Review on La Sportiva Men's TC Pro Climbing Shoe: The Ultimate Performance Gear for Elite Climbers by Matt Vanlaere

If you mainly climb or work hard routes, get these shoes. You will not be disappointed. In general, they are very well suited for this type of shoe. Plenty of support when standing on coin-sized ledges (I managed to stand on a few tiny microscales in a way that feels physically impossible) and tons of padding to wedge your foot into cracks with manageable pain. Heck, it's pretty comfortable for climbing shoes after you break them in. Durability is also excellent. Their skin is ridiculously thick and should easily withstand intense climbing. However, the shoes are not perfect. First, the Vibram XS Edge tires are so-so. I understand it's designed to be super stiff so it cuts better. but durability is terrible and it's nowhere near as sticky as the Stealth C4. Definitely not sticky enough to be on the shoe I need for intense slab climbing. I tried a pair with Stealth C4 tires and the difference in lubricity was huge. Will definitely be doing this when my pair needs a new rubber seal. Another disadvantage is that the tongue tends to curl inwards. You'll eventually learn how to move it to stick your tongue out, but it's a HUGE annoyance if you don't notice it until halfway through when you decide to put your foot in the column. You can definitely use these shoes. in the gym (and for light bouldering) without worrying too much about wear and tear (assuming your footwork doesn't suck).