The Fireblade is an amazingly comfortable trail shoe. Hugs the foot, fits well from the first time you put them on. Sock-type tongue system keeps out rocks and grit. Downsides: very low-profile tread and not a lot of cushion. They are lightweight and fast, but watch out--I thought they wore out pretty fast too.

Better tread than the Fireblade, more cushion. Unfortunately, the upper is a little stiffer, and there is no sock-like tongue system to keep out rocks and grit. Good shoe though, and a bit beefier than the Fireblade. If you want something that fits similar, but with a bit more "umpf" the Imogene is your shoe.

True to size: yes. Pay attention to the "euro" sizing: women's size eight is a euro 40 (typically and 8 would be a 39.5). Plenty of room in the toebox. Moderately grippy sole. Comfortable! I wore these shoes to a 12 hour shift at the hospital; also wore them on an 11 hour day in the mountains with 5.5 climbing, scrambling, and trail running. All-around good shoe.

Too bad dilema22 didn't have a trimming tool included, but the one i had broke. I know a lot of people who have not liked the stuff sack, but it seems okay to me. The skins are bomber, for sure, but a stronger trimming tool would be helpful. The old ones were a lot better, so if you have your old tool, you'll probably need it.

at first i thought these bindings were popping me forward too much (i'm used to the G3 targa's); but after a couple of runs i got used to them. great sense of power and they transition very smoothly between turns. have not had any problems with releasing from the plate, nor with backing out from the toe piece as some folks do with other (ahem) bindings from other companies. sense of security of having a releasable binding attached to my feet is a definite plus.