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They mostly sat in my gear closet after that. But then something happened: Only halfway through the original sole, the shoes got a little too comfy and soft to me, it felt like the midsole had degraded. They had all the performance attributes I valued, but with improved precision and support for long pitches, like the 40-meter Snakewatching, an unending vertical edge-fest I tested them on in the Flatirons, Colorado. In 2010, La Sportiva came out with the Katana Lace, a stiffened-up Katana with the same sharp toe and mild downturn. The original Velcro Katanas were among my favorites for this niche, and I owned pair after pair until La Sportiva stopped making them. It’s important for the way I climb (short) to feel the holds: I like digging, grabbing, and aggressive, big-toe-powered rockovers. I’m a big fan of semi-stiff shoes, i.e., 6/7-out-of-10 edging support but with 8/9-out-of-10 sensitivity.
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The black & yellow model retains the same stiffness as the original Katana. The split-sole black & white model is intended for lighter climbers looking for a stiff edging shoe (or heavier climbers looking for greater sensitivity). If the heel issue wasnt there these would be my top pick, so Im trying to figure out if they would soften up or mold to my feet at the top of the heel.Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Has anyone else had this experience and if so did it soften up? I havent had this issue on any other shoe. It doesnt hurt but its not comfortable either.
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#Katana velcro skin
But if I can see that the TC Pros would be better for crack climbing.Īlso for what it is worth, the guy at the store said he thought the TC Pros would be better at smearing then the Katana Laces.Ī question I have - I noticed for me the heel rand on the Katana Lace is very stiff and sort of feels like it is poking into my skin just above the heel bone. I felt that the Katana Laces were slightly more sensitive. The Katana Lace are very slightly downturned, but because the sole is so flexible, it molds to your feet and flattens out when you put them on. The TC Pros are completely flat and slightly stiffer in the sole. I just tried them both on 20minutes ago, so they are fresh in my mind.
#Katana velcro pro
I am shopping around for a pair of shoes right now and deciding between the TC Pro and the Katana Lace. i find it stretched around 1/2 a size, more than the lace overall Weirds how this is pretty well known on da intrawebs with quite a few folks experiencing it, but it is never mentioned in the climbing media, just like fixes alien issuesĪs to the katana velcro. Not to mention the premature velcro strap wear Both great fitting and performing shoes, but be forewarned that Katana Lace shoes will tend to delaminate.the miuras and katanas have that issue.
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I find mine have "softened" to be more comfortable, without the actual fit changing much. the upshot is, your big toe will sit in the same place in the shoe in both katana and tc pro but the toe box IS a slightly different shape. This gives me a moderately knuckled big toe fit. I like mine a half size down from my all day flat toe TC pro fit. Lothian Buss wrote:They're spec'd as having the same last, but the katana has more room to box/knuckle up the toes (vertical toe box room) with a pointer toe (narrower side to side).
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