Overview > La Sportiva Mantis

Chris > I've not worn La Sportiva shoes before, but I do like velcro closure shoes. These are a little small (half size) too small for me, but Noodles says they should stretch a little bit and will fit fine... all it takes is time :P

Lets looks at what the La Sportiva site says about these shoes:
All around hook and loop closure shoe that excels at gym climbing, bouldering and sport climbing

The Mantis is built for the modern climber who transitions from bouldering to sport climbing and gym climbing. A supportive 2mm Sensi-Flex midsole gives you great support on tiny edges. The plush padded tongue feels great after an entire day at the crag and the supportive synthetic leather and leather upper wraps your foot in confidence.

WEIGHT: 8.92 oz • 253 g LAST: RLN 35 CONSTRUCTION: Slip Lasted FIT: Comfort w/ Low Asymmetry UPPER: Leather/ Synthetic Leather LINING: Unlined MIDSOLE: 2mm Sensi-Flex SOLE: 4mm FriXion® RS

One thing that is pretty impressive about these shoes from the get go is the price, they're sub $100, and given the amount of shoes that Noodles has worn from this company then let's face it they must be good! The Tour De Bloc is coming so we'll be reporting back on how these wear at our wall and all over the competitions this year

Done > Five Ten Projects

Noodles > The title says it all, with over 6 months of climbing in them the Five Ten Projects are done! I can't wear them too much because they've become too sensitve for my feet. Chris has tried them on and says the same thing, and foot hold that is sharp and it's like stepping on a tack :(

Overall they've performed as well as advertised, except when I've been outside on small edges where I found there wasn't enough support for me to complete some of the problems I was trying. The heel cup is wonderful and the shoes have worn very well, there's still a little life in these shoes but they will only be used on specific projects where they'll perform as needed

If I'd brought these shoes I'd have been happy with them, they're worth a look if you climb steep overhung boulders, don't even think about cracks as you'll not have enough support for your feet!!

Evolv > Kaos 2

Noodles > Intro: Now Dustin's been off of the radar for a while, he's not been answering emails or any of my calls *sniff*; why? Well because he's been kicking the sh*t out of these shoes below and writing another well informed review on Evolvs new Kaos II. Enjoy the read, he's making some big claims that I'm going to need to look into.
Dustin > Kaos II:If anyone remembers the first version of the Kaos you probably remember a bulky heal cup, sensitive smearing and some yellow synthetic material that after a couple of solid sessions, becomes more of a mustard and dirt colour and smells so bad that every time you bring them to the gym or crag, you think that federal authorities are going to arrest you for possession of biological weapons.

Evolv has truly improved upon the design of the original Kaos with their new K-2s. At first look, they're a pretty bland pair of shoes. I mean, looking at the rest of the Evolv line you've got some line of some pretty flashy shoes and then...you have the very simple, black and grey K-2s. Don't let simplcity fool you though, these shoes may not have all the pimped out graphics of other shoes, but what Evolv didn't spend on graphics, they put into R&D, I won't spoil the conclusion of this review but, I can tell you this, these shoes are awesome.

Now, I'm a big fan of heel hooks, I won't lie. Any shoe that can't give me a solid technical heel hook, on plastic or on rock, isn't worth my time. The K-2s heel cup fits perfectly while providing sensitive technical heel hooks. The first time I put it on my heel slid so easily in that I thought for sure it was going to slide out heel hooking but I was happily disappointed. The heel cup fits comfortably, while still allowing for a aggressive pulling and torquing.

One of the coolest things about these shoes, which I'm finding out is standard on all Evolv shoes, is that the fabric on the shoe is a perforated synthetic. Now I know what your thinking, because when Buck said that to me, I could only stare at him blankly and wonder 'say what now?'. The long and short of it is this, the perforated synthetic allows the shoes to breath more, which means that no longer will you have shoes so rancid that when you open your pack at the crag or the gym, you wonder what died in there.

Let's talk about edging. At first try I thought the edges were bomber, the shoe is stiff enough that it will perform well for edging and allow some sensitivity for smearing. The reality, as it went for the month that tortured, tested and abused these shoes for (believe me, I did terrible things to these shoes in the name of informed reviewing) that these shoes only become better at edging, even after the break in period. After two weeks the shoes began to simply stay, on everything, on every angle. I don't even like flat soled climbing shoes, I haven't put on a pair of non-downturned toe shoes since my first pair of Kaos but these shoes perform like down turned shoes while keeping all the benefits of an edging-based design. Even after the edges wore down, I found that the shoe still managed to stand on itsy bitsy dime edges. Smearing I will admit, took two weeks to really meet the level of expectation I had for this shoe. When I see flat soled velcros I think of a smearing shoe, ones perfect for walking my feet up the wall to hand foot match but out of the box... I found they really needed some breaking in.

The true beauty of this shoe however comes from Evolv's philosophy of shoe fit. I will admit that I was one of those kids that crammed my toes into shoes way too tight for me just to accommodate the stretch of shoes but no longer. Brothers and Sisters, I have seen the light! Evolv's synthetic upper stretches at most a 1/4 of a size and after a month of me doing awful things to them (I will admit, I drove over them with my truck a couple of times...) they still fit the same as when I got them out of the shipping box.

So here's my closing note. These are a great shoe. They're all-around shoe. For those who don't like down turned shoes, these are the shoes for you. Evolv, I believe, has finally made a shoe that is, if not comparible, then better than all the other classic, all-around shoes. I would say that finally Evolv has put out a shoe that can sit on the same shelf as the Miura or the Anasazi and out perform them. This company has got it's sh*t together, and I think it's time we all take a good look. The K-2s are bad ass and brand new. I would recommend them to anyone who wants a high sensitivity edging shoe...that will never wreak. Peace all. K-Lace review on the way.

5.10 > Jet 7's

Jacky > Jet 7: This climbing shoe is nothing new, but it had been on my list for a while so I gladly spent a few bucks when 5.10 showed interest in a review. Considered as a high performance bouldering shoe, the Jet-7s inspire nothing but praise.

Evidently, this shoe will make a bigger difference for high caliber climbers. Since I’m a V5 climber, I probably won’t be able to push this shoe to its limit but I will do my best to give you a detailed and exact account of my impressions on these shoes when I use them. Mostly because of school, my climbing schedule gets limited to a couple of sessions a week and I therefore take more time than Muckle or Noodles, like 6-8 months, to destroy shoes.

My first steps in these shoes were made at Val David, during an outdoor bouldering session. Since we were climbing at night, we had to look carefully and find footholds with our headlamps before getting on the boulder. Once the enemy identified, we were ready for attack! On the first problem, I had to heel hook the rock. I found my heel slipping out of the shoe, and I was uncomfortable with the move. I tied up the upper velcro some more and that sufficed to solve the problem. On the next problem, I was pleasantly surprised by the toe work. The toe of the shoe is very precise and natural. On my first try standing on this crimper for the feet, I was shocked by the shoe’s adherence to the rock. The cut of the shoe is such that the tip gets a good contact with a ledge of only a few millimeters and the sensitivity allows for precise work without hesitation. I must have told Muckle ten times how precise my toe work had become…well, enough times to make him want to try them! He tried them… but I took them back quickly enough! :P I also noted the rubber’s tenderness, rendering the sole a very useful tool when it comes to smearing. The only damper, is the interior of the heel of the shoe. Since we were outdoors in a damp area, I had to change between my hiking and climbing shoes quite a bit. By the end of the night, I had nice irritation marks on both feet right below my Achilles’ heels. Since they are brand new shoes, I can’t tell if it’s the fabric’s roughness or the stitching that chafes… We’ll see in time if this goes on!

My second run with the Jet-7s was on the boulder at the local gym. Since the Tour the Bloc competition just passed by our gym (Allez-Up), there were a few serious problems left to work on. That was pure delight! The most technical move in my whole session was one where I had to bring my entire weight back to a vertical position while avoiding a slip with a toe-hook. I was therefore able to use the Stealth Paint covered top for the first time. My hook was placed on a fairly slick part of the module I was climbing and I do think the textured covering helped the movement by increasing my adherence. Moreover, the combination of the fabric and the rubber gives such an aggressive shoe a more comfortable feel. Note: since it was a short session, I had no irritated heel.