Shoes Similar to the La Sportiva Finales

I love my Finales, they’re one of the best shoes I own (and I own six pair). Not too soft and not too stiff so they’re great on slabs, and they have a low toe profile so they jam thin cracks like a charm.

My only gripe with them (and it’s a minor one) is that they’re not of the highest caliber in terms of design quality. When I put on Katanas or TC Pros those shoes to me feel great to have on, their fit is refined and more comfortable. They feel high quality, whereas the Finales are alright.

I’m wondering if anyone knows of a shoe that’s of a similar stiffness to Finales but with a nicer construction quality. All of the high end neutral shoes I can think of (TCs, Generators etc) are super stiff which isn’t what I’m looking for.

I’ve seen the Tenaya Masai online and they seem like a good option but I wonder if they’re too soft? And the UP Lace may fit the bill, but it may be too stiff in the toes and too soft under your arch like the NIAD Lace.

I may stick with the Finales but I thought I’d check to see if anyone know of a similar shoe they like. Thanks.

Are you talking about the first gen Finales (orange for men) or the current gen Finales (yellow for men)?

I love the Acopa Aztec. Climbed many many thin cracks in them.

Khoi wrote:

Are you talking about the first gen Finales (orange for men) or the current gen Finales (yellow for men)?

I have the current model, the yellow ones.

May I suggest the katana or the tc pro. 

I understand the feeling of tc's feeling like bricks on first wear but I wouldn't worry, they soften up with time and you get a feel for it, ondra didn't like tc pro's initially and wore katana's but these days he's wearing tc pro's for anything involving a crack. 

that guy named seb wrote:

May I suggest the katana or the tc pro. 

I understand the feeling of tc's feeling like bricks on first wear but I wouldn't worry, they soften up with time and you get a feel for it, ondra didn't like tc pro's initially and wore katana's but these days he's wearing tc pro's for anything involving a crack. 

I have Katanas and love them too. I haven’t climbed in TCs yet but if they’re as stiff as Katanas then they’re much too stiff for what I’m looking for. Unless they soften up a lot like you said.

I do not really understand what you are after. Finale is a cheaper construction that is faster to assemble than shoes like Katana and TC Pro. The other brands follow the trend with more advanced construction and higher price. La Sportiva Mythos is a little more expensive and kind of similar (but less supportive) than the Finale.

Wictor Dahlström wrote:

I do not really understand what you are after. Finale is a cheaper construction that is faster to assemble than shoes like Katana and TC Pro. The other brands follow the trend with more advanced construction and higher price. La Sportiva Mythos is a little more expensive and kind of similar (but less supportive) than the Finale.

I just looking for a high quality and nicer constructed neutral shoe that isn’t super stiff like a TC, Generator or Yosemite Bum. Something well made but with a softer/moderate stiffness similar to the Finales.

The confusing part is that the La Sportiva is high quality hand made Italian leather shoes constructed out of premium materials. Most other brands comfort shoes are cheaper. You have Scarpa Helix is that would feel higher quality? 

As this was mentioned on another thread, the BD aspect pro shoes are slightly softer and more sensitive than the tc pro. People really like how they climb.

I think you should look at the LS Miura. It’s a stiffer shoe, but not as stiff as the Katana. It’s the shoe that both Tommy and Alex wore before the TC came out. With a little bit of breaking in, I’ve seen them get nice and supple while still maintaining some good edging power. The Velcro model is very, very different to the lace model. Get the lace. I really think that’s gonna be your higher quality shoe you’re looking for if you’ve already got a pair of Katanas. 

Thanks for the responses. I think I’ll try out the Masai, Miura Lace, Aspect (not pro) and Aztec. Anyone have any experience with how these shoes climb and know how much they stretch?

Scarpa Helix if you like Finales - given that it fits your feet shape. On sizing, I would rec 1 whole size up from LS.

I recently bought Aspects just because I forgot to bring my climbing shoes to the gym. I did not like them at all, but I only wore them that session. They were painful, slick and extremely stiff. All of these would improve a lot when you break them in, but I had comfy Finales at home... You need a way bigger size in Aspects than Finale. Aspects are definitely not higher quality than Finale. I think this would be easier for you if you figure out what you actually want? Is it a slightly asymmetric last? Show that you have money?

I can speak a little to the Miura. They'll be the ones you're the most familiar with. I'd go with whatever size you're wearing for the Finales, or maybe one size below. It'll depend on how your foot fits in the shoe. The sportiva website shows that the Miura will fit a little narrower than the Finale, so be aware on that. They're also full leather, so be prepared for them to stretch at least half a size if not more. I know that that shoe is one of the best all-rounder shoes that sportiva makes. Ondra wore one on Silence, you see them all over the place on El Cap, and they're pretty popular out on the huge granite slabs here in the southeast as well. I'm not familiar with any of the other shoes to compare them against unfortunately. 

Thanks for the info Caleb. Also I’d love to make it down to North Carolina one day because all of those slabs look amazing.

Another shoe that was very similar to the LS Finale is the Scarpa Techno X. I think the quality was slightly better and they were a bit more robust. Unfortunately Scarpa doesn't make them (or an equivilent) anymore and my last pair bit the dust after several resoles.