Limestone aficionados and fans of pockety face will love the Mystix—they have a long, stiff, balletic toe married with an aggressive downturn and visibly asymmetrical (“banana”) last that yielded big power for steeps and precise micro-standing. Lasted for lower-volume feet, the Mystix have a supportive, CAD-drafted, two-zone RC-Flex midsole and a 3.5mm XS Grip Sole that offered reliable smearing for a stiffer shoe, while a wide, single-pull Velcro strap made for easy-adjust sizing. A..." go to full review
Five Ten has upgraded their fleet, minimalist gym/bouldering/sport shoe with a low-stretch microfiber upper and broader, more customizable single-strap closure that torques down hard for limit sends—imparting mad focus through the downturned precision toe. Meanwhile, thanks to the siping (gills) on the scum patch and split-sole design, helped also by the super-sticky Stealth C4 sole, the new Hiangle flexed more than its predecessor for smearing—just the perfect amount. Of special..." go to full review
When the Booster first came out in 2007, its fierce torque plus balletic precision made it a redpointing beast. The Booster got a big makeover for 2020 with Scarpa’s new PAF heel, which splits the tension rand behind your Achilles, letting you downsize for max precision. (I dropped 1 size from the Booster S.) The resulting “bite” on micros is peerless, and the new heel is a soft, suctiony dream. The Booster has a Flexan midsole and 3.5mm XS Grip 2 outsole, and uses the same Alcantara toebox..." go to full review
The gym-focused Solution Comp features a softer midsole, bigger scumming patch, and narrower heel than the original—and was a runaway hit with testers. It broke in quicker than the OG model and performed better on volumes and smears, but the sensitive, form-fitting heel was the most winning tweak. “It’s more pared-down, which made it super-glommy around arêtes and on volumes,” said one tester. The updates paired perfectly with tried-and-true features like the pointy, precise toebox,..." go to full review