Customer Reviews

La Sportiva Katana Climbing Shoes - Men's

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall I would classify this as an intermediate climbing shoe. If you're just starting out you may want something a little less sensitive and a little more comfort-based. If you're an advanced climber, you may want something a little more aggressive, and a little more sensitive. But for intermediate climbing these shoes are excellent. I should point out that I haven't used these on routes; just for bouldering.

The Good: Almost everything! Great for edging, smearing, and heel-hooking. Rubber stickiness is excellent and sensitivity is good. These shoes look cool, fit great, and have the best Velcro system of any shoe I've ever tried. About the velcro: the wide straps easily strap-down tight and you get some customization in terms of where you affix the straps due to the large circular Velcro patches. Also, the opposing-direction straps (one strap pulls one way, one the other way) provides for a very secure "balanced" feel. Lastly, the shoes feel very well-made and they're made in Italy.

The Bad: The trim around the heel cup digs into your Achilles area somewhat - it's not terrible but definitely noticeable. However, over time it will soften up and become more comfortable. Also, the metal "rung" that the Velcro passes through can be felt on your foot (on the inside of the shoe). I haven't noticed it being a problem/painful while climbing, but it's still worth noting.

Overall I love these shoes and highly recommend them. When these wear out, I suspect I will replace them with an identical pair. For sizing, I would go down one full size from your street-shoe size for comfort, and 1 1/2-2 sizes for performance (any smaller than that and these are going to be punishingly tight).

Although my Katana it's a little big for me, it get hold on almost everything, even in the small foots. I'm only thinking of buy a Miura VS or Testarossa to get a right size for me and to get downturned climbing shoe.