UKC

Lights are a classic boot, techs a mountaineering boot lower with a winter running shoe upper.

Weight - 1300g Vs 1220g in same size

Sole - looks to be identical or v similar,

Fit - Gaiter and Vs higher ankle.

Price - Techs are about £100 more Inc discounts.

Anyone had both to compare? I couldn't afford to buy both, but I feel like I might get a more versatile use our of the lights whereas the high top gaiter might get a lot sweatier and uncomfortable in warmer weather?

Fwiw I have phantoms for proper winter climbing - these would be for bashing around on single axe stuff in Scotland and climbing in the Alps 

In reply to neuromancer:

I have the tech OD and would not recommend them for sure. Gladly, I did not pay full price either, they are light and precise for nimble footwork, but I don't like the lacing system and there is too much flex in the laces when walking up steep ground. Sorry I can't comment personally on the Ribelle light save 2 or 3 friends love them. The OD are not that warm, ideal for what you plan though as long as you are not too static in winter like a long belay.

In reply to neuromancer:

I've also got Tech OD's They're great for alpine rocky routes but too cold if you're on snow for a long time.

In reply to neuromancer:

In good UKC tradition I’ll mention a 3rd boot that wasn’t mentioned in your OP! The Scarpa Zodiac tech. Someone mentioned it to me when I was considering the early Ribelle: very similar in weight, warmth and capability, but in a more classic boot style and substantially cheaper.

However, I can’t find a Scarpa country-specific site that has both the Ribelle lite and the Zodiac tech on it, and they look very similar apart from the styling and the cuff height, so I wonder if they don’t have both models marketed in each country.

I’m happy with my Zodiac techs: they fill a gap below my Rebel Ultras and Phantom Guides, and the fit is more like a true Scarpa fit than the very thin/tight Rebel/Ribelle last. 

In reply to neuromancer:

Had both and tried the new 2.0 version. Tech narrow, normal wider. Normal one had a higher volume instep area too.

tech was super warm, would be way too hot for summer alpine, and it rubbed a lot in the heel due to the design of the heel cup with the seam. Sold them. Didn’t use the standard one as assumed heel would be the same and they felt baggy.

tech probably not worth the extra money unless it’s on sale.

2.0 lacing better but again too narrow in toe. 
 

Zodiac Tech is good, but not available in the UK, easy to get from Germany though. Nice for toe box, very light (lighter than ribelle) and durable. Heel is a bit floppy though. I prefer the sportiva Aequilibrium 

In reply to neuromancer:

Zodiac tech,  got mine from Germany I think, I haven’t used them for full winter yet but they’ve been very good for early spring late autumn and tend to be my go to mountain boot if I’m not wearing approach shoes.
I also have a pair of Ribelle Techs, not the toughest or warmest but good if your moving fast in winter, the lace system isn’t great either. 
I’m a 43.5 in Scarpa and I find not many places stock that size which makes trying boots a pain,I would probably get the ribelle light over the tech next time (I got the techs second hand) if the zodiacs prove a little low cut for postholing.

In reply to damowilk:

Scarpa UK (Mountain Boot Co.) had them in their line up a few years back, I got asked to review them for UKC - they're great, but by the time I had used them in winter and wrote up my review, Scarpa UK had stopped importing them, so UKC didn't need the review. Anyway, I still wrote it up and put it on my very old, semi-abandoned blog: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2017/12/scarpa-zodiac-tech-gtx-review...

I still use them quite a lot - I wore them Saturday hiking in Snowdonia, and last weekend climbing Matternhorn and Elbow Ridges (Vdiff and Diff) in the Peak, they do both sort of thing equally well. I've used them a reasonable amount with crampons and for grade I ridge sort of stuff they're near perfect I reckon - so weird they stopped importing them as they are great boots, but must have been focusing on the Ribelle models instead I guess?

In reply to TobyA: I like the Zodiacs so much I'm tempted to order another pair to put in the attic just incase they stop making them.

In reply to TobyA:

I’m pretty sure it was your recommendation that put me onto them Toby, so cheers for that.