These things do their job quite well when unleashed on the steep stuff. Long sessions of agressive bouldering is equally suiting (I say long sessions because they're lace ups and you might as well leave em on).
Seriously, jump on a roof route or two and just see how good these actually are.
Naturally, smearing is not their forte, and the type of routes you'd want these for won't really rely on smearing anyway.
The toe on the talon is wildly powerful when you size them properly, and EXTREMELY comfortable for this type of shoe. It WILL front point and pull on the smallest of nubs if you can hold the position.
The heel is equally impressive, and very secure for just about any style of heel-hook. It's narrow enough to have a snug and precise feel, and there's more than enough rubber to accommodate whatever angle you hit the rock.
In fact, that's basically my summary of the shoe... It's more than enough; more than most who buy this shoe could even utilize.

I'd also recommend the predators... those have become my "gym rat" and general bouldering shoes.

PS: Like everyone says, the people at Evolv are great, and Aldrin I gotta give great thanks to Aldrin for helping out time and again.

A great shoe that is good on anything. I climb hard slab in them as well so none of that "I'd rather be barefoot" bullshit. I find them to also be much more comfortable than the Five.Ten V10's or Mad Rock Loco. The picture of them is never very good, they are very pointed asymetrical shoes.
Just adding that I have had them for about 7 months now and I am still climbing my best ever in them, even though they are sized to large. So also these can make good comfortable shoes if sized large but somehow still climb amazing!

Every time I climb in these I am amazed at how much better they edge than other shoes I've worn. I've climbing in them on sandstone, limestone, granite, and basalt thus far and they have excelled on each surface. The rubber is extremely "sticky" as is holding up quite well after 8 months of hard use.

These shoes are just great. I mean it.

I have received a pair for beta testing from brian. Not for free offcourse, but that was money well spent. Seriously, i wouldve payed 130$ for these shoes if i think about it now. Even without the great customer service. And now for the review.

After receiving the package and ripping it open with trembling hands my initial impression was that theyre really well made. All the glued and stitched parts are really solid and i will be really shocked if they last less than one resole before they start showing serious sings of wear. Then after threading the laces i put them on. And was completely blown away by the fit. Brians size reccomendation was spot on. They were(are) perfect. Just tight enough, but not painfull, NO dead space in the heelcup or anywhere else.

And now for the important part. Climbing. When i got home, I went to our woody to give them the first test run. At first the rubber seemed to be a bit less sticky, but i used a soft metal brush to get the oxidized layer of and it improoved greatly. Still a bit less sticky than c4, but it doesnt really matter. You wont really notice it. The shoes are super precise and edge exceptionally well. They turn the smallest footchips into wide stair. Litelary. I could stand on anything.

Then finally the season started. And after about 10 climbs (not routes, mind you :P that was 3 routes) I was really happy with their performance. They have everything you need for an overhanging climb. After climbing for some time in Stingers and trying Testarosas and Mirages for a few routes, Talons are at least twice as good. They suck on everything less than vertical, but that was expected (smearing is a real PITA, as is usually the case with downturned shoes). However, when things start to overhang they really shine. Theyre super precise and you can really stand on anything, no matter how small (and thus increase your footwork options a lot). Even smearing suprisingly improves a bit when things go beyond vertical.

Now for the bad stuff. I dont really have much to say here, its more like some improvement suggestions. I would prefer an injection molded heel for even better heelhooking (dont get me wrong, the current one works just fine, but it could be improoved) and theres a lot of black (rubber all over the place) which will probably make the a bit hot when climbing in the sun (i have only used them in the shade of a cave so far, so thats only a speculation). But like i said, those are just two things that i would improve to make the shoes even better. Dont get me wrong, heelhooking works like a charm. Precise fit and no dead spaces make wonders. I wrote this paragraph because i believe that every thing can be improved and that no criticism should be just positive, so i just HAD to find something. And thats it.

And now for the conclusion. If youre in the market for some agressive shoes, take a LONG look at Talons. Theyre really good. Of those 10 outside climbs at least two involved some skidding and scratching (first tries) and the soes dont show any sign of wear whatsoever, so even though i havent used them for long, i suspect that they will last a while. So even though im not 100% sure about the durability, i reccomend them wholeheartedly. Theres just nothing wrong with them, everything is as its supposed to be. IMHO these are the perfect agressive shoes. And, when the pair that i have ventures into shoe havens, I will definitely get a second.

As a bonus you get excellent custumer service and andvice. And thats a really important thing in my book. 5 out of 5. Because they deserve it.