Side by Side Comparison of: Mad Rock vs La Sportiva

I bought these as a first time climbing shoe for my 12yr old son. He wears a size 5.5 street shoe and I bought the size 6 to give him extra room to grow. So right now he wears them with socks and says they feel great, not too loose or tight. He climbs 5.9's in them at the gym only so far. I suspect these will work out until he's in a 6.5 street shoe. Very pleased with this purchase and a great price at ~$50.

Given the reasonable price, I'm pretty happy. I'm not an every-day climber, but I've been several times since I got these and they show no wear. I'm saying they fit as expected, but I did expect them to be a little small as climbing shoes tend to be. They are not super comfortable, FYI. I've never worn a pair of climbing shoes that were.

I went and listened to the fellow reviewers, and I purchased a size up above me. My street shoe size is 10.5, so I bought a 11.5, and it fits as a rock climbing shoe. The toes are snug, and the front toe is right up on the edge. I can't tell whether or not my Big toe is curling or not. But regardless, I don't experience any pain or discomfort with the shoe, and I'm sure it's going to be great when I wear it for the first time at the rock climbing gym.

Like all climbing shoes, a bit tight which is what I expected! I am normally size 13 men's shoe (US) so I got size 14 of this & it is great. Nice and tight. My toes are slightly scrunched. If you are buying climbing shoes for the first time, make sure to do rentals and talk to the pros first. I would have gotten the wrong size otherwise.

Great climbing shoes for indoor bouldering. The rubber is quality and rigid as it should be, my favorite part of this shoe is the heel, it is perfect for heel hooking. Climbing shoes are supposed to be snug and not have arch support, so keep that in mind when you buy.

For a relatively new climber, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. They felt a little snug when I first put them on but after a day of indoor climbing, they were already loosened up to where they were comfortable. Now after a few weeks, they feel excellent. It is well worth spending a few extra dollars for the level of comfort.

I chose my size based on other people's reviews. Don't buy the size based on the chart. I wear a 10.5 and someone had posted a review showing the size they bought.

These shoes are very cool, but mostly i have severe arthritis and was sure they would not work but they fit great and are very comphy considering. I love them and im very excited to continue my climbing lessons.

These shoes seem to be a great starter shoe. Not too aggressive, pretty comfortable, and not too expensive. They ended up being just slightly looser than I thought they would be, I'd recomend ordering a 1/2 size down on the EU size chart.

Great shoes, I can't wait to break them in. Hopefully they'll develop more grip as I wear them. I love the lace design which I have always trusted over velcro but that is just a personal choice.

Great quality! Not very flexible so make sure you get the correct size. I bought a size 45 which ended up being a tad bit too small for me, so I returned it with no problems and got a 46 which fits perfectly! The toes have very good reinforcement and grip when climbing.

They run somewhat small lengthwise--much shorter than my same sized Madrock Phoenix. Lots of space widthwise in the forefoot. Work fine in the climbing gym and soles are holding up well

I'm a size 9 US and a size 10 fits perfectly, may be a bit loose if you were more of a veteran rock climber but for comfort I'd say 1 size up is prefect. The heel part doesn't conform as well when you stretch your toes but that's probably due to stiffer heel cup on this design. This stiffness does help in heel hooks though, so like any shoe is a about trade offs and I think this is a reasonable trade.

I got these as my first non-rental climbing shoe, and they've done well! They did stretch out a bit, and I wish I had gotten it down a size (even though they would have been TIGHT early on). The toe isn't aggressive, but that's expected - my next pair will be something else, but I'm glad I got these for my first set.

As others have said, a great cheap rock climbing shoe for beginners. I'm pretty new to climbing and these are great. They do wear down fast on the sides though, because there's just a small plastic coating there, but underneath it's just normal thick shoe material.

these shoes are ok. I got them when I started climbing, but I don't think they're as good as the rental Evolve I was using. they're too flexible to really get a good hold on smaller foothold, and don't point your toe much.

It's a good shoe, though it looks rather cheap. I wear a US 12 / EU 47 street shoe - this shoe is marked US 13 / EU 47 to have an all-day fit (which is a frustrating notation issue).Buy one full men's size up, expect a basic comfortable shoe with decent grip, and enjoy.

Good all-around climbing shoe and the price is right - a bit large so you may want to go a size down. Since it's European measurements, it makes things a little difficult. May be smart to include both euro and american measurements in the ad - I had to go to a different website to make sure I chose the right size.

Climbing shoes are meant to feel nice and snug, but these feel as they run a bit smaller than the stated shoe size printed on them.

Decent fit and nice color, didn't have the color I wanted but it's a good product

Initially felt a little small, but then stretched to the point that they feel slightly large now. Stretch is expected from an unlined shoe such as this, and the experienced stretch was completely within the expected range.

These shoes were a replacement to velcro version of another company that didn't work out. I like the laces much better. They feel a bit more secure even though they take a bit more time to put on and off between climbs. So far great quality and comfort.

Sending it back to get a smaller size as not true to sizing. He wears a 10-10.5 and he could place two fingers behind his heel inside the shoe.Getting another pair a size down so hopefully these will work,- He liked the feel and look of them.

Just got my brand new shoes, seem pretty worn...

These are probably good shoes for beginners with normal size feet. I however have a size 15 foot and the size 15 in these was still way too tight. I suggest the Scarpa Men's Helix in size 15 for anyone looking for a more true to size fit in a climbing shoe.

These are good training shoes. They are comfy and easy to take on/off. The rubber on the heal is weaksauce. The edge on the toe-box is good enough and has lasted several months so far.

Firstly, let me talk about sizing: ORDER AT LEAST 1.5 SIZE BIGGER THAN YOUR NORMAL SHOE SIZE.Now, the shoe is perfect for a beginner. I have had no problems with it whatsoever. I like the way they look and feel (once you get the right size).When I ordered these I ordered my normal shoe size. I could barely put my foot into it. I ordered another pair half a size bigger and they were painfully tight. I then ordered another pair that was 1.5 sizes bigger than my normal shoe and they fit great. But as I looked closely at them and discovered they had scuff marks and a black imprint of a heel and five little black toes on the inside of the shoes. So obviously these had been used by someone.So I ordered the final pair, in that same size and I saw that they have not been used. But what irks me is that they got the colors on the Velcro straps wrong. They put the straps for the orange shoe on my yellow shoe. Well actually 1 out of the 4 is yellow so they got 25%. I am going to keep them because I don't feel like bothering to order a fifth pair. Make sure your shoes are not used when you get them and that the dad-gum straps match your shoe.

These shoes are alright, I guess, but I don't think the heel design is very good. It feels like there's too much rubber back there, and I don't feel like I'm making great contact with the rock. Also, the bottom and the rand aren't connected very well, they started de-laminating almost immediately. Maybe exaggerated due to my sloppy footwork, but regardless, it's worse than other climbing shoes I've used. I prefer Mad Rock Drifter shoes, which are similar but I think the heel is much better. (Although, your mileage may vary, someone else I know who had the Drifters absolutely hated the heel.)The price is pretty good, and I like that they don't use synthetic material so they don't get too smelly.

These are nothing like the original Flash. My brother calls these my "Fisher Price Shoes." They do seem a little cheap, but they're comfortable. I moved on from using Mad Rock after the Flash left.

If I were to do again, 1/2 size bigger than normal...but I'm not a climber,,,just working on a very steep roof pitch and thought it a worthy investment.

shoe is a little large for US measurements

I love the fit of these climbing shoes. They're snug in all the right places, not unattractive, and the leather keeps the foot smell at bay for longer than synthetic shoes.

HOWEVER, I have one complaint...which may or may not be user specific. I have gone through three pairs of these shoes in the past 1.5 years. The rubber sole wears away incredibly fast, followed by the rand right after. 2 out of my 3 pairs had a hole worn all the way through the leather to my toe within 6 months. This is not okay. Granted, it always happened on my left foot, in the exact same spot, so it might be related to the way my foot is shaped. La Sportiva was no help. Their warranty is so contrived and ridiculous. I swore off these shoes because I was upset with La Sportiva, but after trying on countless other brands, I couldn't find anything that fit quite like these. My solution was to buy three pairs at once and keep a close eye on the rubber to be sure to send them in for resoling before they get too bad.

This shoe bends a lot on the tip. The rubber it's no the stickiest. If you are learning, this is not your best option, in a few moths you will have to sell the shoe.

Fit was great and has plenty of grip, particularly for crag climbing, but on of the little eyelets that holds the lace ripped after less than a month of use. still usable but i expect better for the price.

Well, yes, they fit small. However, that seems to be the rule. I wear a women's 7.5 in a KEEN shoe, 8 in a boot, and 38 in a pair of Five Fingers. So, after some absolute stupidity in sizing, styling, and pricing, I settled on these in a 39. A similar Mad Rock shoe in 41 was more comfortable in the toe box, but did not allow a great heel fit, and the leather upper at the toe box was just gape-y. (A "quasi-toe-do on my left foot didn't like the room in the 41 either!) Back to the 39's...The fit is great in the heel, toe curl is snug just to the point of being tolerable walking around the house. The leather upper has plenty of room for the toe curl.The first knuckles of the great toes were potential hot spots, but I never got that far, because the shoes were coming apart JUST WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE. I'm saying less than 30 minutes of non-climbing wear!The rubber and leather are separating at the top, the rubber is blistering in the heels, the rubber is de-colorizing (not that that is a HUGE deal), and the glue that is used to construct the hook-and-loop straps is failing so that the surfaces are sliding apart and sticky, slimy glue is oozing from between the layers of the strap.I had planned to tough out these shoes based on my beginner-level status and the price point of these shoes, but today's discovery of the glue sticking to my straps and fingers...deal breaker.As with most things, if you have crap gear, you'll have a crap experience, regardless of the activity. I would not recommend these shoes, even to a complete noob like myself.

i know rock climbing shoes are supposed to be smaller than normal shoes, but ordered a full size up (9.5 normally) and couldn't get my foot inside. will try the 11s and report back.update1: tried the 11s...again, too small. in this case, my toes were pressed to the edge of tip and only comfortable when not standing. i'm not sure if this is how these types of shows should be worn, but i couldn't be satisfied with the fit. will try the 11.5s and report back.update2: tried the 11s...i feel like goldilox because they were too big! they felt comfortable at the toe, but the shoe now seems to be made for someone with fatter feet (i had to tighten the velco about 2cm beyond the edge just to make secure.at this point, i've given up on this brand. i have normal feet that fit well into all shoemakers. i couldn't find a fit here and i'm not sure why.

I'm 9.5 in my regular shoe, ordered 9 and i can't wear them.

I wear a 9.5 regular shoe. I wear a climbing shoe of size 8. I bought these in 8.5 and they feel like they're size 7. It's excruciating to wear. Blisters on my heels after two hours of wearing. Shoe fits extremely small.

I wore through the rubber on the toes in 3 months.

I am disappointed in these shoes. I bought them 9 months ago, and they are already starting to fall apart. The rubber on the toe area has come off and the metal eyelet has also come off.

Wore through the toe in 4 days climbing not a quality shoe

didn't fit

Wore a couple times in the gym and everything was fine. First time outside? The fabric on top tore.

Had to return because too small.

THE SHOES ARE WAY TOO SMALL!!!

Not even sure where to start, this show was such a let down on every practical level. Sure, it LOOKS good, but that's it. If you have average feel like I do, you'll look like one of Cinderella's evil step sisters trying to squeeze into the glass slipper. No way anyone can fit into these unless they can describe their foot as "dainty". Length on them is completely fine, but the width is insanely narrow.

The second, glaring, and unfortunate problem with these is the sole. Basically, the sole is hard and slick- think old crusty leather, and you are close. I'm dumbfounded that these are marketed as climbing shoes, honestly.

I feel like I'm a China woman trying to bind her feet with these. If I didn't have such wide feet I think the length would be just fine.

I guess you get what you pay for. I tested these after my 5.10 coyotes wore out. The rubber and denseness on these shoes made me constantly uncertain about my footing. When lead climbing, uncertain footing is not good. Now they just sit on my shelf. The quality of the shoe seems fine but they are really a climbing shoe in appearance only.

I bought those shoes las October and haven't been that much climbing since then.
However now at the back of the shoe the leather / fabric broke and now there is a whole. I didn't use them that much nor did I treated them hard or bad but just lasting 3 months with random use isn't worth the money.
Sorry for that. Wished it would last longer.

These fell apart on me. First one of the top eyelets pulled out. Then one of the tongues pulled out. Really poorly made really.