Hey man I’m relatively new to climbing and am wearing the most recent version of the finale Going to the red river gorge here soon and am looking for a more aggressive shoe can’t decide between the katanas and Miura Any help would be appreciated haha
If I were you I’d probably go for the Katana, they’re gonna be plenty more aggressive than the Finale but they won’t feel as foreign. The Muria is a great shoe but it can sometimes feel too aggressive and if you’re relatively new to climbing, the Muria might feel weird. So overall the Katana would feel similar to the Finale but it’ll also performing better on more technical climbs than the Finale
Thanks for your reviews, they are really helpful. How do you compare the stiffness of the otaki men vs that of the katana women? I already have stiff shoes (miuras vs and old velcro katanas) and I want a less stiff shoe without getting as soft as bouldering ones (skwamas)
The Katana Lace Women's is a good middle ground for stiffness between a bouldering shoe and a edging sport climbing shoe. It's definitely softer than the Otaki Men's but it's stiffer than the Skwama, not a whole lot, but it definitely has more resistance to deforming when under pressure than the Skwama
If you're gonna do multi-pitch the Katanas will be the best option, their more natural downturn will perform better for all day comfort. The Solutions shine for single pitch or bouldering but not so much for multi-pitch.
I’m a big climber, 6’4” and 250 lbs, and I got my first pair of katanas about 5 years ago and they have supported my big self the whole way, both Indoor and outdoor. I really like the extra support and feel as though I can trust my weight on an edge. My OG katanas have had 2 half re soles and I’ve found they have lost some umph with the edging capability because the half rubber replacements seem to not support throughout the entire footbed. Considering if it’s time for a new pair, another re sole to extend a few months or try something more all day comfort oriented like TC pro or generator mid. Have any thoughts on that?
I've been actually testing the SCARPA Generator Mid recently and I've got to say it's like the perfect blend between the Katanas and the TC Pro, it's aggressive enough while still being a great all day comfort shoe. So if you were already considering the Generator Mid I'd definitely go for it just because it's really the best of both worlds.
Overall in terms of comfort and performance the Katana is the better shoe. The Miura is good for very specific things but not a great general climbing shoe. You’ll probably be able to climb more grades, styles, and rock types with the Katana instead of the Miura
They don’t stretch a lot as there’s a lining in the shoe that keeps stretching to a minimum, they’ll mold to your feet but they won’t really stretch out
Sizing difference btwn old and new models? I keep reading the new ones are slightly larger. Need to figure out how much to downside from the old style.
I would actually say that the sizing between the new and old models is the same. Maybe the new model fits a little looser in the heel because it’s not as aggressive as the heel in the old model, if you wanted to be safe you could probably just go down a half size from the old model and you’d have a slightly better fit for performance.
Hi, can You compare the stiffness of the male version of solution comp or the typical solution and the female version of the katana? I use Solution Comp, I like XGrip2, but sometimes I need something stiffer, something between Solution Comp and Otaki. I'm thinking about the regular Solution (not the Comp version) and the women's Katana version.
In terms of stiffness, Solutions (Stiffest) Solution Comp Katana Womens (Softest) The Solution Comps and Katana Women's are very similar in terms of stiffness. Between my pairs I'd say that my Comps are ever so slightly stiffer than my Katana Women's. If you like XSGrip2 but want something stiffer maybe look into the Solution Women's. It should be slightly stiffer than the Comps while still having XSGrip2
@@Kellen_Erickson I bought La Sportiva Solution and it is exactly what I was looking for (the men's version also has Vibram XGrip 2). They provide support for edging, but still have good friction. Thank You :)
@@Kellen_Erickson Thanks! I use mine for sport climbing and I kinda want something more performance orientated. Your videos on otaki and new katana lace have helped
I now have Tc pro, Solution comp and Skwama women. I am going to buy one more shoe that can be used both outdoors and indoors. Should I buy solution? or katana women?
Honestly I would go with the Solutions, the Katana Women's would be very similar to the Skwama Women's so the only difference you'd have between them would be the laces with the Katana Women's. But if you're looking for a shoe for both indoors and outdoor climbing Vibram XS Edge can be your friend for heinous foot holds, and the Solutions feature XS Edge. Plus having another shoe with XS Edge would really round out your quiver.
What’s your street shoe size? And how much did you down size for the new katana lace? And did you downsize the same amount for both the men’s and women’s shoes?
My Street shoe size is a 44 and I downsized to a 41.5 for both the men's and women's version. The two versions fit the exact same so there isn't really a reason to downsize even more with the women's version.
@@Kellen_Erickson Found out these katanas fit the best for my feet after trying on so many shoes and it's def because the heel is less aggressive like you pointed out. Was just wondering whether sizes between mens and womens were different since I feel inbetween 39.5 and 40 so thanks immensely for this comment and video!
@@eibang The sizing between the two models is the exact same, normally women's climbing shoes have less volume but that's not the case with the Katanas, quite literally it's the same shoe just with a different rubber and different color.
I really love that you tried both men’s and women’s. I’m considering this shoe and I would have assumed they were exactly the same other than colour.
Thank you so much for these videos! Both this one and the otaki review are very insightful and have helped me lots to decide on which one to get
first at nothing, second at everything; not a bad deal at all... the german shepherd of climbing shoes
thanks for your reviews
Hey man I’m relatively new to climbing and am wearing the most recent version of the finale
Going to the red river gorge here soon and am looking for a more aggressive shoe can’t decide between the katanas and Miura
Any help would be appreciated haha
If I were you I’d probably go for the Katana, they’re gonna be plenty more aggressive than the Finale but they won’t feel as foreign. The Muria is a great shoe but it can sometimes feel too aggressive and if you’re relatively new to climbing, the Muria might feel weird. So overall the Katana would feel similar to the Finale but it’ll also performing better on more technical climbs than the Finale
Thanks for your reviews, they are really helpful.
How do you compare the stiffness of the otaki men vs that of the katana women?
I already have stiff shoes (miuras vs and old velcro katanas) and I want a less stiff shoe without getting as soft as bouldering ones (skwamas)
The Katana Lace Women's is a good middle ground for stiffness between a bouldering shoe and a edging sport climbing shoe. It's definitely softer than the Otaki Men's but it's stiffer than the Skwama, not a whole lot, but it definitely has more resistance to deforming when under pressure than the Skwama
@@Kellen_Erickson Thanks!!
thanks for your tips.
really helpful. I wanna get one pair for multipitches. Should i get this ones or solution? Thanks!
If you're gonna do multi-pitch the Katanas will be the best option, their more natural downturn will perform better for all day comfort. The Solutions shine for single pitch or bouldering but not so much for multi-pitch.
I’m a big climber, 6’4” and 250 lbs, and I got my first pair of katanas about 5 years ago and they have supported my big self the whole way, both Indoor and outdoor. I really like the extra support and feel as though I can trust my weight on an edge. My OG katanas have had 2 half re soles and I’ve found they have lost some umph with the edging capability because the half rubber replacements seem to not support throughout the entire footbed.
Considering if it’s time for a new pair, another re sole to extend a few months or try something more all day comfort oriented like TC pro or generator mid. Have any thoughts on that?
I've been actually testing the SCARPA Generator Mid recently and I've got to say it's like the perfect blend between the Katanas and the TC Pro, it's aggressive enough while still being a great all day comfort shoe. So if you were already considering the Generator Mid I'd definitely go for it just because it's really the best of both worlds.
What boulder grade do you climb?
good video, do you think the Katana or the Miura are better?
Overall in terms of comfort and performance the Katana is the better shoe. The Miura is good for very specific things but not a great general climbing shoe. You’ll probably be able to climb more grades, styles, and rock types with the Katana instead of the Miura
Hey how much do they stretch as another difference is they added more leather. Just curious before i buy.
They don’t stretch a lot as there’s a lining in the shoe that keeps stretching to a minimum, they’ll mold to your feet but they won’t really stretch out
Sizing difference btwn old and new models? I keep reading the new ones are slightly larger. Need to figure out how much to downside from the old style.
I would actually say that the sizing between the new and old models is the same. Maybe the new model fits a little looser in the heel because it’s not as aggressive as the heel in the old model, if you wanted to be safe you could probably just go down a half size from the old model and you’d have a slightly better fit for performance.
Hi, can You compare the stiffness of the male version of solution comp or the typical solution and the female version of the katana? I use Solution Comp, I like XGrip2, but sometimes I need something stiffer, something between Solution Comp and Otaki. I'm thinking about the regular Solution (not the Comp version) and the women's Katana version.
In terms of stiffness,
Solutions (Stiffest)
Solution Comp
Katana Womens (Softest)
The Solution Comps and Katana Women's are very similar in terms of stiffness. Between my pairs I'd say that my Comps are ever so slightly stiffer than my Katana Women's. If you like XSGrip2 but want something stiffer maybe look into the Solution Women's. It should be slightly stiffer than the Comps while still having XSGrip2
@@Kellen_Erickson I bought La Sportiva Solution and it is exactly what I was looking for (the men's version also has Vibram XGrip 2). They provide support for edging, but still have good friction. Thank You :)
Do you have any experience with velcro version of katana? I have them and I'm interested if you know how they compare
I personally don’t have them, but from what I’ve heard is that they are slightly more all rounder. Just a slight difference in high end performance
@@Kellen_Erickson Thanks! I use mine for sport climbing and I kinda want something more performance orientated. Your videos on otaki and new katana lace have helped
I now have Tc pro, Solution comp and Skwama women. I am going to buy one more shoe that can be used both outdoors and indoors. Should I buy solution? or katana women?
Honestly I would go with the Solutions, the Katana Women's would be very similar to the Skwama Women's so the only difference you'd have between them would be the laces with the Katana Women's. But if you're looking for a shoe for both indoors and outdoor climbing Vibram XS Edge can be your friend for heinous foot holds, and the Solutions feature XS Edge. Plus having another shoe with XS Edge would really round out your quiver.
What’s your street shoe size? And how much did you down size for the new katana lace? And did you downsize the same amount for both the men’s and women’s shoes?
My Street shoe size is a 44 and I downsized to a 41.5 for both the men's and women's version. The two versions fit the exact same so there isn't really a reason to downsize even more with the women's version.
@@Kellen_Erickson Found out these katanas fit the best for my feet after trying on so many shoes and it's def because the heel is less aggressive like you pointed out. Was just wondering whether sizes between mens and womens were different since I feel inbetween 39.5 and 40 so thanks immensely for this comment and video!
@@eibang The sizing between the two models is the exact same, normally women's climbing shoes have less volume but that's not the case with the Katanas, quite literally it's the same shoe just with a different rubber and different color.