there’s nowhere (i’m aware of) in the North of England to go try a pair on

Hi Twiggy, we're planning our Autumn demo events for Ocun over the next few weeks, we usually have one at Newcastle Wall and fingers crossed we can organise one with the Diamond S there this time round too, and maybe some other venues in the North East if we can.  If you've got a specific wall request let us know and we'll see what we can do. 

Also, fully agree with Xa on the stiffness comment vs Instinct, I'm the same having been climbing in Instinct for ages and now a big fan of these new Diamond S. Versus the Ocun Sigma they are quite a bit softer, I'd say more "accurate" in the feeling and more toe down than Ozone which makes them feel a bit stiffer / better on small edges.

Aw thank you. Sadly i’m the opposite side, in the NW 😞any chance of coming to Kendal? 😂 

I'll see what I can do, sure we'll be somewhere close at least , we'll let you know !