The Mission XP and Technician Leather are light approach shoes with sticky soles which are precise for climbing. I've certainly found them comfortable, and good for climbing, but these softer, flatter-soled shoes are very clearly designed for the dry rocky terrain common in the US rather than anything wet and slippery, and they lack the degree of protection and support that many users will want in the hills. In their element they'd be great, but all this does rather limit their appeal for use on British scrambles and mountain crag approaches.

The Mission XP (£130) and Technician Leather (£135) are built on the same last and whilst they're similar shoes there are some key differences. The Leather has a different sole and tread, a different tongue and different upper material. I will go over the features which they share here and then go into detail on the differences below.

Performance

The Black Diamond approach shoes are strongly towards the climbing end of the approach shoe spectrum. The fit, construction and design all make them a good climbing shoe: they're snug, use sticky rubber, have a big climbing zone on the toe, and are flexible in the forefoot for smearing. This makes them ideal for approaches when you're walking in on big slabs or scrambling over flat-ish rocks: much like you would find in Black Diamond shoe's home country. However, the uppers are a bit soft and flexible for them to be considered as a scrambling shoe and there's none of the waterproofing or protection, or underfoot bite that you might want from a general UK approach shoe.

Soles

The tread of the bottoms of the shoes is not particularly deep meaning that theys are not super grippy on mud or wet grass. As we have a lot of both in the UK, the tread on them is something to be aware of. The Mission XP is slightly better in this regard as there is a ledge at the heel for downhill braking and the lugs are deeper than the Technician Leather. The Technician Leather has shallower lugs and the sole is completely level, meaning there's isn't so much grip except on dry rock (where they're excellent).

Both the Technicans use BlackLabel-Mountain rubber which Black Diamond say is as close to climbing rubber as possible whilst still being sufficiently durable for a walking shoe. One look at the soles of the shoes tell you they're all about climbing. They both have big flat areas on the toe from maximum rubber-to-rock contact and the dotty rubber on the front half of the soles gives you plenty of rock friction too.

Uppers

This is where the Mission XP and Technician Leather differ the most, not in their materials but their construction. They both have a lined, durable suede leather upper and a 'wrap style' tongue. The idea of the suede leather is to make the shoe more durable. This seems to work, as I've had no problems with durability, and the whole of the upper is fortified with extra bits of technology like the large rubber rand on top of the toe and the welded TPU overlays which reinforce the high-impact areas where the sole meets the upper. These features are also present on the Mission XP but there are less of them: the Technician Leather feels overall more durable.

The wrap style tongue on the Technician Leather is interesting. It's essentially a normal tongue that is attached to the shoe along one side. The idea is to make the shoe easier to take on and off at the crag and to provide a snug fit. I haven't found it any easier to take on and off than a shoe with a regular tongue but it does make the whole shoe feel more snug over the top of the foot, which is good for climbing.

Fit 

These shoes are available in both men's and women's (lower volume) versions, in sizes 5-13 for men and 3-8.5 for women.

Both the shoes have the same fit, which we'd say comes out small for the stated size. I have mine in UK 10, which is my regular size, and if I was to get them again I'd go for a size 11. Both of the shoes are designed with climbing in mind so the fit is generally quite snug and you can feel the shoe on either side of your foot. If you have particularly wide feet this could be uncomfortable, particularly if you're wearing them all day. The fit does enhance their climbing performance as your foot doesn't move around in the shoe, making it good for walking up slabs or scrambling.

Overall

The Black Diamond approach shoes are designed for easy climbing, scrambling, and technical, rocky approaches - and for all that they're great. However, the question is if that's what you're looking for in a pair of UK approach shoes. They're both really nice shoes and they look and feel like trainers. If you're looking for something for general, everyday wear that is good on rock too then they're a great choice. If you're heading somewhere with lots of dry, rocky approaches then the Black Diamond shoes will be ideal. However if you need something that's good on wet grass and mud, with lots of support when walking on rough ground then you should look elsewhere. There are other approach shoes on the market better suited to mountain use.

For more info:

Mission XP

Technician Leather