The first of La Sportiva’s three comp shoes was the Solution Comp, followed by the Theory and the Cobra 4.99. The Theory is softer than the Solution Comp for more of a bouldering focus. It also has volume-friendly features like Sportiva’s No-Edge technology, a rounded underfoot edge that, here, wraps up into two semi-circles of rand on the posterior toebox; a variable-thickness half-sole (1.9–4mm) that thins down behind the toebox, where you typically don’t stand, to encourage forefoot flex..." go to full review

Butora’s athlete team will still likely be rocking two pairs of shoes at comps: the Acro for steeper or edging problems, and the Acro Comp for volumes. However, having tested the Acro Comp, I found more than ample support for basic edging and jib standing—which is great in these very sensitive shoes, if you can take a little pain and/or have strong feet. And their performance on heel hooks and toe scums is nearly perfect—the toe-scumming patch is one of the biggest I’ve seen and is über-..." go to full review

The X1s have been Alex Johnson’s go-to shoe for indoor, competition, and outdoor climbing since they came out in 2018. “The softness makes it flexible—when a shoe is too soft and you’re standing on a volume or slab, you get a bubble,” she says. “The X1 is soft enough that I can trust my feet on volumes, but not so soft that the mold of the shoe falters.” When I tested the X1s when they first came out, I was impressed with their heel, one of the first softer, “volume-forward” heels to hit the..." go to full review

The Testarossas are among the more expensive shoes on the market, but you get what you pay for. They were an excellent fit immediately out of the box. The shoes were broken in within just two or three pitches of climbing. All the other shoes I've used have required at least a few days to break in.go to full review

All in all, The Dragonfly is a good unit, but I don't know if I would consider them superior to similar offerings from BD or Metolius (both of which are less expensive, MSRP). Now, if I found that 4 or 5kN wasn't enough to catch my falls, all of this would go out the window. But the 4kN of other tiny units I have climbed on has proven to be adequate for catching falls time and again; so the biggest advantage of the Dragonflies (6kN in the smallest size) feels like something of a moot point..." go to full review

When all is said and done I think the new Petzl Quark is a great example of what we have come to expect from Petzl—lightweight, practical, adjustable, durable, innovative and dependable. If you are looking to climb predominantly steep and technical terrain, the Nomic is possibly a better fit for you. If you already have a set of the last Quarks, maybe you don't need to jump to an upgrade just yet, but if you want a set of axes that handle it all, and are in the market for an alpinist's dream..." go to full review