Katana Lace vs. Muiras

I have the old style Katanas and Muiras. I'm wondering if the new lace up katana is stiffer and better for edging and long routes like the Muira. From what I could tell in the store it seemed stiffer than the older velcro version. Has anyone tried it out?

Thanks!

that's a tough call I own the Miura lace up, and Katana slipper, I like them both.

I looked at he Katana Lace in the store the other day. It looks really down-turned, as much so as the Miura VS's that I have. Personally, I can' even wear my Miura VS's unless the route is overhanging, so it seems odd to me that Sportiva would make the Katana Lace just as down turned. The Katana was already a nearly perfect all day shoe, except that the velcro can occasionally come undone. You would think that the laces would make them an even better all day shoe, but they went and pointed the toe down like a bouldering shoe.

I haven't tried the Katana lace yet, but in the slipper they weren't a comparable fit. I wear the Muiras, but couldn't wear the slipper due to sizing.

That being said the Muiras a great long route shoe!

After spending an hour in Neptune's with the original intent of buying the lace-up Miura (as a long-route shoe), I walked out with the lace-up Katana. They definitely have a more, shall we say, substantial feel than the velcro Katana which I've had for several years. What I didn't like about the Miura was that the toe box was much narrower than the Katana. My toes tended to cross over each other which I felt would notch up the discomfort factor unnecessarily. Otherwise, sizing seemed about the same between the three shoes.

As to the aggressiveness issue, it is less so than the Miura, according to Sportiva. Also according to Sportiva, "this powerful, slightly asymmetric, slightly downturned all around shoe excels in every type of climbing scenario". The very helpful clerk at Neptunes (who also has a pair plus experience with many other shoes) said that they tend to "flatten out" a bit with use making them a little less aggressive.

We shall see. Their maiden voyage is slated for this Saturday in Eldo...

I like the lace up Katana's for the Creek. The cracks were eating up the velcro of the old style Katana's. Now I just have to replace the laces every once in a while.

Good discussion. Thanks for the insights. I ended up getting another pair of muiras for my all around performance since it's been a solid performer for me. I think this is my third pair. I like a little stiffer shoes for standing on tiny edges, but I also need a little sensitivity which the muira provides once it breaks in.

Richard Radcliffe wrote:Also according to Sportiva, "this powerful, slightly asymmetric, slightly downturned all around shoe excels in every type of climbing scenario". The very helpful clerk at Neptunes (who also has a pair plus experience with many other shoes) said that they tend to "flatten out" a bit with use making them a little less aggressive.

That has been my experience - the "claw" on the front quickly flattened out. I also have the testarossa, and the katana lace feel less downturned on the rock, I think because they are much less asymmetric.

The Katana lace is the "new version" of the Barracuda - a lace up shoe built on the Katana last. From what I can tell, only the superficial features of the katana lace up have changed from the barracuda - and they are reasonably stiff- more so than the normal katana's I think. The lace-ups are NOT a replacement for the muiras - they're not even built on the same last.
I had to size up my muiras by a half size over my barracudas, for what it's worth.

Graham Johnson wrote:The lace-ups are NOT a replacement for the muiras - they're not even built on the same last. I had to size up my muiras by a half size over my barracudas, for what it's worth.

This is true. Just hold them side-by-side and you'll easily see that the Miura toebox is way more narrow than the lace-up Katana.

Sadly, I decided that the 45.5 lace-ups I got are just too tight for what I'll be using them (multi-pitch). Of course, Neptune didn't have the 46 so now I have to wait another week or so...

Sorry Richard: I just bought the 46's at Neptunes! They did have them at Bent Gate last time I was there. I also thought the 45.5's would be too tight. I have only worn them 3 times and I am hoping they will soften up without stretching much. They have been very hard for me to get used to compared to the old soft Mythos and Anasazis I was using. I was looking for an edging and pulling shoe and these are certainly good at that but the loss of sensitivity is huge.

Just tried a new pair of Katana Lace. Very nice... More like a lace up version of the Muira VS than a Katana. I've had the Muira VS which also has the P3 platform and will keep the toe downturned even after resoles. The only drawback is you will burn through toe rubber faster if you are climbing easy or slabby stuff. The toes of the Katana, Muira, and Barracudas all curled up after a while.

David Houston wrote:Sorry Richard: I just bought the 46's at Neptunes! They did have them at Bent Gate last time I was there. I also thought the 45.5's would be too tight. I have only worn them 3 times and I am hoping they will soften up without stretching much. They have been very hard for me to get used to compared to the old soft Mythos and Anasazis I was using. I was looking for an edging and pulling shoe and these are certainly good at that but the loss of sensitivity is huge.

What size street shoe do you wear?

Generally I wear a 13 dress shoe and a 14 athletic shoe, but it can vary substantially. I wear a 45 Mythos. I erred on the side of comfort this time because I bought a pair of Scarpa Visions that hurt my feet so much I couldn't break them in. Nice shoes though.

How much stretch have you guys experienced with the Muira lace ups? I had the Katana laces and didn't like the fit for the reasons listed above. The Muira seems to fit my foot's shape better so I downsized a half size from the Katana. I think they will stretch/flatten a little right?

Here's my current line up:
Katana laces: 41 don't quite like the fit/toe box shape
Katana VS: 41 super comfy, better shape for my feet
Cobra: 40 great fit (stretched a bunch)
Muira laces: 40.5 just bought and will keep if I think they're going to stretch a little.

Thanks for the help!

yeah, they stretch a lot
that break in period can be tough though

That I can live with. Thanks for the assurance.

stretch 1/2 a size .... maybe a bit more after the first resole ...

I just bought a pair of Katana Laces a few days ago. As stated above, the Muiras do have a narrower toe box and just didn't fit my foot as well as the Katanas. I wear a size 8 street shoe, and ended up sizing down a full size to the 39.5 (US 7). I sized them tight but not painfully so. If they stretch even a little, I'm going to be in heaven. Love 'em already after only 4 pitches, although I was happy to take them off for the walk-off.