Side by Side Comparison of: Mad Rock vs Climb X

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.

Tight climbing shoes for harder routes. Fits snug on your feet, but don't walk around in them... they will hurt.

I got these for my partner and he really likes them. The DVD was missing, but we probably wouldn't have watched it anyway and I didn't care that it wasn't included. We're not like PRO CLIMBING EXPERTS, and the shoes are good for what we need, and they're affordable as far as climbing shoes go. I like the design on the side, too. He's worn them a few times and they're breaking in well and seem to be holding up okay so far, but they're still fairly new to us.

Great shoes. I've been using the rental shoes at my climbing gym but I figured if I was going to get serious about climbing then I'd have to buy my own shoes at some point. These have held up to everything I've done for a little over a month so far with no sign of breaking down. My climbing level is around v4-v6 for what it's worth.

I am normally a women's street shoe size 10. My foot is slightly narrow and has some spurring at the heel/achilles, but the shoe is great for my foot type and has no slipping or excess pressure points. I have the men's size 8. With a dozen of climbs in, the shoes have slightly stretched to a comfortable shape but no loosening. Would buy this style again most likely

These were my first pair of climbing shoes. They fit true to size and immediately helped my climbing (compared to the rental shoes). They have a nice strong edge to help you stay on the small chip size foot holds and have a very grippy heel for heel hooking. I used these 3 days a week for 6 months before buying a new pair. I still use these sometimes if I'm going to top rop because they're more comfortable for long term wear. I have a pair of more agressive shoes that I use for bouldering now but I have to take them off after 20 minutes or so because they start to hurt. I recommend these as a good starter shoe.

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.

I normally wear a 9.5 street shoe. I ordered these in a size 10 and they were to large. Meaning they fit comfortably with zero toe curling. A size 9 would have likely fit me perfectly. Other than that I really like the shoes very comfortable all around and felt solid.

The image compares the Rockmaster to the Red point, both are size 10. The Rockmaster was a size to large and the Redpoint was at least 1.5 sizes to small.

has worked good for me in gyms and short sport climbs.not very good at smearing on slabs idk good gym shoe I guess

Great design and material, i am a size 11, i got 11.5 to be careful. They were still too tight, i recommend going one full size bigger

An excellent gym shoe and a good shoe for a climber first getting into the sport. I climbed on mine three times a week for 3 years and the rubber held up. Some of my friends Scarpa shoes lasted for only a fraction of the duration of these shoes.

A very thick and ribbed heel allows for heel hooking.

Some others have already said that this is a great beginner shoe and I completely agree with them. I was just looking for a cheap climbing shoe to get started and explore my interests a bit in this one does the job nicely. They run a little small (smaller than my street shoe) compared to some other shoes like evolv. I wear an 11 in the evolv shoes at my climbing gym but only a 9.5 in these. I actually recommend buying a couple sizes and just returning the ones that don't fit to save yourself some time and headache. Amazon has free returns on all apparel items, so it's just the hassle of printing the label and dropping off at UPS that you have to deal with. As long as you don't mind "spending" a bit extra up front, I'd recommend it since it's hard to predict this shoe's size.

My only complaint, and perhaps this is just because I'm a beginner, is that the heels aren't padded or soft at all so I rubbed my heels raw after climbing for about 3 hours in these barefoot. Perhaps this is just what happens and you always need to use moleskin or maybe your feet just adjust over time, but that was a pretty painful problem for me that perhaps the shoe could have prevented (my laces were tight and fit was tight too). That's the only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5.

I would highly recommend this shoe to beginners and people who just want something cheap that will take you a huge step up from using a street shoe.

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.

Shoes are good quality and what I needed but run small. Typically I wear a 6-6.5 but these fit more like a 5.5-6. Too small...recommend buying up a size.

I returned these shoes because they were FAR TOO SMALL. I normally wear a 7.5 women's shoe. I have a pair of 7-1/4 climbing shoes and they were too aggressive for the climbing I was doing so I wanted another pair, but these weren't the pair I needed.

I loved the shoes. Fit great, felt great, but the pair I bought had a defect in the leather and ripped after 3 days. Return was processed and accepted, will likely give them another shot.

For a first time shoe or a first time climber, these will do just fine. They aren't super expensive like other climbing shoes, but they also aren't the greatest shoes.

First of all, if you order them, make sure you have the right size. Try them on in an outlet store first and then buy them here where it's cheaper. I ordered my size and they are still a little uncomfortable and tight. The tongue also does not sit comfortably on the top of the foot. The laces are sturdy though and hold the shoe on well.

As for climbing, they perform ok. They aren't the best shoes for toe and heel hooking. They have slipped on me with the slightest pressure. As I said before, though, they are just fine for beginners who don't want to spend too much money on a pair of shoes.

Decent shoe for beginners, not for experienced climbers.
Not a technical shoe, but good for cracks.
Mine stretched a fair amount, don't be afraid to downsize a full size or 1.5 down.
Comfortable shoe, bad heel, decent toe box.
Keeping it as a rugged shoe for water soloing and long, wide crack climbs.

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.

WARNING: if you order these shoes (which I wouldn't suggest), be sure to order at least a full size above your normal street shoe. I know climbing shoes tend to run a bit small and snug, so I ordered a 10.5 over a standard 10. However, even this is pretty small and sometimes uncomfortable. So, go a full size up.

However, the unforgivable sin here is the slick bottom that has almost no grip. I've fallen several times bouldering because these shoes didn't have adequate grip under the toe box. The rubber is incredibly slick, which I actually see as a physical danger. The heel, however, is incredibly grippy, and I've hit some incredible heel hooks in these that I couldn't when wearing the rental shoes at the local crag gym.

In short, I'd not buy these if I were you. Spend the extra $20 or so and get some Mad Rock shoes. I feel like I wasted my money here.

The climbing documentary DVD that came with the shoes was pretty cool, though. So there's that...

I bought these to kinda "test the waters" with climbing before investing a bunch of money on shoes that I might not use. I climbed twice in them, and then invested in some Scarpas (which, after a few dozen sessions, I love) and here's why:

-They have an enormous toe box. When all of these people are writing "try on your climbing shoes before you buy them," they're not just blowing smoke. These were exceptionally tight through the middle of my foot, but opened up like the grand canyon near my toes.

-The rubber is astoundingly un-grippy. Anything with small (or, god forbid, smooth) footholds is risky.

-The stitching came loose after about 6 hours of combined use. This mostly occured around the toe, and a little bit of separation near the heel.

Bite the bullet and look into some entry level 5.10, Scarpa, La Sportiva, or even Evolv. These Climb X are truly a waste of money if you plan on regularly climbing. If you're looking to pick something up because you go once a year and the idea of wearing rentals is "icky," buy away!

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!!!

The leather portion of both shoes developed large tears after less than 18 hours of indoor climbing. The price of these shoes are tempting, but I would seriously consider spending the money on another brand of shoe (such as evolv).

The shoes fit but I didn't receive a DVD, as well as there was a huge hole in both the shoes.

ripped within 3 light uses, would not recommend, not a good product at all...

Very small. Waste of money

Had these shoes for about six months, and climbed a few times a month for that time, both indoor and outdoor. The shoes fit okay, about what I expected. I never found them particularly grippy and would often slip off of good footholds in these shoes. After six months I found three (!) holes in the upper. Got a different brand, and it was like night and day. I would spend a few extra bucks and get something more durable and grippy. Nothing is worse than not sending a problem or route because you're slipping off holds.