UKC

In reply to UKC Gear: I'm using velcro shoes (Mammut Velpro) currently - my first that do up that way - and think they are great except for serious crack climbing (hand to fist sized). Caming them into cracks always opens the velcro. Have you tried the katanas on that size of crack and if so - did you find the same problem?

In reply to UKC Gear:

Theres no denying its a great shoe and is really comfortable but surely you have noticed countless threads on UKC about Katana shoes wearing through really quickly? What prompted the decision to review this shoe, considering its been around a fair while? (at least I thought it had) Not on the payroll are you?

In reply to Tuborg:

I'm wondering the same - is this a 'new' Katana?

In reply to Tuborg:

my 2p;

They do get an 'old' look quite quickly.

They do feel very comfy straight away

I maybe bought them 2 big - my boyf was so horrified that i could get a pair of thin hiking socks on underneath, that he bought me a pair of 5.10s - but it's the Katanas that i wear all the time.

they are good for smearing. and feel quite soft.

I'd be happy to have another pair.

In reply to Tuborg:

If you look at the side bar in the review, there is a list of forum threads, some about the Katana.

Those forum threads are part of the review, as is this thread.

We aren't a magazine where a review is published and no one can comment.

User comments are very valuable.

As regards reviews: we run reviews about new products and existing products.

Cheers,

Mick

In reply to es:

I should also add that they now smell like death, warmed gently.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Thanks. Just wondering. Last comment was a bit tongue in cheek. I just wish those shoes would last longer and then I wouldn't have to shop around anymore.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

Kevin's opening paragraph is significant and although it may sound obvious climbers with many years experience echo what Kevin has stated,

"For me the fit of a rock shoe is crucial to it's success. Simply, if it doesn't fit properly then it won't perform well (or at least it won't perform to its full potential.) Over the years I've tried many different shoes from many different brands, usually in the hope that the next super-duper banana boot is going to turn me into some kind of honed machine. However the reality is that they never do. The fit is usually unsatisfactory, maybe a bit too radical or just plain excruciating but that's not to say that they would be the same for somebody else. After all, our feet are unique to ourselves"

In fact a friend of mine with lots of experience, Jerry Peel, was stressing "For me the fit of a rock shoe is crucial to it's success" to me only last week.

In a desire for the latest and greatest, and young climbers using plastic bags to get the tightest fit possible, the fundamental truth that comfort and fit are top of the list when it comes to performance is often forgotten.

Mick

In reply to Tuborg:

I have two pairs now and both have been resoled (cheshire shoe repairs with 5.10 stealth rubber,) and they are still fab. I tried to buy a new pair of technical shoes for hard stuff, but couldn't bring myself to buy any as the fit wasn't as good as the katana. Resoling lost the shape of the toe slightly, but the edges are still good and the rubber is better for smearing.

Best shoe I ever had in 18 years of climbing. Used about 3 pair of Katanas a year for 5 years now. Can use one and the same pair on boulders, rock/sport and big routes. Could never do that with the 5.10 lace-ups. Katana has a glovelike fit. Never noticed any unusual wear. Great shoe!

In reply to UKC Gear:

Another endorsement for Katanas: I have 2 pairs; both have been resoled a couple of times. They were the first shoe *ever* that I've had that felt both snug and comfortable. I have fairly wide feet and all the others ended up with a gap at the big toe if I had a size that would encompass the width.

Aside from fit, I do think there's an issue with folk buying (being sold?) shoes too tight. Most mid-grade punters like me do not need to cripple ourselves; the shoe isn't going to make the difference (going for a run, improving technique and eating fewer pies might).

The review didn't mention the price - they're just about the most expensive out there?

But what price comfort?

J

In reply to Moacs:

Out of interest, John, what size did you get, and what is your street shoe size? what sizes have you worn in other rockboots? As a point of reference.

In reply to Toby M:

Same here - all Sportiva's fit my flipper-like feet like gloves. Their toe box even copes with my big toe being shorter than my second toe. The pair I had resoled with stealth rubber were the best rock shoes I've used on grit - still precise but more flexible and better on smears (as new Katanas are perhaps better for limestone and edging).

That, said I've been trying different shoes of late as the expense of Sportivas and the rapid wearing of their toe tips became annoying.

Re Sportiva sizes, they are on the big size: I'm street size 11, and for Sportiva Katanas / Miuras wear either 9.5 (start crippling, become brilliant), or 10 (start brilliant, become baggy). In 5.10s and Boreals I'm usually 9.5-10.

In reply to thebigfriendlymoose:
The pair I had resoled with stealth rubber were the best rock shoes I've used on grit - still precise but more flexible and better on smears (as new Katanas are perhaps better for limestone and edging).

Agreed, I had a pair resoled in stealth C4 and they were amazing. Shame that the last time I went in to feet first they told me they couldn't get hold of stealth resole patches any more.

In reply to Toby M:

I'm a 10.5 UK size in street shoes (EU 45)

The shoes are 43 (=9!!!) *BUT*

a) The shop (Urban rock) thought I should be int he next size down (42). Probably they'r eright if I was climbing in the 8's, but for mid grade puntering I see no need to kill my feet and I can wear these all day

b) They did stretch a little - maybe half a size

c) I tried on 2 pairs of 43s and one was noticeably smaller than the other (so I'd never buy over the net)

As for other boots I've had EBs (yes, super grattons) which were overtight at 44 (I think), some Fires which started off small but stretched miles (to the point that when the toes wore through I switched the feet), some 5.10s which fitted well but the rubber went in no time, a series of Ballets/Aces (44) and, recenty, some Boreal lace ups (with no marque logo or size on them now, but purple sides?) that I never really got on with.

For me it is about width across the toes - most shoes I've tried have either been excruciating across the toes or left a air gap at the big toe. The Katanas just seem to fit the profile of my toe length and width. They're also not a killer on the achilles, which is nice.

HTH

J