Great pair of shoes, they are quite stiff so not very sensitive on the wall but makes it great for edging. they can feel quite clunkey at first because of the stiffness but wait until you get used to them. i would recommend to any beginner as its the perfect shoe for performance and cumfort. the toe box is really nice and snug, the heel cup is great and then there is the very plush padded tongue which gives lots of comfort.

I have broken the one of the buckles that holds down the Velcro strap on four pairs of these shoes. Sportiva replaces them as it is a manufacturing defect however, it is getting frustrating to have to keep breaking in these shoes only to have them
break underinimal amounts of stress(I don't crank these shoes down much compared to my other shoes

An all-around, comfortable shoe. I have worn these, bouldering, climbing steep sport and on mulitple mixed and trad multi-pitch routes. They have good friction, edge well and can easily be worn all day, as they are quite comfortable. I wear a half size smaller than my street shoes, and after braking them in for a day or tow of climbing they fit great. they are also a very good value as they are relatively cheap.

A decent entry-level shoe. Not the most durable shoe, but it is very well padded, so it gets high marks for comfort. It edges pretty well, due to its stiffness, but it lacks sensitivity.

If it weren't for the velcro, I could recommend it for crack climbing. As it is, it makes a decent comfy shoe for easy days at the gym.

I bought the Mantis because they were on sale and I needed a pair of shoes I could leave at the gym. The sizing, compared to Katanas and Mythos, is a bit small (I normally wear a 37, but could've probably used a 38 in the Mantis). They are a decent indoor shoe. The rubber is much thicker than any other shoe I've worn, which makes them very stiff and decreases my sensitivity on the wall.

The Mantis does the job I need it to and would be a pretty good beginner shoe, but I would recommend alternating it with a slipper or another softer shoe to strengthen your feet.

These puppies were the first climbing shoes I bought and I have been satisfied with them ever since. The price is reasonable for a La Sportiva. They might not look as cool as some of the more expensive brands, but whatever. I have not had major problems with this shoe and I truly recommend this shoe because of the fit. La Sportiva always makes a durable shoe, so if you have the chance to try them on before you buy, I would highly recommend doing so.

So far so good. This is my third shoe, and it's holding its own.

It's very stiff, and has poor toe feel compared to other shoes I've had, but I haven't had any real issues with this yet.
I could imagine it performing poorly on overhangs. But as another reviewer said, the stiffness wouldn't be bad for some climbs.
In retrospect, I wish we would have had a half size smaller when I got it. My heel comes out and it makes farting noises, tehehe.
I'd recommend this for beginner - intermediate climbers. My friend has these too as his first climbing shoes, and he seems to like them fine, and is doing well with them. I haven't felt limited by them yet (I climb up to ~5.11) but will probably be looking for a more sensitive shoe in the future.

This shoe is at the bottom of la sportivia's price range. It was my first shoe and I often slack line with them on.
They are a good all around shoe but excel at nothing. So you get what you pay for. They are rather stiff and it's hard for me to feel my toe well.
If you climb a lot of arrets I actually think this shoe is quite good because of the stiffness.
I sized them in size 43 but I could have gone smaller for a tighter fight. I wear a 10.5 in street shoes. I would say the mantises will stretch a good half sizes

This shoe is perfect if you're looking for an all-around shoe. There's a nice edge on it with plenty of rubber that takes a while to wear through. It is a solid shoe on both vertical and overhangs even up into 5.11s. Some cons are that they are slightly less sensitive and the high rand with rather thick uppers make the shoe similar in consistency to a rubber boot as far as air and moisture flow. Sportiva also makes this shoe in a lace-up version called the Scorpion which sells for $5 cheaper.