Thies are great shoes!! I tried on almost every shoe in the store and thies were by far the best. I am a beginner and thies "expert" shoes have worked great. I climb at least twice a week and have had them for 4 months. They still look like new (minus the chalk). The only down side is that i am still breaing them in. But this is to be expected.

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Shoes are too new to say much, but thought I'd pass along that PlanetOutdoors has them on clearance for $83 (as of early Nov, 2000)

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I love this shoe. It is my first, and I haven't had many problems with them. I think they are very comfortable, I can wear them for hours and my feet don't hurt too badly. The grommets seem to come out though. I had a friend who had the same thing happen to his. Not a big deal though. I think they perform really well, and I love the fact that they can be resoled many times. I can't wait to use them for many years.

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Quite possibly the most insensitive biginner shoe ever made. I can't believe anyone likes these after trying anything else. The lacing is useless at improving fit,and the thick lining does more to discourage people from climbing than anything.
It'ts crap.

Get a pair of 5.10 anasazi lace-ups, and when you can climb 5.11, switch to the sportiva mythos. They edge better than anything in the world for wide feet, and smear better than most, without that uncomfortable reverse camber.

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My first climbing shoe. Smears wonderfully (probably better than any other), does some cracks well,handles edges up to a point. It lacks the stiffness of La Sportiva Mythos for overhangs and cracks, but fitted me better. Need more sensitivity for edges? Try slippers or bare feet. Need more support for cracks and overhangs. Try something board lasted. Good value at the price I got it.

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La Sportiva Mythos
Boreal Ninjas

My first rock shoe. Very nice and comfy... but once you start getting better, the shoe doesn't perform so well... edging especially... as for the rubber, I must agree its quite sticky. The problem I experienced is that they stretched too much. Felt great in the store, now they just feel like slippers,not rock shoes!

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just bought LaSportiva Mistral

OVERALL: Shoes excel at trad [5*], while fair at sport [3*] at a fair price [3*] of US$138. If you can find it for $100, value is [5*].

Of course, there are comparable trad shoes and much better sport shoes, but Huecos do both well enough for me (i.e. other factors limit me before these shoes do). WHEN these shoes DO eventually limit me, I will probably purchase more specialized (cambered) sport shoes, and keep the huecos for non-crack trad).

For me, it came down to the Hueco and the La Sportiva Mythos. The Mythos is a better shoe, but simply did not fit my feet as well as the Hueco. Another shoe I would look at is the Five-Ten Ascent. The shape points over the big toe (Hueco does not) which can open up your climbing a lot. However, I favor lace-ups over velco (purely personal preference)--if you don't, don't rule out the Ascent.

FINDING THE PROPER SIZE: Most of you probably know this; if not, I hope it helps. I am providing it as a beginner to other beginners...

Once you find a last that fits your foot shape and climbing focus, find the snug/tight fit you desire (1/2 to 1 size below your street shoe).

Given that ALL rock shoes stretch to some degree...
If the shoe is lined, size down another half-size (US/UK). If it's not lined, size down another full-size.

For example: I wear Size 8 [US] street shoes. My huecos are (were) fit perfectly snug at Size 7-1/2. Since they are lined, I [should have] purchased Size 7.

NOTE: All manufacturers have slightly different sizing scales--don't rely solely (no pun) on your street size. Wear a shoe as you would desire for climbing, then size down to compensate for stretching (how much depends on if lined v. unlined).

Customer Service

No need yet (after one month of climbing almost everyday). If you really want to find out beforehand, just call them with a hypothetical problem and see what happens...:)

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FiveTen Spire (fine for most Trad) and La Sportiva Mythos (if this shoe fits, WEAR IT).

Ive had these for about 3 years now and they are great for just about anything I throw my body at. They are in need of resoling as I write this, I just don't think I can part with them long enough to have it done. I love them on long, multi pitch routes where you tend to just hang around in your shoes all day. The only thing I don't do with them is bouldering, and for that I have Moccasyms. Gotta stick with the stealth rubber, it's the greatest.

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These shoes have held up for all my uses: tons of top-roping, multi-pitch trad routes, bouldering and some gym climbing. the Huecos are incredibly comfortable, I can hardly notice I'm wearing them, yet I have been to climb as hard as 5.11+/12- with little difficulty. these are great for intermidiate through experts, although for beginners they may not offer enough support, then again maybe they will.

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old Boreals, which are more supportive but very clunky.

Still one of the most comfortable shoes out there. This shoe has withstodd the test of time with me and I love them. If you are looking for a comfy, techical shoe then go with these and be pleased. See you out there.