Lodestone Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 It looks like there's two pairs from Five Ten, Grandstone and Anasazi. Acopa JB's, and LaSportiva TC Pro's. Any other currently made hightop out there I should be aware of? Does anyone here have experience with either the of the Five Ten shoes mentioned above? thanks Chad Quote
Off_White Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 I did this search last spring, and its hard to find these out-of-vogue style shoes in the bricks and mortar stores. I wound up ordering a bunch to try from Mountaintools, and sizing was a pain. Grandstones seemed like they're sized small, wound up at least a full size larger than my 5.10 Huecos, and oddly I couldn't really get a good fit, and I'm usually a 5.10 foot kind of guy. The Boreal Ballet Gold is a quasi high top, it just covers the ankle bone, in a classic board lasted shoe style. My current fave for long days in my shoes. The Acopas are also sized really small, and seem like they'll take quite a bit of breaking in to be comfortable. A lot of people have enthused about them, but I wasn't won over by the pair I tried. Sportiva Tradmasters were pretty damn cool, and on sale for $77 or so right now http://www.mountaintools.com/cat/rclimb/rshoes/lasportivaTradMaster.htm , but they're not really high tops and I absolutely don't have a Sportiva foot. That means the TC Pro didn't fit worth a darn either. Quote
Lodestone Posted October 21, 2011 Author Posted October 21, 2011 Thanks for the input OW. I have a pair of TC Pros and like how they perform but got them a little too small. I'm intrigued by the JB's. Like you said, it's a guessing game with the sizing as nobody stocks hightops around Portland (save for the TC Pro's). Chad Quote
Crack Posted October 21, 2011 Posted October 21, 2011 Acopas DO take a while to break in, but I find them to be a great shoe...super comfortable with a cushy tongue: -The Legends have a MEGA-thick sole, and are sized super small... -The soles of the JBs aren't as thick and the sizing is a *little* more generous. The rubber on the JBs is very sticky, but really soft; mine are quickly shredding on granite and I'll probably resole them (Cascade Cobbler in Mazama) with Stealth or something else... -Wilson's Eastside Sports in Bishop has had both pairs on sale for almost two years now -dirt cheap! -Kaukulators are the best high top ever made, and you can find them online every now and then... Quote
billcoe Posted October 24, 2011 Posted October 24, 2011 As the owner of JB's and TC Pros, if it was me, I'd wait for the Evolv Astroman to come out. Supposedly a collaboration between Peter Croft and some others... ...I think...... I wish that the sucky tongue of the TC's was replaced by the padded tongue of the JB's, that shoe would rock. Quote
Lodestone Posted October 25, 2011 Author Posted October 25, 2011 Thanks for the input guys. Bill, what's holding you back from lovin' the JB's? Wrong size? I really think I'd like those shoes as my Spectre's fit me so perfectly. Funny about the TC Pro's, my S.O. tried them on at REI and the first thing she mentioned was how uncomfortable the tongue is. Hah! Chad Quote
JosephH Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 I never did try the JB's, but I have the TC Pro's and immediately had them paved over with 5.10 rubber. In the end I find them pretty much a wash with my Kaukulators with a slight bit more flexibility which is both a plus and minus depending on what I'm doing. Quote
Lodestone Posted October 25, 2011 Author Posted October 25, 2011 I have the TC Pro's and immediately had them paved over with 5.10 rubber. That's exactly what I did on the first resole. Nice shoe but I wasn't impressed with the LaSportiva rubber. Chad Quote
JosephH Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 I did it the day after the first day I tried them. Quote
Laughingman Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Boreal still makes "Ballet gold" shoes, they are really hard to find though. I got mine second hand. Also there is a czech company called triop that makes a high top (never used there shoes before). here is the link triop Edited October 25, 2011 by Laughingman Quote
Doug_Hutchinson Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 I love high tops and am pysched they are making a comeback. I agree with the comments about the TC pros (so so rubber, weird tongue) although they are the best I have found to date. The Ballet Golds really held me back on face climbs - man that rubber sucked. I wanted to like the Grandstones but that weird bulbous toe made face and small cracks challenging. The TC Pros fit in relatively small cracks. Anyone see JBs in shops in the PNW? As a big 5.10 Anasazi fan, I can't wait to try the Anasazi high top, which is back in production after being pulled for some last minute tweaks by Dean Potter. It is at Mtn Gear now but I have yet to see it in other shops. Freakin' ugly shoe though IMHO. http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/10094-anasazi-high-top Anyone try the Anasazi high top yet? Quote
Off_White Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Evolv is coming out with the Astroman, though I don't think its available yet. Quote
billcoe Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 This? As the owner of JB's and TC Pros, if it was me, I'd wait for the Evolv Astroman to come out. Supposedly a collaboration between Peter Croft and some others... Actually, both of the 5.10 offerings look good. The Grandstone and the Anastasi that Doug discusses. They have an EVA sole to cushion descents.... Quote
Off_White Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Oh, right, that. Grandstones didn't fit me right, but I'm eager to try the Anasazi hightop. Five Ten shoes usually suit me, but this year's Evolv Pontas Lace has made me a believer so I'm curious to see their new product. Quote
Doug_Hutchinson Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Can't judge a book by it's cover but those Evolvs look like they would climb like stale hot dog buns with the added bonus of Evolvs' signature stench; but I still can't wait to try them. Funny thing is the Anasazi high tops look like Evolvs and the Evolvs look very retro - both in a bad way. The Anasazi high top differ from the Anasazi VCS because they have C4 instead of Onyx and a leather forefoot instead of synthetic - both big positives for me. I hope they have less heel tension, because the heel tension in the current Anasazis would rule them out for multipitch routes for me. I can see this shoe landing in a different class than the others - like a high performance, single pitch crack shoe maybe. Quote
Laughingman Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 For the ultimate "high top" rock shoe Boreal makes the "fire invernal guetre" a insulated shoe designed with super masochistic big wall climbers in ultra cold conditions (think 20,000 feet+ on himalayan big walls). Quote
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