aggressive shoe recomendations?

Hey all, my Shamans busted for the second time, so I'm looking for a replacement that won't break the bank (145$ cap). Both the 5.10 Blackwing and the Red Chili Atomyc are on sale right now so I was looking at them, but the la Sportiva Skwamas also caught my eye. Anyone out there with recommendations or experience? Thanks

What kind of routes are you mainly interested in/doing? You mention wanting aggressive shoes but that can mean a lot of things. Bouldering? Steep sport? Technical slab? These are all questions worth thinking about and each has its own answer (shoe wise.) Also, the type of rock you're mainly on can really play into which shoes are best for you. I'm guessing your talking about something with steep down-turn in the bouldering/sport realm, and lucky you, there have never been more options available. Sadly, only your own feet can tell you what shoes and what size are the best fit for your needs. That reality makes shopping for shoes online less than ideal. So if you can, shop local, support the community where you live. Gear shops and gyms can also offer great advice when choosing shoes. All that said, there is a reason that la sportiva miuras are a universal classic.  LS Solutions are also fantastic, Butora Arco is superb as well, and no list of great shoes would be complete without the mention of 5.10 anasazis, of which there are many. If you're willing to go upwards of $150, you might as well not stress a few extra bucks and just enjoy what your investment brings you. Don't forget you can resole shoes to get extra life out of an expensive purchase! Good luck, and happy climbing!

Anasazis are not exactly aggressive, except maybe the Arrowhead or the Blanco for microedging.  Coming from Shamans, the Blackwings are worth a look, but be careful with sizing (size UP from street, even more than Shamans).  HiAngles are also worth a look and where on clearance from 5.10 last I checked.

Looking for a shoe that will handle granite bouldering and steep schist sport. Thanks for your replies.

Anasazi blanco.

Tenaya Masi 

Kevin Mokracek wrote:

Simon this is the peek of performance, great for toe hooking 

Simon Richards wrote:

Hey all, my Shamans busted for the second time, so I'm looking for a replacement that won't break the bank (145$ cap). Both the 5.10 Blackwing and the Red Chili Atomyc are on sale right now so I was looking at them, but the la Sportiva Skwamas also caught my eye. Anyone out there with recommendations or experience? Thanks

You just listed 3 shoes that have very different lasts, no one is going to fit all 3 well. 

Personally I have two pairs of Skwamas, a 40 for gym climbing and 39.5 for granite bouldering. They are on the softer side, great for steeper routes or friction slab. Don't feel as precise on pure vert/slight slab when you're microedging, I prefer my very tight testarossas then. Medium width forefoot, broader toe shape ("roman"), medium arch, narrow heels.

Evolv nexxos. I just got a pair for $57 on campsaver. 90/100 on gearlab. Awesome heel, awesome toe and edge, one of the best bouldering shoes ever made. Theyre being discontinued though...

Guy Keesee wrote:

Also will accept "wearing ridiculously bright pants" as an answer.

I used to climb in Shamans but switched to the Mad Rock Shark 2.0. I like the soft midsole, I feel it makes them more versatile on vertical or slabby routes, and generally more comfortable over long days.  I have a wide forefoot, high arch and pretty deep heel. LS Solutions don't fit right. Butora Mantra about made my toes fall off, even though they felt like they fit. 

Nick Drake wrote:

You just listed 3 shoes that have very different lasts, no one is going to fit all 3 well. 

Personally I have two pairs of Skwamas, a 40 for gym climbing and 39.5 for granite bouldering. They are on the softer side, great for steeper routes or friction slab. Don't feel as precise on pure vert/slight slab when you're microedging, I prefer my very tight testarossas then. Medium width forefoot, broader toe shape ("roman"), medium arch, narrow heels.

You climb slabs in soft shoes or testarossas, and have a special shoe for the gym? Interesting... 

I climb slabs in TC Pros or the Tenaya Masi depending on how big the slab is. For steeper climbing and hard faces I prefer the Tenaya RA. For the gym I use what ever old pair of shoes has the smallest holes in the toes.

Billy Danger wrote:

You climb slabs in soft shoes or testarossas, and have a special shoe for the gym? Interesting... 

I climb slabs in TC Pros or the Tenaya Masi depending on how big the slab is. For steeper climbing and hard faces I prefer the Tenaya RA. For the gym I use what ever old pair of shoes has the smallest holes in the toes.

My post wasn’t clear on the reasoning for them. The skwama is a good in between of support and softness that I can smear, smedge or use medium size edges on any angle great. On granite (Squamish, Index, Leavenworth) they’ve been great for any angle.

at my local harder sport crag the rock is much lower friction and precise edging on small edges. Stupid tight testarossas are great for me there, I can toe in on stupidly small edges. Ive had them work a few moves that I actually can’t make in the  Skwama.

i only have a bigger size gym pair because I’ll do endurance sessions with 10-20 minute sets, up to 90 minutes of time on the wall. The bouldering size skwama was just a bit too much for that long without popping heels out

You shouldn't think about buying more shoes until you have two sets of blancos and pinks 

Shoes are sooo subjective, especially higher-end ones.  The best thing you can do is go to a store where you can try on (and preferably climb a little) in as many shoes as possible.  

Also Evolv Agros are the best shoes and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

Love me some Red Chili!!!! Be rockin the matador for awhile now. The octan is great as well, haven't tried the atomyc but i bet its legit.