@@builtdifferent8106 In my opinion the heel of the Zenist works quite well and fits perfect on my narrow heels. However they deliver not as a secure fit as for example Scarpa or La Sportiva hells.
I'm currently wearing Scarpa vsr, and I wore a mad rock drone product when I was in the past. VSr is good because it is hard, but it mad rock drone delicacy and softness, and as a result, I felt uncomfortable with more dynamic movements. I am thinking of purchasing it through these reviews. Thank you for the good review.
If you like soft & simple & comfortable, also try the Scarpa Veloce! Just ordered the Zenist from your shop (because so discounted) to hopefully replace my slowly dying Veloce Wmn. Really curious how these two will compare with the Veloce beeing marked as a beginners shoe.
Can you please tell me how the Veloce and the Zenist compare in fit? I tried the Veloce and the only thing I didn't like was the form of the toe box. I liked that it was a little bit wider but the form of the shoe would push my big toe too much to the inside.
@@bnero5764 May fit a bit better then. Seems to have a bit more asymmetry and quiet wide fit, too. Just be careful with the sizing. At EU42.5 (street shoe size) it runs smaller than my Veloce at EU41.5. Should have gone + .5.
@@thesii213 Clearly Veloce for me but I am on a low performance level and the price difference for the Zenist is not worth the money for me. If money doesn't matter, the Zenist in a relaxed fit is better. Toe&Heel-Pad are better but for solid hooking I anyway prefer some more solid rubber...but again: just from my low performance point of view.
@@dirkh2122 Thanks for the insights! And I'm still at a low performance level myself. Just want something fun that can still edge decently on indoor training days and both are at a similar price where I'm at.
Tried the Shaman in store to get an idea for sizing for these. Had to go up a half size for the Shaman. Ordered the Zenist in 10.5. Tried them on and my toes almost went numb just sitting with them on. Reordered them in 11s and it’s bearable now, but still very rough. Hopefully I can get them to stretch a bit. I don’t understand the sizing because I wear a 42 (us 9) in the La Sportiva Otakis and after a bit of stretching I could probably do a 41.5 or 41. Sole to sole the Otakis are still longer by a .25in or so.
These are geared more towards overhung/steep terrain as well as smearing, volumes, and sloppy features. They are much softer than the phantoms and hence lack a little in edging ability, however excel above the phantoms in the aforementioned areas. Also, you might find as Matt mentioned the heel and toe hooking of the phantoms to be more "beefy" as they are thicker in both areas than the Zenist. Overall I'd say the phantom is more of a one quiver shoe (I use mine for all terrain) and the Zenist is more geared towards the smeary and big features or moves where maximum sensitivity is required.
@@kianshah6504 oh nice! Thanks for the reply it’s really helpful. I have the Phantoms currently and really like them but I’m beginning to get a small hole in the toe so I was wondering if I should get these as my next pair. I mainly lead climb and Boulder indoors at the moment.
@@MF-CLIMB I would say if you do a fair bit of lead climbing and bouldering, especially if you only have or mainly use one pair of shoes (as I'm assuming) then I'd say stick with the Phantoms because they are much more versatile. You might find the lack of stiffness and extreme sensitivity on lead climbs to be a bit too much, especially for those longer routes. However, I know plenty of people, including myself who love the extra sensitivity and if the Phantoms felt too stiff for you at times then I'd say the Zenists are a good option to try!
@@kianshah6504 nice! That’s super helpful. I use my Scarpa instincts for outdoor Bouldering as they’re good all rounder and seem very durable. I’ll have a look at the Zenists I think. Thanks
Hi, a question for someone who experienced both, Zenist and Phantom. How is the heel? I have a some dead space in my Zenists (at the bottom of the heel). And also, is the toe pointed more straight in the Phantom? I have halux and a little bunnion and I am searching for shoe that allows my toe to be straigher. Even though Zenist are quite asymmetrical, the toe patch is actually quite centered... a little too much for my taste. Thanks for any answers! :)
@@cole1870 Yes the Zenist is softer then the Agro by a significant margin and the X1 I'd say by a bit. Also, the fit is very similar to the "traditional" Evolve fit, whereas the X1 fits quite differently in shape. Also, the heel is different from both shoes and as Matt mentioned is very soft and sensitive. Hope this helps!
From my experience so far the Hiangle Pro really needs a high level of climbing in order to properly get the best out of them. Even Domen said it took him a while to get used to. For me the Zenist is better at supporting an intermediate climber. But if your truly high level indoor...then go for the Hiangle.
we all know that these won't be his last pair.
I’m an addict :)
@@dailyclimbing Matt how has the Zenist held up? Still edging okay?
Could you try the woman's version and have teressa try the mens curious to the difference in feel
I bought it last night, now they release a video about it! now I am excited for it to arrive!
Been climbing in this shoe for about a month now and absolutely love it. Great review! 👍
How are the heels?
@@builtdifferent8106 In my opinion the heel of the Zenist works quite well and fits perfect on my narrow heels. However they deliver not as a secure fit as for example Scarpa or La Sportiva hells.
Got these shoes a little bit ago and there are hands down my favorite climbing shoe ive ever had
How’s the heel?
@@builtdifferent8106 Also how do they perform on small edges for you?
I'm currently wearing Scarpa vsr, and I wore a mad rock drone product when I was in the past. VSr is good because it is hard, but it mad rock drone delicacy and softness, and as a result, I felt uncomfortable with more dynamic movements. I am thinking of purchasing it through these reviews. Thank you for the good review.
If you like soft & simple & comfortable, also try the Scarpa Veloce! Just ordered the Zenist from your shop (because so discounted) to hopefully replace my slowly dying Veloce Wmn. Really curious how these two will compare with the Veloce beeing marked as a beginners shoe.
Can you please tell me how the Veloce and the Zenist compare in fit? I tried the Veloce and the only thing I didn't like was the form of the toe box. I liked that it was a little bit wider but the form of the shoe would push my big toe too much to the inside.
@@bnero5764 May fit a bit better then. Seems to have a bit more asymmetry and quiet wide fit, too. Just be careful with the sizing. At EU42.5 (street shoe size) it runs smaller than my Veloce at EU41.5. Should have gone + .5.
@@dirkh2122 Any updated thoughts on the Veloce vs Zenist?
@@thesii213 Clearly Veloce for me but I am on a low performance level and the price difference for the Zenist is not worth the money for me. If money doesn't matter, the Zenist in a relaxed fit is better. Toe&Heel-Pad are better but for solid hooking I anyway prefer some more solid rubber...but again: just from my low performance point of view.
@@dirkh2122 Thanks for the insights! And I'm still at a low performance level myself. Just want something fun that can still edge decently on indoor training days and both are at a similar price where I'm at.
Tried the Shaman in store to get an idea for sizing for these. Had to go up a half size for the Shaman. Ordered the Zenist in 10.5. Tried them on and my toes almost went numb just sitting with them on. Reordered them in 11s and it’s bearable now, but still very rough. Hopefully I can get them to stretch a bit. I don’t understand the sizing because I wear a 42 (us 9) in the La Sportiva Otakis and after a bit of stretching I could probably do a 41.5 or 41. Sole to sole the Otakis are still longer by a .25in or so.
How are these compared to the La Sportiva Theory?
Comparing the Zenist to the La Sportiva Skwamas I think the skwamas perform better. What are your thoughts?
How do these compare to the shamans?
Hi Matt could you comment on sizing compared to lasportiva or la scarpa?
Matt, how do these handle with small edges over time? Too soft?
Climbing shoes completed it mate-evolv
Well,be warned...if it"s so sensitive you won't be able to blame them for sod all.
What happened to the sole of the shoe at 3:24?
That spot was from the small foothold before the hook, just taking off some chalk collected on the mat before starting the boulder.
when were these shoes released?
How do they stack up vs the Phantom?
These are geared more towards overhung/steep terrain as well as smearing, volumes, and sloppy features. They are much softer than the phantoms and hence lack a little in edging ability, however excel above the phantoms in the aforementioned areas. Also, you might find as Matt mentioned the heel and toe hooking of the phantoms to be more "beefy" as they are thicker in both areas than the Zenist. Overall I'd say the phantom is more of a one quiver shoe (I use mine for all terrain) and the Zenist is more geared towards the smeary and big features or moves where maximum sensitivity is required.
@@kianshah6504 oh nice! Thanks for the reply it’s really helpful. I have the Phantoms currently and really like them but I’m beginning to get a small hole in the toe so I was wondering if I should get these as my next pair. I mainly lead climb and Boulder indoors at the moment.
@@MF-CLIMB I would say if you do a fair bit of lead climbing and bouldering, especially if you only have or mainly use one pair of shoes (as I'm assuming) then I'd say stick with the Phantoms because they are much more versatile. You might find the lack of stiffness and extreme sensitivity on lead climbs to be a bit too much, especially for those longer routes. However, I know plenty of people, including myself who love the extra sensitivity and if the Phantoms felt too stiff for you at times then I'd say the Zenists are a good option to try!
@@kianshah6504 nice! That’s super helpful. I use my Scarpa instincts for outdoor Bouldering as they’re good all rounder and seem very durable. I’ll have a look at the Zenists I think. Thanks
Hi, a question for someone who experienced both, Zenist and Phantom.
How is the heel? I have a some dead space in my Zenists (at the bottom of the heel).
And also, is the toe pointed more straight in the Phantom?
I have halux and a little bunnion and I am searching for shoe that allows my toe to be straigher.
Even though Zenist are quite asymmetrical, the toe patch is actually quite centered... a little too much for my taste.
Thanks for any answers! :)
these shoes are so tight on my feet even 2 sizes up is extremely painful
How much stretching is to be expected with this? I understand it’s close to nothing? Thanks!
they are fully synthetic, so the stretch will be minimal, max half a size.
i might buy these
Different from the x1 how?
I would love to hear the answer to this. X1 and Agro have been great, are these significantly softer?
@@cole1870 Yes the Zenist is softer then the Agro by a significant margin and the X1 I'd say by a bit. Also, the fit is very similar to the "traditional" Evolve fit, whereas the X1 fits quite differently in shape. Also, the heel is different from both shoes and as Matt mentioned is very soft and sensitive. Hope this helps!
Do I get a heart for being early ? No seriously great vid as always.
How do these stack up against the hiangle pro you tested recently?
Less technical, but more accessible for most climbers....
@@dailyclimbing Thank you for the fast reply. What do you mean with less technical?
From my experience so far the Hiangle Pro really needs a high level of climbing in order to properly get the best out of them. Even Domen said it took him a while to get used to. For me the Zenist is better at supporting an intermediate climber. But if your truly high level indoor...then go for the Hiangle.
@@dailyclimbing Great. Thank you very much
@@dailyclimbing how a about the size, I have evolv phantom in size 40 Ue ,I have to go down half size or just the some size of phantom?
I just bought solutions..
Nice
What pants are those?
The pant are Solid , I have buy a small size from epic tv, looking nice and very comfortable, I think they have only one large size left
Here just after the Zenist closeout...why must Evolv do this to us
there's a new updated model... we'll have a video about it!
@@dailyclimbing YES
Matt!!!
What about La Sportiva Theory?
what about it?
@@Sajuuk9is it good for baking? What do you think I meant you fruitcake
Not a fan, tried these out and they felt super cheap. Dragos are soft, these are not...
What are the differences in comfort?