La Sportiva

Katana Lace Vibram XS Edge Climbing Shoe

Supposedly the best

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

40

I saw on a website that these were the "best" for bouldering at the time, however I mainly chose them because it was on sale. I still feel fairly new though I've been bouldering for around a year; I wasn't fully aware of how different these would be in comparison to my previous pair(La Sportiva, forgot which, probably whichever is generic for beginners) as well as getting the wrong size. I should have gotten the 8.5 but I believe it's also how the shoe is built. It hurts a bit to wear for extended periods of time, however, I was told that how these shoes are. Overall, though I haven't seen too much of an improvement in my climbing though that's more my fault, I still feel these shoes are great.

Climbing shoe

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

44.5

These climbing shoes are awesome. I just wish I would’ve gotten a little bit bigger size. Apparently the European cut of shoe compared to the American cut of shoe is a little bit narrower. I’m hoping they stretch out a little bit.

Great intermediate to advanced shoe

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

9

Great shoe for someone that actually wants to climb. Fits a bit smaller than my old five tens. Either that or it’s just more aggressive in fit than my shoes I’ve had since high school. Maybe I won’t belay in these but climbing is nice. Pick a half size up from your normal climbing shoe size.

Great all-rounders. Love these shoes!

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

46

The Katana Lace are my first performance pair of shoes (after my starter shoes), and they're perfect for me. Not aggressive enough to be painful to wear, but aggressive enough to give great footwork on edges and still have good slab and smearing performance. One unexpected benefit of these shoes is that they come off quickly, the well-designed lace system tightens up very evenly, and then releases evenly, making them every bit as fast as velcro straps to get out of. I'm super happy that Back Country carries my size (46, in La Sportiva shoes). Looking at you, REI. Tsk tsk.

Good shoes

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

41.5

Rubber is good. Comfortable for an aggressive-ish shoe. Not comfortable enough for long multi-pitch days

too long

sizing down is vital here. the shoe runs long. if you have wide feet, this may not be your shoe due to the shoe being so long. my climbing buddy got this shoe and he loves is but its too long for my foot and i feel like if i size down any more than my foot will be too wide to fit into the shoe.

Same shoe but larger

Size Bought:

45.5

I’ve been using katana lace for the past three years. The new pair feels exactly the same although larger. I sized a half size down from my old katanas, but it still feels slightly larger. Probably go a full size from your old katana laces if you want them aggressive and snug.

Dislike the redesign

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I bought a pair of the Katana's last year based on Outdoor Gear Lab reviews. Based on the rave reviews on comfort and the fact that they did everything well with the exception of steep terrain objectives, I was sold. I have been climbing for over 30 years, and the days of sizing my shoes small to project hard stuff, all the while looking forward to taking off my shoes before completing the pitch were over. I was very happy with my original pair of Katana's, enough so that I went ahead and bought an another pair recently without reading any reviews on the redesign. I mean it was the top shoe in Outdoor's review! Well I should have read the reviews. The redesign improves the shoe in one regard and totally messes it up in another. The extra rubber in the heal does help with heel hooks. The redesign of the toe box misses the mark of what made the shoe great by affedting the comfort and/or sensitivity of the shoe. If you want to maintain the sensitivity of the previous shoe you will either have to size down at least a 1/2 and possibly a 1 full size. I went with a 1/2 size, sacrificing comfort as well as sensitivity! Message to La Sportiva. You have other models that hit the mark for steeps with the Solution, Muira VS, Skwama. Bring back the old design, otherwise I am looking for another shoe!

Yep!

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

After my first pair of shoes wore out, I wanted to move into a more aggressive shoe. I got some Miuras and boy oh boy are those awesome. They perform like a dream. But they were miserable to wear. Way too tight for my foot. I have a wide toe box and fussy feet and these were just too uncomfortable. So I went on a quest to find something that performed well AND wouldn't make me want to abandon the sport mid-route every single climb. A friend told me these were her all time favorite shoe, so I tried them. I find they perform fabulously and they are actually comfortable enough that I don't want to immediately take them off between routes at the gym. Sometimes I just keep them on and they don't bother me. Such a good find.

Wow, Just Wow, with just one caveat...

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

45.5

Height:

5' 11"

Weight:

220

I recently received a pair of the 2022 Katana Laces as a gift, ergo source unknown. For years, the Katana Lace has been my "go to" for outside climbing, because of its outstanding edging, ability to toe into cracks and pockets and confidence-inspiring ability to friction-smear on less than vertical slabs. So I was excited to try on the supposedly improved 2022 version. Wow! This shoe has a very pronounced curve/downturn which you can feel under your entire foot from just in front of the heel all the way to your big toe. I immediately wished this curve will last the life of the shoe. In this new model, you can really feel the P3 curve under the ball of your foot and the curve of your toes. The heel really does feel tighter than the previous model. I can easily see talented climbers raving about that. Now, here's the caveat: La Sportiva has said they have changed the way the toe is constructed, to bring your toes closer right above the front edge and closer to the rock. Engineering-wise, this a great; BUT it makes to front of the shoe a little more roomy. Therefore, I advise you to seriously consider dropping down 1/2 size from the size of your previous Katana Lace, to account for this change and to take full advantage of the front-edge power now available in the 2022 version.