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Reviews by katydid (3)


Testarossa (Manufacturer link) popular Average Rating = 4.90/5 Average Rating : 4.90/5

In: Gear: Shoes: Climbing Shoes: Lace Up

Review 5 out of 5 stars

Review by: katydid, 2004-04-19


My "torture shoes". I can stand on subatomic particles in them. The darn things actually fit my narrow heels and high arches, so they're probably not as uncomfortable to me as they would be to people with "normal" feet. As static_climber noted, these are NOT beginner shoes. Super aggressive, and worth the price (I paid 130). And they look like ketchup and mustard. How can you go wrong?


Womens Mythos Climbing Shoes (Manufacturer link) Average Rating = 4.62/5 Average Rating : 4.62/5

In: Gear: Shoes: Climbing Shoes: Women's Climbing Shoes

Review 4 out of 5 stars

Review by: katydid, 2004-04-19


Again, a narrow-footed climber with bad Achilles' tendons who thinks these shoes are pretty super. These are my trad shoes -- edge like a champ (which you'd expect from Mythos), very comfy. The toe is very rounded, which makes it harder to toepoint, and it doesn't fit in narrow cracks very well. Outside of that, they're the bomb.


Sapphire (Manufacturer link) Average Rating = 3.00/5 Average Rating : 3.00/5

In: Gear: Shoes: Climbing Shoes: Women's Climbing Shoes

Review 2 out of 5 stars

Review by: katydid, 2003-06-11


I have extremely narrow feet and high arches, so I was pleased to find the 5.10 Sapphire fit me well. The S-curve lacing makes them very easy to adjust and takes pressure off the instep. Because they're cut lower in the heel, you might consider these if you have Achilles' tendon problems -- significanly less pressure in that area than a typical "men's" shoe. The Sapphire is a great shoe for multi-pitch, as they're a fairly comfy, flexible all-around shoe. Expect about half a size of stretch.

Although the rubber itself held up well (I never needed to have them resoled), I wore these shoes out after a few months of regular (2-3 days a week gym climbing, occasional cragging) use. The rubber started delaminating from the rands after only three months, and shortly after that, the shoes lost their stiffness. Not so good for edging, but great for smearing.
I'd recommend these shoes if you have width problems with other climbing shoes, but I don't feel that I got my money's worth out of them. I probably won't buy another pair, and plan to look for a different brand of shoe for my next pair of all-around shoes.