Evolv Zenist?

interested in replacing my shaman's - and im intrigued by this new shoe.  maybe just simplified and no more switching sides for straps?

They're still pretty new, I haven't even found any good reviews on youtube about it. I'm assuming their similiar/replacement to the Drago's which they discontinued. That being said, if they are the same as the Dragos they're super thin rubber, and feel more like a slipper than anything else. The Dragos were by far my favorite shoe so I'll always recommend them but they really suck on micro footholds since they don't hold their shape, that being said, they excel on anything that you can smear on. I wouldn't own these if I didn't also walk around with a pair of stiffer shoes, even in the gym, so that's something to think about.

If you wanted to try something new, the Geshido's look good too, and are around the same price point. Otherwise the La Sportiva Testarossa's are my favorite all around shoes.

So I think it's more about you're climbing style and whether you want to own multiple shoes, or one all around one.

After I typed this I found..., Banana Fingers has a short (not so good) showcase. It's at the bottom of the page.

https://www.bananafingers.co.uk/climbing-shoes/evolv/zenist

Looks like they would fit a wider forefoot well. I might be inclined to try them, except for the fact that site sells Chimera’s and Instinct VSR’s for less $. 

they just copied the Skwama

Montana Z wrote:

They're still pretty new, I haven't even found any good reviews on youtube about it. I'm assuming their similiar/replacement to the Drago's which they discontinued. That being said, if they are the same as the Dragos they're super thin rubber, and feel more like a slipper than anything else. The Dragos were by far my favorite shoe so I'll always recommend them but they really suck on micro footholds since they don't hold their shape, that being said, they excel on anything that you can smear on. I wouldn't own these if I didn't also walk around with a pair of stiffer shoes, even in the gym, so that's something to think about.

If you wanted to try something new, the Geshido's look good too, and are around the same price point. Otherwise the La Sportiva Testarossa's are my favorite all around shoes.

So I think it's more about you're climbing style and whether you want to own multiple shoes, or one all around one.

After I typed this I found..., Banana Fingers has a short (not so good) showcase. It's at the bottom of the page.

https://www.bananafingers.co.uk/climbing-shoes/evolv/zenist

Thanks, super helpful!  More than anything, I love how my Shaman's *fit* - so i feel like I am more committed to my size in Evolv, than necessarily the Shaman, although I think the Shaman's are excellent.  I have been curious about the edgeless and more sensitive/less-structured shoes (futuras?) so maybe this would be a good shoe to try.

Montana Z wrote:

They're still pretty new, I haven't even found any good reviews on youtube about it. I'm assuming their similiar/replacement to the Drago's which they discontinued. 

Um... the Drago's are from Scarpa, not Evolv. And not only does Scarpa still make the Drago, they recently released the Drago LV.

I’ve had the Zenist for about 2 months now. In terms of comparison, there is none with regards to Drago’s softness and sensitivity. Although Evolv’s parent company is Italian (Oberalp), the quality and precision put into Scarpa’s most technical shoes by Hans Mariacher is really second to none.

When compared with the Shaman, sensitivity and softness are obvious differentiating factors to that shoe...it’s reminiscent of the X1 but I feel this is a superior shoe to that model. I’ve made this strictly my board and comp shoe, and it performs very well in those realms, especially smearing on volumes and small foot features, and even questionable heel-hooks feel locked in. It edges better than expected, although it demands the toe strength to execute properly. Also consider that with the single strap, this shoe is one of those that will “inflate” or have dead space over the top and bottom of your foot if it doesn’t fit your foot shape, which is the issue I had with the X1, and made the shoe unusable to me. The shaman and Phantom mitigates that with more surface area closure over the shoe.

My only complaint is the initial fit. I have a wide foot with low-volume heel, and due to the lack of Love Bump/Knuckle Box for toe knuckles like the Shaman and Oracle have, jamming your foot in to a snug performance fit is harder for some foot shapes that were more accommodated in those other models. I also could pinch slack in the heel cup, but that’s an issue I have with about 90% of shoes I try, and not indicative of the heel design itself. The initial fit issues almost made me return them, but after the break in period which was about 2 sessions, the shoe confirmed to my foot, and shoe performance and usability was noticeably better. 

As a side note, I sized to 9US/42EUR for this shoe, same as my Phantoms, and I wear 9.5US in the Agro shoe.

Alluding to someone else’s comment about not finding reviews, I encounter this quite a bit with climbing shoes in general, and since I normally try out many shoes throughout the year between competing and training, I’ve tossed around the idea of creating a YouTube channel or similar idea for giving reviews and feedback, comparing to models I own of the same brand, and other brands I use. Normally what’s available is that brand’s sponsored athletes raving about it, and other channels being provided the shoe free for a sizzle reel and overhype, and we’re left waiting for either write ups from R&I or Climbing, or sporadic info on forums or friends.

Julian H wrote:

It is a lot  softer construction Agro.

climbing gear reviews are useless, everything falls under Good, Great or Excellent category. Even stuff that falls apart gets a good review. Like you said usually is the people that gets paid put up the reviews.

 Did you see the EpicTV video on Unparelled Flagship? He is trying really hard to sell that shoe. But pair he wears in the video doesn’t even fit him well. It is all baggy on his foot and when it is off his foot the shoe the pack it with foam To make it look more presentable. 

Yeah the EpicTV was one example I was addressing. When you’re provided shoes for testing/reviews, in theory you’re not going to bite the hand that feeds. I’d actually like to see the foot-shape specific fitting system similar to what Ocun created adopted by more companies to take some of the guesswork out of it, especially with more online sales in this day and age. I purchase from BananaFingers almost solely, but I have to find it locally to try on first, or risk a hefty shipping charge to return it to them from the US...last time it set me back about $60 or more. 

D Elliot wrote:

...Alluding to someone else’s comment about not finding reviews, I encounter this quite a bit with climbing shoes in general, and since I normally try out many shoes throughout the year between competing and training, I’ve tossed around the idea of creating a YouTube channel or similar idea for giving reviews and feedback, comparing to models I own of the same brand, and other brands I use. Normally what’s available is that brand’s sponsored athletes raving about it, and other channels being provided the shoe free for a sizzle reel and overhype, and we’re left waiting for either write ups from R&I or Climbing, or sporadic info on forums or friends.

Yes pls!  Some other makes at least have overview marketing pages that contrast how agro a shoe is with it's volume, but evolv is especially difficult.  A channel like this would be well received I think, even if the viewership is not enormous.