Not a great shoe

Neil Roessler

Member since  Dec 10, 2012

Posted on December 10, 2012

• Gender: Male
• Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I have been climbing for 5 years and am a solid 5.11/5.12 climber. I have worn these shoes during trip to bishop, the local crags and the gym. I have also been through many pairs of shoes and shoe company's. The defy is hands down my least favorite climbing shoes I have ever worn. The smell is wretched, the edging power is non existent, the heel slips on heel hooks and you can find a better shoe for smearing and comfort.

The one positive that this shoe has going for it is that is is extremely comfortable. However, the smell far outweights the comfort.

I will say that both my dad and brother climb in this shoe and they love it. However, they are not putting a lot of miles on the shoe, and they are climbing 5.8 to 5.10-. This is a starter shoe, but I would reccomend something else to a starter.

From Evolve: Pontas II (great shoe, the best shoe I would recommend to a beginner who has the talent to progress through the sport fast - very comfortable and extremely versatile)

From 5.10: Anasazi VCS (not a total entry level shoe, but very comfortable and a good entry into the aggressive shoe market)

From La Sportiva: The Terantula (very similar performance to the defy, but the edging is better and the rubber is stickier)

All in all, the defy serves its purpose in the climbing shoe world, however, it is one shoe I would prefer not to have had in my quiver.