UPDATE 2 (11/14/2010): Fixed, lesson learned.
I picked my pair of solutions in January. My project at the time had a bat-hang-toe-hook-hand-match-thing as the crux, and had been shutting me down hard. I blamed my flailing on worn out shoes and convinced myself a pair of these babies would change everything. I was completely wrong, but they turned out to be a good investment: Ive seen the light. Now, on to the review.
These shoes are kick ass, definitely the best all around shoe I have ever worn. I have put my pair through slabs, overhangs, technical faces, and caves, and have yet to find a glaring weakness. When the sun is setting and I only have one burn left in me, these were shoes I reached for. Except for multi-pitching... mine are way too downsized for that crap.
SIZING/FIT
La Sportiva Solutions have one of the more peculiar fits I have encountered. The heel is super deep and snug, moving into a tight midfoot, before opening up to a surprisingly large toe box. Because of this, these shoes love to be downsized. Get the smallest size you can cram your foot into: I have a size 12 foot (euro 46) and bought 43's (usa 10.5-ish). In fact, I couldn't even get my foot into them at the store. I had previously worn a friend's well broken in size 42.5 solutions; I knew they *would* fit and bought them on faith. Sure enough, after 30 minutes of struggling at the gym, they were on. They do stretch a good bit, mainly around the opening and midfoot. Because the heel and toe box are almost completely covered in rubber, do not expect much stretching in these areas, they just form to the shape of your foot. Essentially, the shoes become easier to put on without sacrificing fit in the toes or heel. Perfect.
THE RUBBER
These babies are covered in Vibram XS Grip rubber. This jank is extremely sticky and never left me wanting for more, although it should be noted that (as with any high end climbing shoe) the rubber will wear our quickly if your footwork is crap.
DURABILITY
If there is a weak point to solutions, the Velcro strap might be it. If you crank on them, they WILL break eventually. I started noticing wear after 3 months of outdoor use. 5 months later, one of my straps broke. It should be noted that I stopped tightening the Velcro during those 5 months, I simply pulled until there was a slight resistance and then I would leave it that way. One other area of note is the black perforated "sock liner" (?) on top of the foot. You will wear holes in this if you do any kind of jamming or get your foot caught in a particularly nasty toe hook.
Caleb
Glad to see you throwing the word "jank" around on your blog. Inspiring to say the least.
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