Evolv Shaman Review
Compare prices at 3 resellers Pros: Comfortable, secure fit, high performance, great for steep climbing
Cons: Soft rubber, lacks sensitivity
Manufacturer: Evolv
Our Verdict
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Evolv Shaman | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $156.77 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $146.25 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $135.00 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $138.75 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers | $146.25 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Comfortable, secure fit, high performance, great for steep climbing | Versatile, durable, comfortable | Great precision, aggressive/down turned toe tip, sensitive, great toe and heel hooking, precise fit, comfortable, easy on/off | Incredible sensitivity, great edging, durability | Best edging shoe on the market |
Cons | Soft rubber, lacks sensitivity | Expensive | Not comfortable for all-day climbing, expensive, not the most versatile, hard to fit, single strap broke prematurely | Specalized use, expensive, might be hard to resole | Expensive |
Bottom Line | Most at home on steep terrain but underperforms on techy slabs and faces | An awesome shoe for long climbs requiring a variety of crack climbing and edging techniques | A tried and true modern classic, this model excels while steep and technical climbing | An incredibly sensitive and comfortable shoe that excels at edging | This high performance model is the ultimate balance of support and sensitivity |
Rating Categories | Evolv Shaman | La Sportiva Katana Lace | La Sportiva Solution | La Sportiva Futura | La Sportiva Genius |
Edging (20%) | |||||
Cracks (20%) | |||||
Comfort (20%) | |||||
Pockets (20%) | |||||
Sensitivity (20%) | |||||
Specs | Evolv Shaman | La Sportiva Katana... | La Sportiva Solution | La Sportiva Futura | La Sportiva Genius |
Style | Velcro | Lace | Velcro | Velcro | Lace |
Upper | Synthetic | Leather/Lorica | Leather / Lorica | Leather/Synthetic Leather | Suede leather / Microfiber |
Width Options | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular |
Lining | Unlined | Pacific (forefoot and back) | HF in toe box and arch area only | Unlined | Unlined |
Rubber Type | TRAX | Vibram XS Edge | Vibram XS Grip 2 | Vibram XS Grip2 | Vibram XS Grip2 |
Rubber Thickness (millimeters) | 4.2 mm | 4 mm | 4 mm | 3 mm | 3 mm |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Evolv's contender for dominance in the very steep world of hard sport climbing and bouldering, the Sharma-designed Shaman comes very close to taking the crown. Though Sharma could probably climb 5.14 wearing the box the shoe came in, he paid attention to detail when creating an incredible, function-specific shoe.
Performance Comparison
Edging
Though certainly no slouch, the Shaman falls behind other high-end climbing shoes in the edging department. The Trax rubber is softer than you'd anticipate for such an aggressively downturned toe and tends to deform around smaller features. Our testers felt insecure on tiny nubbins in Tuolumne meadows and the sharp limestone edges at Wild Iris. If your local climbing requires maximum edging, take a look at the La Sportiva Genius, Butora Acro, or the Tenaya Tarifa.
Crack Climbing
Surprise, surprise! The Shaman isn't too shabby in the cracks, either. The updated design features three velcro straps that are smaller than the ones on the first generation Shaman, and they make for a more comfortable jamming in hand sized cracks. The low profile, pointy toe also ferreted nicely into thinner cracks. These shoes didn't slide into cracks quite as well as the La Sportiva Skwama, but if your next steep project involves a little jamming, you won't be out of luck in a pair of Shamans.
Pockets
The Shaman excels in pockets. The sharply down-turned toe grabs and pulls itself into holes. With an incredibly secure fit in the arch and heel, it allows you to exert a lot of force through your toes, pulling hard all day till your hip flexors and hamstrings are ready to give out. And though the rubber is soft and not perfect for edging, it grips steep pockets well. The only downside is that the toe is a little blunt and blocky when compared to pointy shoes like the Tenaya Tarifa and they won't stuff into tiny pockets as well.
Sensitivity
This shoe puts a lot of rubber between you and the rock, 4.2 mm to be exact. While supportive, our testers felt insecure on low-angle slabs and techy climbs with small holds. For these missions, we preferred more sensitive shoes like the La Sportiva Genius and the Five Ten Quantum.
Comfort
The comfort of the Shaman is top notch. It has a medium wide fit and the love bump keeps your toe in the power position without relying on a super tight heel pressing on your tender Achilles. The low profile Velcro straps went completely unnoticed when we jammed them in cracks or flexed the shoe on slabs and smears. You'll want to size these shoes to your street shoe or maybe even a half size up.
Best Applications
While the Shaman is designed for hard sending, it's comfortable in enough for beginners who don't mind throwing down a little extra dough. It climbs phenomenally in the gym and in steep sport scenarios. Choosing this shoe as a beginner would give you plenty of space to improve without having to upgrade your shoes. This shoe belongs on steep to overhanging sport climbs and boulder problems that don't involve too much technical edging.
Value
The Shaman smack in the middle of the price range for high-end climbing shoes — not a mega bargain, but not a turn-you-upside-down-and-empty-your-pockets affair like La Sportiva Genius. After two months of rigorous testing, we haven't noticed any damage or delamination, and Evolv offers competitively priced in-house resoling for all their shoes.
Conclusion
The Shaman has won the heart of many climbers, and a fair few awards along the way. However, when comparing these shoes to the Scarpa Instinct or Butora Acro, we couldn't get past the softness of the rubber as a key factor in assessment. It lacks the edging ability of the La Sportiva shoes, and with a lot of rubber underfoot it doesn't compensate for that by being more sensitive. The toe also feels blunt when compared to the Tenaya Tarifa, so it's harder to fit into small spaces or to place on thin edges. As with any high-end climbing shoe, the final decision will come down to personal preference and where you're climbing.
— Matt Bento