These days rock shoes seem to be getting softer and softer, making the quest to find a supportive trad shoe increasingly tough. Lovely though it is to feel each and every rugosity beneath your feet, there's no benefit to that for trad climbing if you're not able to stand on it for 30 minutes whilst fiddling in a wire, building a belay, or trying not to have a panic attack. The Generator and Generator Mid buck the trend, with bagfuls of support and structure which go to combine all-day comfort with an impressive level of performance. 

While the Generator and Generator Mid have a lot in common, there are some very definite differences, and it's best to think of them as similar rather than one and the same. In theory this pairing is the successor to the Maestro/Maestro Mid but there's so little in common between these models that we won't make comparisons. However we will draw parallels between them and the TC Pro, simply because if we don't then it'll be the first question that's raised on the Forums.

InUse

The Generator and Generator Mid are designed primarily for trad climbing, but would have equal application on long, vertical sport climbs, where support and comfort would be a blessing. These shoes are stiff and supportive, but once you get used to this they feel surprisingly sensitive too, which is something that I genuinely wasn't expecting. In fact, I'd say that the Generator consistently surprised me, because while it would be very easy for a shoe like this to be quite clunky, and - like the TC Pro - take an eternity to wear in, I've found they wore in remarkably quickly and now feel impressively deft on edges, cracks and smears.

When it comes to edging, there's a whole lot of support through the way in which the shoe has been constructed. The Generator features a full-length 1.4mm flexan midsole, which is curved at its sides to provide more rigidity. 4mm Vibram XS Edge is used throughout, which adds to that sense of stiffness, and there's additional rubber under the arch which further increases its lateral and torsional support. Scarpa's Tritension system binds this all together, ensuring that tension is maintained throughout the length of the shoe, giving it an amazing edging ability without having to go too tight. I sized the Generator so that my toes were engaged (not knuckled) and despite its comfort was both impressed and amazed by its edging performance. The level of support in the shoe makes standing on small edges for long periods of time both possible and comfortable.

The Generator has also been designed with crack climbing in mind. In the UK we have very few 'pure' cracks, and very few people who would describe themselves as 'crack climbers' (Wideboyz notwithstanding); however, we do have a lot of cracks and the ability to jam your hands and feet inside them often makes things feel a lot easier.

The Generator sports several features to make the process of jamming secure and pain-free. Scarpa have used an M70 rubber throughout the rand. Whilst this isn't as sticky as their super sticky M50 rubber, it's still extremely sticky and grabs well whilst torqued into cracks. It also has the benefit of being more sustainable. There's plenty of it as well, with the rand going a long way around the sides, so that irrespective of whether or you're climbing a finger, hand, fist or offwidth crack you've got the protection you need. That extra torsional support is particularly noticeable in wider cracks, as the shoe doesn't crumple, and therefore protects your foot within. The toe-box adds to that sense of protection and feels incredibly well sculpted in an effort to house your foot.

There's additional volume around the big toe, which is part of what makes it such a good edging shoe, but might make it slightly more awkward to jam into slender cracks. On the opposing side its superbly curved rand slips perfectly into place whilst jamming/torquing your feet into cracks. 

And then there's the matter of sensitivity. When a shoe is this supportive it is, by its very nature, likely to be lacking in sensitivity and if it's this that you're after then it's likely you'll be looking elsewhere. However, for a shoe of its type the Generator is far from insensitive. They wear in impressively quickly, much quicker than a TC Pro, and I've been consistently surprised by how much feedback you get through them. They're obviously really supportive, stiff even, but there's something about the way in which the shoe works that means you can get adequate rubber to rock whilst smearing, and I've been impressed by how secure they've felt on marginal ground. Perhaps it isn't a case of being sensitive, it's more a case of providing a stable platform for your foot with enough feedback to gauge whether or not you're on a good placement.

Generator vs. Generator Mid 

As per the intro: "they're similar, but not the same"…

Whilst the Generator Mid is undoubtedly appealing from an aesthetic retro high-top perspective, it's actually quite a specialist shoe. It has a slightly stiffer feel to the Generator as a result of the high top, but this can obviously be tailored through the lacing. The neoprene collar and padding throughout the ankle is on another level of comfort and cushioning to the TC Pro, with a really luxurious and protective feel. Unlike the Generator it also has a lining across the sides and the most noticeable effect this and the neoprene collar have is in how much warmer and sweatier the shoe feels.

The Generator, in many ways, feels much more relevant to the majority. Granted, it's got less protection around the ankle, but for most people that's a luxury, not a necessity. Whereas the Generator Mid has a more boot-like feel, the Generator feels much more shoe-like, and is much more nimble, making it by far the better all-rounder of the two. It also feels a whole lot cooler and less sweaty as a result of the lack of lining and collar.

In short: if you're big walling or crack climbing, try the Generator Mid; if you're trad climbing in the UK, or doing long multi-pitch routes abroad, try the Generator.

Generator/Generator Mid vs. TC Pro

This is naturally the question everyone wants to know the answer to, but it's a difficult one to answer, partly because each offers a very different fit.

The Generator has a bit more depth, and a bit more width within the toe box. In comparison the TC Pro feels a little narrower and quite a bit lower in volume, and lends itself to the foot being completely flat inside. Whilst this potentially gives the TC Pro the edge in slender cracks, I've found the Generator to be significantly better at edging, and the curved profile on the outside of shoe seems to slip into cracks that little bit easier (and provides more protection too). The toe profile of each shoe is quite different, with the Generator having quite a 'neutral' toe profile compared to the TC Pro, which is remarkably asymmetric (giving it the edge in pockets). The heel on the Generator is much narrower, compared to the TC Pro's relatively broad one.

At the end of the day, try both on and buy whichever you feel fits best, but I'd say that Scarpa have produced a serious and strong competitor to the TC Pro. It certainly feels like a step-up in terms of its construction and is potentially the better all-rounder of the two. 

Fit

The Generator is neutral, both in terms of its width and its toe profile. It has a flat last, but a noticeable amount of arch support, which gives it a different feel to most other flat shoes on the market. 

In terms of sizing, I went down a single UK shoe size (8.5 to 7.5), which initially felt quite snug, but soon wore in to provide a perfect blend of a precise, but comfortable fit. To relate this to other Scarpa shoes I've reviewed recently, I've been a fairly consistent UK7/EU41 in most models including the Vapor S, Veloce Lace, Drago, and Instinct VS, VSR and S. In the Generator I went up a half size from that (in both UK and European sizing) and that has given me a perfect fit for trad climbing - snug, as opposed to tight.

Features

We've run through a fair few already, but here are some we've missed:

• Padding across the top of the toe box - this is a nice touch which adds to the comfort, albeit quite subtly
• TPU protection on tongue (Generator/Generator Mid) and sides (Generator only) - again, another nice, subtle touch that adds to the durabilty
• Lacing protection throughout the first two eyelets - a logical feature as far as durability is concerned

 

Summary

If you've got this far it'll come as no surprise to learn that I've loved the Generator and (to a lesser extent) the Generator Mid. This is the shoe that I'd hoped the Maestro might be, but wasn't, and balances performance and comfort remarkably well, with a lot of ability to edge, jam and smear. Whilst some will find themselves drawn to the Generator Mid, this is undoubtedly the more specialist of the two, may be best reserved for big wall and crack climbers. The Generator is a much more capable all-rounder that's far better suited to the need of the British trad climber.