I found the Katanas to be a durable edging shoe and used these primarily for routes with small, technical footwork. To get the proper performance in this shoe, I felt like I had to downsize pretty aggressively, at least a half size smaller than my Miuras (which stretch.) After wearing them for about 200 days of climbing, I finally gave them away for someone else to wear out. The shoes performed well throughout the lifespan and were still in good shape when given away, but I had moved on to a couple different pairs by that point. With a little more support, this shoe would be my favorite edging shoe, instead, it is a shoe I wouldn't buy again.

Keep in mind that the Katana is not designed for steep, gymnastic climbing. It seems to perform best on slightly overhanging to vertical terrain. Sized for this type of climbing, it is really not appropriate to most (gymastic) bouldering or trad climbing with a lot of jamming. Also, comfort is minimal when downsized for edging performance.

Great all-around shoe, very comfortable, good edging, love mine,

I like the way this shoe fits, i would actually really love this shoe if it werent for the fact that the rubber is the absolute wurst rubber i have ever put on my feet. Like all la sportiva it fits nicely for the narrow low vaolumed heel and foot people. so if you can fit into this shoe buy it and resole it with stealth before you even try climbing with it. It's a stiff shoe so you don't need to size it supper tight just kind of snug. The shoe edges with the best of them on vertical to sub vertical terrain. I have found that it's not so great on overhang because of the stiff nature of the shoe.

IF THE SHOE FITS.....

I have a hard time finding shoes that fit, so I was excited when I learned that the Katanas fit me pretty well. It is a great overall climbing shoe that's fairly aggressive, yet still suits me on many slab routes.

I have 2 pairs of Katanas a 1/2 size from one another. I carry both to the crags so as the day wears on and my feet swell, I can switch to the larger size. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of La Sportiva rubber, but after wearing them in, I have had both pairs resoled with other rubber and they are holding up nicely. Although, I have recently noticed that the stitching is coming apart on one of the velcro tabs.

I would definitely recommend Katanas to any climber, new or old.

Ok so I'm reviewing this shoe pretty well, It has been great as I have had them for over a year and have basically run them into the ground, the toe almost has a hole...

About me: I'm a college kid who climbs in the college indoor gym, almost 100% bouldering with a bit of top rope, I get outside a decent amount (once to twice a month) for not having a car, but much more indoors climbing, 4 to 5 times a week.

There are a few downsides though, see below

Pros:

Still edges like a champ after a year
Like the stickiness of the rubber
Didn't wear too fast for the amount of climbing I do
Toe box it pretty comfortable.

Cons
Horrid Heel Cup

I cant heel hook in these shoes at all..... no lie, see that little yellow leather area in the heel, it became a bubble after a few months of break in (maybe I just have a narrow heel) It got so bad that I bought a different shoe (evolv Optimus Prime). The bubble just makes the heel sloppy and slide around when I even attempt a heel hook now.

These shoes have become my warmup shoes since I don't really heel hook while warming up, and overall for the price i would say they have lasted.

Most likely will not resole due to the heel, and I'm looking for a good replacement.

These shoes are fantastically well-rounded and a great overall shoe. I *highly* recommend them to climbers that have outgrown their entry-level shoes and are ready to kick up to a good high-performance shoe. Based on their shape and features, I was skeptical of their performance at first (despite assurances by more experienced climbers), but was very impressed once I started using them.

While they lack some of the specialized features of other shoes like the Miura or the Solutions, they perform exceptionally well in nearly every arena. For a long time they were my go-to shoes until I started using Solutions for bouldering and Vipers for nearly everything else (I prefer pure slippers and higher sensitivity for my general-use shoes). I know many very, very strong climbers that swear by Katanas.

They're fairly sensitive, though not as flexy or sensitive as Vipers, and they don't have some of the aggressive toe features that make Solutions the awesome bouldering shoe that they are, and they don't quite edge like Miuras or Testarossas, but they make an amazing compromise of all these features. They pull hard in pockets, the heel is positive and you can crank hard on it, the rubber is sticky as hell, and they edge like crazy. Toe sensitivity is still superior to most shoes out there.

They're light, strong, high-performance shoes that you really won't outgrow unless you want to. They're not cheap, but they're worth every penny and you will definitely get your money's worth out of them. The rubber is typical of Sportiva: sticky and soft, high-performance, and requiring resoling a bit more often than other brands depending on how good your footwork is. If you scrabble a lot expect to lose edges and toes, but if you favor precision footwork these shoes will last. Just something to keep in mind.

Very good for sport and bouldering, and will allow you to use any technique without failing.

This shoe is technical while still retaining a lot of forgiveness and providing a great deal of performance. Even though they're a bit expensive, I still consider them a good value considering how much use you'll get out of them.

I gave this shoe four stars for just about everything. The Katana was my favorite shoe for a while because it just did everything. If you have a narrow heel the women's one would be worth trying out.

A great high quality shoe that does everything(except wide cracks) well. It's pretty much my only shoe. I wear an 11 street and a 42 Katana for a snug sport fit.

Almost as good as the Miura with the added bonus that the laces don't break. Great bouldering shoe for circuits. Size a bit smaller than Miuras. Sportiva needs to upgrade the glue they use because the sole always peals away from the rand after about 1 month of use.

best one