UKH

Just looking for opinions on these. I bought a pair after a good review on here but find them really uncomfortable. Had to go a size up just to get my feet in and this is probably too small. Never had a pair of rock shoes that squashes and pushes my big toes over like these do - I'm in agony after an hour at the wall...

Davie

I have a pair that I use as my comfy all day boots, sized as per my shoe size.  Probably better suited to people with a longer second toe though. Don't seem to have stretched much.

That would be me! I'm still using my review pair more than any other shoe, and although they are getting softer with age and lots of use, they are still as comfy as any of my shoes (except ones that are basically a bit too big so aren't very good on anything but the easiest of climbs). For stuff that is hard for me - particularly Peak limestone sport - I am starting to appreciate tighter more rigid shoes (I've got a very old pair of Miuras and an oldish pair of Scarpa Technos) for the smallest footholds but they are MUCH less comfy on my feet - particularly as I have a dodgy big toe nail that sticks up due to a botched attempt to remove the nail by a GP many moons ago.

I did think though the sizing was bizarre - in the review I said "As ever, it is best to try on the actual shoes if you are buying a model for the first time - our reviewer ended up finding the 8.5 was the perfect fit for the Kirigami, despite owning comfy Five Ten approach shoes in size 8 and often getting rock shoes that are size 7.5 or 7." So if you bought them based on other rock shoe sizing I could well see that they would be way too small. 

For context I have really wide feet and my toes are not completely flat along the top, but my big toes are a lot less prominent than many people's. One partner said I have hobbit feet (I didn't cry too much)! 

I tried to buy them but they are either so slim cut or the sizes declared are so off from reality that I couldn't find one that fits.

Thanks Toby - it's all your fault then!

Just goes to show that shoe sizing and fitting is a very individual thing - one size does not fit all! I have fairly narrow low volume feet and my big toes aren't particularly prominent so maybe it is just the crazy sizing. Just feels bizarre that I might need a 9.5 size climbing shoe when I am a size 8. I'm kinda hoping they will stretch but maybe not as one responder has said.

Davie

I've bought 3 pairs of boots since I started climbing again, my shoe size is 8.5/42.5.

Boreal Jokers: 9.5/44

La Sportiva Tarantulas: 9/43

5.10 Kirigami: 10/44.5

All 3 fit reasonably snugly across the feet but all press down heavily and painfully on my big toes and are slightly loose around the little toes. I can last 3 hours max in them. Prior to those, the last boots I bought were Fires which were probably either 41 or 42 and I could wear pretty much all day. The difference in sizing between different manufacturers is indeed crazy.

It's worth noting that Adidas state foot size (heel-toe, in cm) for each size on their website. I wish more manufacturers would do the same; gives you some idea of what size you need, rather than the completely ad hoc system we currently have.

This article gives a sense of why this might be, although it doesn't address sizing in particular. Hand-made construction, many different slip lasts, companies treating lasts as a trade secret so no chance of any standardisation...

https://blog.weighmyrack.com/climbing-shoe-construction-how-climbing-shoes-...