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Evolv X1 Review

These shoes are perfect for gym climbers and boulderers on a budget
Evolv X1
Photo: Evolv
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Price:  $145 List | $144.95 at Backcountry
Compare prices at 2 resellers
Pros:  Sensitive, inexpensive
Cons:  Difficult to get on high volume feet, hard to size correctly
Manufacturer:   Evolv
By Matt Bento ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Jun 20, 2018
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76
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#18 of 34
  • Edging - 20% 8
  • Cracks - 20% 7
  • Comfort - 20% 6
  • Pockets - 20% 8
  • Sensitivity - 20% 9

Our Verdict

Our testers get real excited when a new shoe comes out billed as a price point performance climbing shoe. As paying $200+ for climbing shoes becomes more acceptable, the lifelong dirtbags among us are afraid that one day they won't be able to afford their favorite sticky rubber weapons of route destruction. Therefore, the search for the best buy in climbing shoes is almost more important to some of us than the quest for the best overall shoe. Enter the Evolv X1. This is Evolv's new high-performance slipper with a single velcro closure strap, an aggressively downturned last, plenty of rubber on the uppers for toe hooking, and Trax SAS rubber for smearing. After bouldering in the Buttermilks and some lovely spring sport climbing in Bishop's Pine Creek, we were pleasantly surprised at the excellent balance of support and sensitivity offered by these inexpensive shoes. Are they Best Buy Award material? Close, but no cigar. The coveted Best Buy award stays with the better performing and more comfortable Butora Acro.

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Evolv X1
This Product
Evolv X1
Awards  Editors' Choice Award   Top Pick Award 
Price $144.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers		$195.00 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers		$180.00 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers		$185.00 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers		$156.00 at Backcountry
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Pros Sensitive, inexpensiveVersatile, durable, comfortableGreat precision, aggressive/down turned toe tip, sensitive, great toe and heel hooking, precise fit, comfortable, easy on/offIncredible sensitivity, great edging, durabilityBest edging shoe on the market
Cons Difficult to get on high volume feet, hard to size correctlyExpensiveNot comfortable for all-day climbing, expensive, not the most versatile, hard to fit, single strap broke prematurelySpecalized use, expensive, might be hard to resoleExpensive
Bottom Line Sensitive and covered in sticky rubber, these shoes are ready for steep gymnastic boulder problemsAn awesome shoe for long climbs requiring a variety of crack climbing and edging techniquesA tried and true modern classic, this model excels while steep and technical climbingAn incredibly sensitive and comfortable shoe that excels at edgingThis high performance model is the ultimate balance of support and sensitivity
Rating Categories Evolv X1 La Sportiva Katana Lace La Sportiva Solution La Sportiva Futura La Sportiva Genius
Edging (20%)
8
9
9
9
10
Cracks (20%)
7
9
8
7
6
Comfort (20%)
6
9
7
7
7
Pockets (20%)
8
8
9
9
9
Sensitivity (20%)
9
8
9
10
10
Specs Evolv X1 La Sportiva Katana... La Sportiva Solution La Sportiva Futura La Sportiva Genius
Style Velcro Lace Velcro Velcro Lace
Upper Synthratek VX 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 SAS 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

These shoes are of the softer variety, geared towards gym rats and pebble wrestlers who need sensitivity and edging performance and are less likely to spend 45 minutes on some cotton mouth inducing runout slab. They are stiffer and more versatile than the bank account leveling $200 Scarpa Drago, but don't have the support and crack climbing abilities as some of our favorite sporty shoes, the La Sportiva Solutions.

Performance Comparison


These shoes are on the soft side, but they provide enough edging...
These shoes are on the soft side, but they provide enough edging power for the technical Green Wall Center.
Photo: Matt Bento

Edging


Sized correctly, the X1s edge well, but the rubber is extremely soft and sticky, and some of our testers reported they felt the edge "rolled", a phenomenon we've experienced on some other Evolv models like the Shamans and the old Optimus Primes. They edge better than the super soft Scarpa Dragos and the clunky Black Diamond Momentums, but they can't touch the La Sportiva Genius, Solution or the Kataki when it comes to edging performance.

Some of our testers felt that these shoes are too soft for difficult...
Some of our testers felt that these shoes are too soft for difficult edging routes and prefer a stiffer shoe like the La Sportiva Solution.
Photo: Matt Bento

Crack Climbing


These shoes fit narrower than the La Sportiva Kataki, our Top Pick for Crack Climbing, so climbing hand size cracks in the X1 is a no-go, especially for wider footed climbers. The toe profile is delightfully low, allowing us to weasel into a few green camalot sized cracks and flares sometimes encountered in sport climbing. If you've got narrow feet and you downsize these shoes down too tight, you might get away with a few full pitches of crack climbing, but we don't recommend it.

Pockets


Pocket climbing comes down to a shoe's edging ability combined with the shape of the toe. A pointy toe can fit into smaller, shallower pockets than some comfortable, symmetrical shaped shoe you'd use to climb El Cap. The X1 isn't too shabby in the pockets, but we preferred climbing pockets in a stiffer, better edging shoe like the Butora Acro, or the La Sportiva Solution.

Heel hooking is no problem thanks to the X1's tight heel cup.
Heel hooking is no problem thanks to the X1's tight heel cup.
Photo: matt bento

Sensitivity


These soft shoes are very sensitive, adding some versatility to such an aggressive shoe. If you haven't sized them painfully tight, you won't be totally out of luck when the climbing gets low angle and techy. They aren't as sensitive as the mega soft Scarpa Dragos, but we prefer a little more support for all the granite climbing in our Eastern Sierra testing zone. The Trax SAS rubber is super soft and sticking. Curiously, all the cat hair in our lead tester's house stuck to 4.2mm of rubber on the bottom of these shoes. We've never seen anything thing like this with climbing rubber.

Enjoying another lap in the X1s during some primo spring conditions.
Enjoying another lap in the X1s during some primo spring conditions.
Photo: Matt Bento

Comfort


Evolv's sizing is pretty wonky. Our lead tester is 9.5 street size, and he had to size up to 10.5 before he could even wrestle his foot into the X1s. They're low volume, so if you've got high arches, getting these things on is going to be a bit of fight even if you've sized them too big for performance edging. So, low volume, narrow feet will feel the most comfortable in these shoes.

Our testers with high volume feet found these shoes very difficult...
Our testers with high volume feet found these shoes very difficult to put on.
Photo: Matt Bento

The X1s are a pretty good value.
The X1s are a pretty good value.
Photo: Matt Bento

Value


These shoes are less than the Best Buy award-winning Butora Acro. We've used the Acros extensively, and feel that their superior comfort and performance is worth more than an additional 15 bones, and it remains the Best Buy. However, the X1 is a high quality, well-constructed shoe with the aggressive shape all the kids are into these days, and costs $40-$60 less than similar offerings from Sportiva, Scarpa, and Five Ten.

Ready for hours of training in the gym.
Ready for hours of training in the gym.
Photo: matt bento

Conclusion


We're happy to see climbing shoe manufacturers trying to increase performance without raising the price. We hope to see more shoes like the X1. These are great for gym climbing, and are a huge step up from cheap, entry-level climbing shoes like the Evolv Defy and the Black Diamond Momentum.

— Matt Bento