Had a pair of the Defy's as my first shoe and burned through the soles very quickly. I got a pair of these instead and am loving them! They are MUCH more durable and don't have the same smell issues that the Defy has. I wouldn't label myself as more then an intermediate climber but even for starting out these haven't been to aggressive. They do fit a little more snug then other Evolv shoes I should mention.

My first shoe was the defy, it was a decent shoe fit wise but I wore through the toes in under 2 months. The pontas was suggested to me as a step up and so far they have been great. They seem much more durable then the Defy and the fit is much more precise. The shoe does fit slightly tighter then the Defy, but that was expected. They do break in a little bit, at first they were almost painful but once they loosened up they became the absolute perfect fit. Love them, highly recommended. Oh and they smell just as bad as the Defy's did.

Update*- Looks like my prediction was correct, the sole didn't even last 20 indoor days and I have returned them for a pair of Pontas instead. Really disappointed in the quality. The fit is still great though, and yeah they do smell pretty bad as mentioned by others.

Fit is great, has the feel of a slipper. Sole seems like it won't last as long as other shoes, but for this price it is hard to complain.

No complaints, this is definitely the best way to get started. Chalk and bag are great, harness is fairly comfortable, atc is functional, It is a great purchase for new climbers.