La Sportiva  Kubo Climbing Shoes - Men's

These shoes have a fairly similar shape to the La Sportiva Katana Laces (which have been my favorite shoes so far). The main difference is that the Katana are firm and supportive, whereas the Kubo are soft and flexible. I recently purchased the Kubo because I want to practice different footwork technique with a soft shoe. The Kubo are extremely comfortable, flexible, yet very precise. I would definitely recommend them for climbing at the gym. I still prefer to use my Katana outdoors, but that might change when my footwork improves.

Primary use for these has been indoor sport climbing at 5.11+ level. My street shoe size (mostly Merrell) is 10.5 (43.5) I got the Kubos in 9.5(42.5). While at home, I wore them for short 15 min periods, for about a dozen of these sessions. Then took them for some indoor bouldering. The jumping down really helped break them in. Did a few TR sessions and by the forth climbing day on these I felt they were much more comfortable. I can now get about two climbs in before I NEED to take them off. I felt they stretched at least a half size maybe slightly more.

A Swiss Army Knife in climbing shoe form; high-quality construction, comfortable shoes that required very little break-in, offer great sensitivity, and perform well (though not always excelling) in most climbing arenas ranging from edging, hooking, and smearing capabilities. Really love this shoe, have used it 3 times per week or so in the gym with a few outdoor excursions too, able to wear them all day without issue and trust them when I need to, couldn't ask for a better first shoe or pair for intermediate climbers, or those looking for a "jack of all trades" shoe.

This was my third pair of climbing shoes and a great all around shoe. I have used for literally every type of climb and think it shines brightest working indoor boulder problems, specifically on slab. The flexibility is amazing and sticks really well on rounded, slanted, or low profile foot holds. They also help tremendously with smearing when no holds are available. Small foot chips also are sticky, but they hurt the feet a little bit because the shoe is pretty soft and sensitive. You will also work your calves a little harder relative to a stiffer shoe. Toe hooks are solid, heels are pretty good. Very comfy for moderate climbing shoes and a perfect step up from beginner. I tried a ton that hurt my feet and put these on and immediately purchased. I have narrow feet and had to max out the tightening straps on these but they are secure. Should fit most volumes. Skill level V4/V5 , 5.10d/5.11a

Exactly what I wanted them to be: softer for smearing, but still solid edging. Hooks fore and aft. Secure heel. Break in wasn’t bad. Easy on and off. Priced well for a gym shoe but I can see using them outside too. For reference I have a narrow heel and a low volume foot with a high arch. I bought the same size as my katanas and finales: 44.5 for a normal street shoe size of 11 1/2.

Give yourself some extra room. These were my first moderate shoes after only climbing in neutral shoes. Because they were La Sportiva, I sized them the same as my favorite pair of Mythos and that was a mistake. They are breaking in but has been much more of a process. I could have easily gone a half size up. That said, I’m very happy with their performance.

I’ve been through five pairs of these so far and I LOVE them so much. They’re comfortable enough to wear throughout an entire gym session without taking off (for me personally) and they break in quite nicely. I downsized mine from 43.5 street size to 42 in these (and a couple of my pairs were 42.5) so they’re quite tight without being overly painful once broken in. They’re fairly soft shoes with a split sole so your feet maintain a good deal of flexibility.They’re also quite sensitive and fantastic at smearing. They make me extremely agile while climbing. I also use the Katana Laces which are far stiffer with a thicker toe and a lot less sensitivity. When I first tried the Katana after using the Kubo for so long, the lack of sensitivity and flexibility felt like something was missing. I’ve seen gotten used to a stiffer shoe but plan on getting another pair of Kubos because they’re well suited for a different type of climbing than the Katana. The one benefit of the Katana over the Kubo is the thicker toe means more durability and an overall longer lasting shoe (but it’s more expensive so it probably balances out). As with any shoe, it really depends on whether or not it fits YOUR foot. La Sportiva in general is well suited for my foot shape.

Ordered these as my first moderate pair of shoes. The edging is solid, and once broken in, smearing is certainly possible. While the men's Kubos are xs edge, the women's shoes is xs grip2, which leaves me wondering, if that would be a better shoe for myself. The second strap leaves a small patch for toe hooks, although, not really comfortable for bat hangs. The main issue I have with these shoes is the wide heel cup. My heel is not secure enough for hard heel hooks, and there is a lot of slop while using the heel in moves. All in all, depending on the type of climbing you do, this could be great for you. But if you are doing a lot of heel hooks and overhangs, you may want to consider a different shoe. I mainly use these as my workhorse gym shoes, but I switch over to my Mad Rock Drones for overhangs, or anything I may need a super solid heel or toe hook.

Very happy with my purchase! As a gauge for my level, I am starting to get into V3 level bouldering, so more beginner-intermediate. I initially tried some aggressive shoes (significant arch) which were too uncomfortable on my flatter feet. These Kubos (moderate arch) fit tightly but not painfully, so if you also have flatter feet I'd recommend.