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Testarossas vs Katakis (Read 4457 times)

spidermonkey09

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Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 09:17:14 am
Anyone worn either of these that can give me the low down? Alternatively, where is the best place for trying on a load of Sportiva shoes? I'm reluctant to ship out a load of cash on shoes I haven't tried on and with Sportiva I'm always guessing re size, but that may be the only option.

Basically, I want a stiff shoe that stays stiff. I am currently wearing the womens Miura lace which fit me well but go bendy a bit quickly for my liking. This has been particularly pronounced when they've been resoled; they go floppy within a few weeks. I might buy another pair of these anyway to be honest, but thought it worth checking for a review. I've got skinny low volume feet which is why the ladies miura fit so well.

Any thoughts welcome...

Yossarian

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#1 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 10:00:07 am
I’m interested in both of those too. I have a pair of Miura XXs that I’ve been being extremely careful with since they decided not to reissue. Hopefully they’ll stand up to a resole or two. I’ve found them mindblowingly good - crazy stiffness that lasts, and also a really pointy toe.

Adam Lincoln

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#2 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 10:05:19 am
Otaki about as stiff as they get. Testarossa not really at all.

Size down more than most shoes. How much is down to yourself.

Hope that helps a bit.

spidermonkey09

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#3 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 10:07:33 am
I’m interested in both of those too. I have a pair of Miura XXs that I’ve been being extremely careful with since they decided not to reissue.

Yeah seems weird that they haven't kept them on, or that that hasn't become the standard Miura really. Maybe thats the plan in due course. All the Miura is really missing is a P3 thing to stop them bagging too much.

Duncan campbell

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#4 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 12:08:54 pm
I rate the Otakis. Good for a couple of resoles too though for hard edgy sport I’d stick with first resole boots.

I have loads of pairs and usually get first one resoled in edge then switch to grip and use at the wall/for bouldering.

Apparently the Otakis have a wide fit, I never considered myself to have wide feet but find these fit my feet perfectly. Have used the same size to climb trad up to ~E6, Sport up to 8a (7c+/8a in U.K.) also to climb big 500m 7b/+ in taghia and 7B on the grit.

For really serious (for me) bouldering I wear the skwama which are built on the same last and are also excellent.

Quite easy to find places that stock Otaki. I wear a 37 (uk4?) and am 6.5/7 (eye 40?) in street shoes. HTH

moose

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#5 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 12:11:10 pm
Kataki's are very stiff, and mine have stayed that way.  I have a pair of old-style Testerossa's are still almost unused but my tentative impression is that they are aggressive and pretty soft - a bit like Dragons. 

Something to bear in mind with Katakis is that they are quite broad and flat and not very agressive (based on Katana last, rather than Miura / Testerossa last).  So, whilst the stiffness is great for a lot of my lime projects, I occassionally find myself wishing they were a bit more pointy and precise i.e. more like the Miura VS.  Also, they have a stiff band of rubber that wraps around the achilles that was painful for weeks - if you are sensitive there, they might never be comfortable enough.   

I like my Katakis but would be tempted to try Katana laceups next time (as, despite the name, I think they have a more aggressive, Muira-like shape than the normal Katana?).  Have you tried Solutions - are they pretty stiff?
« Last Edit: July 22, 2019, 12:42:47 pm by moose »

spidermonkey09

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#6 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 12:22:08 pm
Adam/Duncan are you talking about Otaki's or Katakis?! They look like very different shoes from the Sportiva website. I'm on about the Katakis, the lace up ones.

Think I might give the Testarossas a miss. Was only tempted as there was a cheap pair going on UKC!

spidermonkey09

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#7 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 12:24:54 pm
Interesting that the Katakis are broad Moose. I'm tempted by the longevity that you describe but equally it might be case of better the devil you know. I've always presumed Katanas would be too wide for my foot as they are marketed as being broader than the Miura but have never really tried them on.

moose

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#8 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 12:50:09 pm
Obviously YMMV, but I find Katakis comparatively broad and flat - fairly precise but more akin to my old 5.10 Anasazi velcros than pocket-seeking missiles like Miura VSs / Miura laceups. As I recall, the original Katanas had the P55 last and the Miuras the P75 last, with the number denoting the degree of pointy asymmetry (back in the day I wore Katanas for grit and Miursa for lime). 

r-man

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#9 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 03:09:12 pm
Like Adam says, Testarossas are not especially stiff. But... they are the best shoes I've ever had. For years they weren't available in the UK, and I've been ordering them from abroad. I treat them like a special weapon, and only bring them out when I want to climb at my limit. They are super precise on all sorts of shit footholds, and I've lost track of the number of times a problem has gone from flipping desperate to "oh, that was quite easy" when I've swapped shoes to the Testarossas.

So for me, best precision toe of all the shoes I've tried. I wear them one size down from my street shoe size, which is tight but not painful. I'm not into painful shoes.

Perhaps there are other shoes out there nowadays that compare, but I only know that I've stuck with these for years because they are so good. Maybe they just happen to fit my feet well. But that's my experience.

Duncan campbell

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#10 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 03:30:19 pm
Talking about otakis but are they not a velcro version of the katakis? Looks like it to me? Though have never used katakis

As you were asking about stiff shoes/shoes that retain stiffness I thought I’d pitch in. Sorry if not helpful :)

spidermonkey09

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#11 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 03:48:21 pm
Definitely helpful, just wanted to make sure I hadn't got my wires crossed! I haven't got a clue what I'm talking about, there are so many shoes in the sportiva range now!

Duncan campbell

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#12 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 03:58:36 pm
Loads of places have otakis to try on so might be worth looking. I really rate them. Used to be into whites, then switched to miura vs then otakis. Otakis are certainly the best shoes I’ve used yet

moose

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#13 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 22, 2019, 04:12:20 pm
Talking about otakis but are they not a velcro version of the katakis? Looks like it to me? Though have never used katakis

As you were asking about stiff shoes/shoes that retain stiffness I thought I’d pitch in. Sorry if not helpful :)

I think that's the nearest analogue - same PD75 asymmetry, P3 for retention of stiffness, and S-heel for being crap at marginal heelhooks.  I think that there might be slight differences in volume and how flat they are.

Adam Lincoln

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#14 Re: Testarossas vs Katakis
July 23, 2019, 02:46:09 pm
Adam/Duncan are you talking about Otaki's or Katakis?!

Otakis

 

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