UKC

Due to the sheer number of shoes in Scarpa's lineup we've put the more technical models together in a single review - the Mago, the Instinct SR, and the Furia S

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In reply to UKC Gear: “The Mago really is something of an anomaly, different to anything else out there.”

Apart from the La Sportiva Testarossa which it is pretty much identical to, except the colours... (imo) 

 

In reply to Rockmonkey1977:

Whilst I haven't used the Testarossa, it does have a completely different midsole, so is pretty far from being identical - especially considering it is the midsole (above all else) that makes it so different.

That said, there is common ground in between the two, but that's hardly surprising insofar as they were both designed by the same person - Heinz Mariacher.

In reply to UKC Gear:

How to the Mago's compare the Instinct Laces or Vapour Laces in terms of stiffness? Considering a pair to replace my vapours! 

In reply to joe.91:

Hi Joe,

Apologies for the delay, somehow missed this one.

It's hard to compare really, as they're very different shoes. In terms of forefoot they're extremely stiff, maybe stiffer than both the Instinct and the Vapor; however, the midsole is a lot softer, which makes them handle a whole lot differently. 

As such, my answer is probably somewhat vague and would all fall down onto what you anticipate using them for. If it's bouldering it'd definitely be worth trying out the Mago, if it's sport climbing it could be worth trying out the Mago, and if it's trad I'd definitely not try out the Mago. On the flipside of that I still think the Instinct VS is one of the best all-rounders, so if you haven't used that before then consider trying that too.

Bit of a rambling non-answer there, but hopefully it's of some help!

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

No worries Rob! Basically I've already got a Vapour Lace in a 41 for multipitch and a Booster S in a 40 for hard bouldering, after a shoe that fits in between for hard(er) single pitch trad, sport and bouldering on the edging side of things as I climb mainly in the Lakes/Yorkshire. 

Tossing up between the Instinct Lace or the Mago, as I tend to prefer Grip rubber but appreciate that thats not what its intended for. Scarpa's website say that the Mago is more suited for trad compared to the Instinct Lace hence my reasoning. 

One more thing how do the Mago's size compared to the Instincts? 

In reply to joe.91:

Yeah, I'm not sure I completely agree with that matrix on the Scarpa site, as I really don't think the Magos are supportive enough - even for single pitch trad. You need (at least in my opinion) a more supportive midsole if you're standing around on smaller footholds for any length of time.

For what you're after, and what you prefer (i.e. Grip vs. Edge) it sounds like the VSR would be the obvious choice. Size-wise I was the same in both the Instinct and the Mago, which was down a couple of sizes from my high street shoe size (43 to 41). I really liked the Instinct Lace initially, but having used them subsequently did find they softened up more than the VS (which didn't necessarily come across within the review). 

 

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Hence you can see my confusion! Thanks Rob I'll check out the Instinct series, maybe weight up rubber compounds to what I'll be realistically doing more of. Conflict of interests wanting one shoe to do many tasks!

In reply to joe.91:

No worries. Having used the Instinct VS, Instinct VSR, Instinct Lace, and latterly the Instinct SR I feel reasonably well qualified to say that if I were looking for 'two to do it all' it would be the VS for trad/sport and the VSR for sport/boulder.

Whichever you go for, assuming they fit, you won't be disappointed. If they don't fit, maybe try the Otaki + Skwama (just to confuse matters a little more).

In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

I've had the old Instinct S's in the past so unless they (or my feet) have dramatically changed I think I'll be fine, thanks again!