Rock and Ice

I loved the Oasi on steep rock and plastic. It also performed better than I expected for outdoor face climbing. For gently overhanging rock at my limit, I’d be happier in a shoe that drove my foot more aggressively into the toe box—and be willing to tolerate a bit of pain as the tradeoff.
Overall, the Oasi is a great shoe. It provides a unique combination of performance and comfort, and really can “do it all.” I’d recommend the Oasi to ambitious climbers who like their shoes on the..." go to full review

I fit the Masai one size below my street-shoe size and they passed the comfortable-out-of-the-box test. My toes were a little knuckled but the toe-box accommodated them without being sloppy. On the rock they stuck to skuzzy smears and didn’t roll laterally on my foot or slip in the heel. With the foot locked in and the asymmetrical toe point, and maybe because of Tenaya’s proprietary construction method, these shoes were very precise on edges. Over six months of wear the Masai didn’t stretch..." go to full review

5 stars because the Stix V2 is nimble, versatile and powerful. This slipper has no flaws. It’s currently my favorite shoe (lace-ups and Velcro included) for single-pitch sport climbing and bouldering.go to full review

The Mago is one of the best shoes I’ve ever worn for high-end sport climbing. The shoe turns down for toe power, but it also performs well on smears and edges. The suede upper is comfortable for extended wear, and the laces are easy to tie and adjust for a precise fit.go to full review

I found both models to be confidence-boosting performers, especially on vitreous limestone smears and rounded sandstone edges. The slipper was both a sensitive and powerful edging shoe. The lace-up shoe was great at edging, and was a more reliable heel-hooker. Despite being sized snugly, the slipper often failed on more demanding heel-grappling situations such as The Buddha (V6) at the Gunks.go to full review

The Instinct VS has some great performance features. It is built on an almost identical last to the Boostic and edges really well. A large swath of rubber covers the top of the toes, allowing you to do some tech’ed-out toe hooks a la Dave Graham, and the heel cup has the vacuum fit that I love.go to full review

The Feroce is one of the best sport-climbing shoes I’ve ever worn. It is an all-around workhorse that excels on steep routes requiring toe power, and technical slabs where spot-on precision is a must. When you first put the Feroce on, you’ll notice a little “hump” that sits comfortably, if differently, beneath the crease of your big toe. The result is that the shoe points your toe down for you, creating an angle that results in high-performance edging.go to full review

Unlike some slippers, the Boostics are easy to get into. The unique sock-like material used at the shoe’s opening is dually functional: It stretches open when you are putting the shoe on, and then sucks around your foot once you’re inside; plus it’s comfortable and it breathes.
The one glaring down side to this shoe is its price—$170 seems hefty, especially if you climb a lot and go through two or more pairs of shoes per year. But if you ask me, you’ll be getting your money’s worth...." go to full review

I gave this shoe five stars because it is a superlative steep-rock, bouldering and gym climbing shoe, with great feel and sensitivity, and with just enough support to allow you to edge when you need to. It’s expensive, but this is justified by its quality construction, durability and performance.go to full review

Red Chili's price-point is built for comfort and durability. As expected, however, they didn't perform as well as the spendier models by Red Chili. While the Durango is a good choice for the frugal who want an all-around performer, and who only occasionally climb, I would not recommend these to anyone who plans to climb harder than 5.10. The barebones shoe doesn't perform well on harder routes and is almost useless on angles steeper than 30 degrees overhanging. It is a fair..." go to full review