Seems like so many shoes out there are made for wide American clown feet. These on the other hand, are for us skinny lil' pencil footed folks. I have a medium/narrow foot (mens street size 11.5) and I wear a 9 in the Katanas. The shoe fits like a glove and feels excellent. I certainly get a bit of toe curl in them, but nothing too serious. If you're looking for a similar fit, but more comfort oriented, go check out the Mythos:

http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/La-Sportiva-Mythos-Climbing-Shoe-Mens/LSP0048M.html

My feet are fairly average size, and I absolutely love this climbing shoe. It's not, like, super comfortable or anything--but it's the right type of fit to performance ratio for a pretty beginner climber like me. The velcro is awesome!

I bought a pair of these while on a trip in the Owens Valley last spring and really digg 'em. I use them almost exclusively for bouldering but on the occasional sport route as well. They wrap around my foot like a glove and my don't really smell as others have said. So all in all I'm totally stoked on my Katanas.

Had mine for 4 months now and love them. I wear a size 12 street shoe and went with a size 44 katana. I could have went with a 43 since they stretch a little more than expected. Overall great climbing shoe for bouldering and sport climbing.

These are great shoes for tough bouldering and sport problems where you need to stand on a dime size edge and get change to spare. It's also a good all-round shoe for any level of climber, if you can stomach the (typical Sportiva) price tag. I've been climbing the same pair for almost two years now, and haven't noticed any durability problems with mine, although it is about time for a re-sole. Certainly not the most comfortable shoe you'll ever wear, but not too bad either (no bleeding toes). These also have the super deep heel typical to Sportiva's shoes, which some people don't like (doesn't bother me any, though). All in all, I would say this is a great shoe, but should be fitted in person before attempting to buy online.

these have been my go to shoes for the past six years. they are good for all day climbs and hard boulder problems.

I bought my first pair of Katanas about a year ago. They held up pretty well - I used them a ton - I probably had about 75 solid days climbing in them. When I realized that they were just about dead, I bought another pair. They are comfortable as hell, edge fantastically, and can smear with the best of 'em. I climb mostly on sandstone, so this is about all I get to climb on - dime edges and sloper smearing.

The reason these get 4 stars instead of 5 is that the heels seem to be loose in every pair I've tried on. Everyone I know who has these shoes (they're pretty popular at my gym) says the same thing - the heel is a bit on the big side. It's fine for most climbing, but when you're heel is a foot above your head and you're trying to clip, you really don't want to feel it starting to slip. In all fairness (the reason for 4 instead of 3 stars), I've never had a heel come out, but I have had it move enough to really make me think about it every time I put my heel up. You can look at the picture and see what I'm talking about. The leather patch in the back just looks loose.

I normally wear a 45, but sized down to a 44 for these shoes. A 5.10 44.5 won't fit me, but a La Sportiva 44 fits perfect. Go figure.

Bottom line: These shoes will work for 98% of you to climb something way above your ability.

I've gone through 2 pairs of these shoes (resoled my first one's twice) No shoe fits like the katana! Thanks to the leather construction the shoe will stretch slightly over time resulting in a custom fit for your feet. I usually size 3 to 4 sizes smaller than my regular shoe size. (I wear a 47 normally and my katanas are 43 1/2's; although my next pair will be 43's.) The sole is a little softer than the muiras resulting in better smearing performance. If you are sick of shoes slipping around on your foot/heel this is the one for you. Well worth it!

These are the best all around shoe on the market. if they dont heal hook right, then u sized the too big. if they where out fast, that means u just have crappy footwork, and should go 2 a beginners shoe, or take some lessons. i got into a bad habbit with these shoes, bcuz they were so sticky, i could put my foot onto anything.

its a great shoe for aggressive climbing and smearing but the heel doesn't really fit very well so you don't really get that snug climbing shoe fit. I use them for short sport or trad pitches because they really aren't that comfortable.

amazing bouldering shoe. good sensitivity, good fit all around, especially the heel (never slips off on burly heel hooks..) my one complaint -- the toe rand on one foot began to separate after only about 2 months of 3 day a week / 3 hour a day climbing.. but my friend's pair has lasted him a good nine months, so maybe my pair was just a bad pair.. i know that la sportiva has these handcrafted, so maybe that's where some unreliability comes in..

I just got Katanas and they are really comforatable. Each pair has a different fit even if they are the same size. Unfortunately my pair rubs against my toe the wrong way and I am getting a really nasty blister. I definately reccomend trying on multiple pairs and wearing them for a few moments before you buy them. Once you find the pair for you I guarentee that these will be the most comforatable rock shoes you will ever wear and they preform wonderfully. Despite what some people say the katanas, in my opinion have a very good heel hook!

I bought a pair without trying them on; a mistake. I was advised by Backcountry's gear guys to buy the same size as my comfy Mythos. That's wrong. The Mythos stretches and the Katana does not. I tried to bully them into usability, but they are pretty useless to me: just too tight. So.... try a pair on first or just be aware of the limited stretch. My street shoe is 9.5; I wear a 40 in the Mythos. I'd probably go to a 41 in the Katana.

This show is incredible for gym climbs. I just got this shoe for gym climbing because it is too cold to climb outside and i am really happy with it. I am comfortable standing on a dime foot hold and just hanging out on lead. This is the best shoe for really aggressive climbing and bouldering.

I supose this shoes was designed for people with skinny feet. Does not fit medium to wide feet very well and the vibram rubber is sub par compaired to Stealth or Mad Rock rubber.

The Katana is a great shoe, I'm very pleased with it.

The rubber is durable and sticks well. The shape is agressive enough for bouldering but comfortable enough for sport routes.

I've got very narrow feet and got these 2,5 european sizes down. The fit is perfect and offers me great performance.

Got them to replace my evolve pontas which were a horrible experience. Will stick with sportivas in the future.

This is my second pair of Katana shoes, and personally I really like them. I use them for IndoorClimbing, Bouldering and SportClimbing. And it satisfies all my needs. They are perfect for Bouldering, they have a good and sharp end, for tiny stepping points. And they have good friction.
Also I feel them quite comfortable. You can climb a high route with them without a problem.
I really recommend them. Just a perfect shoe.

Very comfortable climbing shoe, comparable in purpose but lacks in performance to the 5.10 Anasazis.

toes tend to wear out quickly.

I went through quite a few different types of shoes when I first started to climb. I had decided that I needed one kind of shoe for sport and another for bouldering when a climbing partner of mine suggested I try out Katanas. I had had bad luck with Velcro closures in the past and was a bit hesitant (the Velcro closures on Katanas are solid and I've never had a problem with them failing). I'm so glad I gave them a try. I like my shoes tight - I wear my climbing shoes about 3 sizes down from my street shoes - and the Katanas are comfy enough for long routes and fit like a dream; the Velcro makes fine-tuning the fit easy. They are technical enough for fine edging and do a masterful job at heel-hooking. I got to say goodbye to multiple shoes as I wear them both for bouldering and sport. As has been mentioned by others, even after much use they do not stink up and become toxic like many other shoes. I highly recommend the Katanas. A very, very good shoe.

Save your money - don't demo these shoes. I demoed a pair a few months back and went out that week to buy myself a pair. These things are just a great all around shoe for guys with skinnier feet. I use mine for bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing. Like others mentioned, the heel hooks extremely well (assuming you sized your shoes right) and the toe smears well too. I've been able to confidently stand up on some pretty small holds with nothing but a toe on these shoes! Definitely a necessity for tough bouldering problems. As for durability - so far these shoes have held up great, no complaints there.

If you've got skinny feet and are looking for a shoe to step up to some tougher routes look no farther.

I like the way these fit the front of my feet, but seems like there is too much room in the heels. My toes always get cramps after bouldering in them for awhile, but I'm still breaking them in.

You normally wear a size 47 and are buying 43's ?

This review is a perfect example of some noob posting absolute false info.

I own this shoe and size up from a 44-44.5 to a 45.

I've climbed on it two years now in Colorado.

What is a 47 size 13 ? 43 is like size 9 ?

I'd love to see someone pull that off with this shoe.

These are great shoes... My husband loves them. He does mostly traditional crack climbing and some sport, and loves them in any size crack and on face or even slab. It is a great all-arounder for him. Edges, points, sticks, flexes very well.
The one, though worthwile, drawback is the rubber soles wear out fast. He climbs every weekend and once in the gym during the week, and these shoes may not last a month before requiring resoles. He keeps buying new ones while getting old ones resoled. Also, the major local stores are closing them out... so it's nice to have an online supplier through Backcountry.

my first route with katana shoes and big fall on the ground!reason my shoes slipped from foothold.fall over 20 ft luckilly no injury only sore ancles :o)

I've only climbed in these twice in a gym and for a pretty strenuous Joshua Tree tip.

The shoes inspire confidence in slab climbing. They work great just smearing on a tip-toe or edging.

They have a VERY deep heel. So deep that it caused blisters up on my Achilles tendon. I did a couple of heel-hooks, and they work great. Very secure on the rock, but kinda vague feeling.

I had to do the buy/return thing three times to find the right size. These were a full euro size smaller than my last 5.10s. So far, these have not stretched too much and are holding up great, even with some pretty long walk-offs.

These are not the best crack shoes. There is no protection for the tops of the toes and I suffered with every jam.

I decided to liberate myself from evolve shoes after owning several pairs. They don't breathe well and the vegan leather material they are made from smell vial after a few rigorous weeks of bouldering. So I ordered a pair of the Katanas. I normally wear rock shoes in 1/2 a size smaller than my street shoes. (I'm not a gym rat masochist that wears shoes 3 sizes too small). When they arrived and I opened the box I new immediately they were too long and narrow. Putting them on confirmed my suspicion. The construction of the shoe appears to be second to none, aggressive, good edges. If you have long, narrow gangly feet get them. But if your feet are average or a little wide, get 5.10 Galileos.

Great fit for my long foot - if the mythos fits you just right, it's a good bet on this one. The wedge-shaped toe is outta sight - seriously, it's doing me right on both slab and face stuff. Still rock the mythos for crack-work, but these are the bees' knees for the rest. Even with only two velcro straps, the fit still feels nice and snug. I own two pairs to make sure I won't have to go without while the other is being resoled.

I settled on the katana for my narrow feet and have been really pleased with the fit and performance. I've spent the last 3 1/2 months climbing on plastic, Oregon basalt, Idaho granite and Smith Rock tuff. These shoes have been great performance-wise. They definitely helped me send a couple previously out-of-reach routes their first weekend out. On small edges, my climbing buddies like to sport the Muira's, but the Katana's work for me. They're great on basalt edges, little knobs, and killer smearing on little granite features. Just the other day I noticed I've broken through the rand on one of the shoes. I've probably gotten 60 days of climbing in them either for a workout on plastic or a day outdoors. They still feel sort of like new shoes because I've had them such a sort time, but I've used them a ton. I'm not SUPER stoked about getting another pair, but they fit me so well I think I might.

The Katana´s is VERY good, it grips well, it is really nice... but when it´s new. The edge of mine has opened and it goes away easily

These shoes have worked great for me for the short time that I have had them. After a few days of hard climbing they break in perfectly, just enough to keep their tight fit, but soften up enough to climb in comfortably all day. I'm not going to put and sizing info up here because YOU SHOULD NOT BUY A CLIMBING SHOE FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE!!!!!!! Don't be lazy, find the perfect fit, then buy them online. The katana represents the next step up in all around shoes, perfect for switching back and forth between bouldering and wall climbing. The rubber is great as everybody says, but honestly, rubber isn't that different from high end shoe to high end shoe. Mostly this shoe is great for me because of it's perfect blend of flexibility and stiffness, and a great narrower fit. Despite how much I have enjoyed this shoe thus far, I'm pretty cautious because of all the bad reviews on durability that I've heard so far. Mine have been holding up terrifically, but on those days when I'm feeling sloppy and impatient or especially for jagged outdoor, I bring out my sturdy old lace ups (not only because of durability, but I don't always need everything the katana has to offer). When you opt for a less durable shoe, it CAN mean that you get a better feel and softer fit, if you want that. Obviously this is not a beginner shoe to be clunking around on rock and dragging your feet, and it shouldn't be the first shoe you buy (you will destroy them in no time at all). If you're just starting out, go for a different, more sturdy lace up. Not only will getting your footwork down in a more solid shoe help your climbing, but those shoes will stay with you for awhile and will by no means become obsolete when you do decide to move up to something like the katana.

I'm new to climbing but i know enough to figure out these shoes are awesome. great rubber, good fit

Another terrific LaSportiva shoe. The 2 velcro strap system actually does a good job of keeping the shoe nice and tight to the foot. Also held up to some serious abuse while keeping its performance. Recommend to anyone who wants a quick in and out bouldering shoe.