La Sportiva

Katana Lace Vibram XS Edge Climbing Shoe

Repeat customer

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

My fourth pair. Amazing shoe. The toe is strong and on point, comfortable fit, the curve is aggressive yet still able to wear for 90-120 mins without pain. Highly recommend.

Perfectly more aggressive than TC Pro

Great mid-aggressive shoe. Was looking for something with a better point than my TC Pros but not super aggressive. These are great after a few day break in period. They are comfortable and once they are full broken they should be as comfortable as my TC Pros.

Best all around climbing shoe in the mar

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

7.5

This show does it all. And does it all well. Not specific to one type or style of climbing. I’ve climbed 5.13 and V8 in this shoe. I’ve also run all day multi pitch 5.7. Comfortable, capable, and reliable. I’ve work this shoe for 10+ years, and plan to do so for at least the next 10.

Supposedly the best

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

40

I saw on a website that these were the "best" for bouldering at the time, however I mainly chose them because it was on sale. I still feel fairly new though I've been bouldering for around a year; I wasn't fully aware of how different these would be in comparison to my previous pair(La Sportiva, forgot which, probably whichever is generic for beginners) as well as getting the wrong size. I should have gotten the 8.5 but I believe it's also how the shoe is built. It hurts a bit to wear for extended periods of time, however, I was told that how these shoes are. Overall, though I haven't seen too much of an improvement in my climbing though that's more my fault, I still feel these shoes are great.

Climbing shoe

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

44.5

These climbing shoes are awesome. I just wish I would’ve gotten a little bit bigger size. Apparently the European cut of shoe compared to the American cut of shoe is a little bit narrower. I’m hoping they stretch out a little bit.

Great intermediate to advanced shoe

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

9

Great shoe for someone that actually wants to climb. Fits a bit smaller than my old five tens. Either that or it’s just more aggressive in fit than my shoes I’ve had since high school. Maybe I won’t belay in these but climbing is nice. Pick a half size up from your normal climbing shoe size.

Great all-rounders. Love these shoes!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

46

The Katana Lace are my first performance pair of shoes (after my starter shoes), and they're perfect for me. Not aggressive enough to be painful to wear, but aggressive enough to give great footwork on edges and still have good slab and smearing performance. One unexpected benefit of these shoes is that they come off quickly, the well-designed lace system tightens up very evenly, and then releases evenly, making them every bit as fast as velcro straps to get out of. I'm super happy that Back Country carries my size (46, in La Sportiva shoes). Looking at you, REI. Tsk tsk.

Good shoes

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

41.5

Rubber is good. Comfortable for an aggressive-ish shoe. Not comfortable enough for long multi-pitch days

too long

sizing down is vital here. the shoe runs long. if you have wide feet, this may not be your shoe due to the shoe being so long. my climbing buddy got this shoe and he loves is but its too long for my foot and i feel like if i size down any more than my foot will be too wide to fit into the shoe.

Same shoe but larger

Size Bought:

45.5

I’ve been using katana lace for the past three years. The new pair feels exactly the same although larger. I sized a half size down from my old katanas, but it still feels slightly larger. Probably go a full size from your old katana laces if you want them aggressive and snug.