Five Ten Grandstone Review
Cons: Expensive, roomy heel, limited support
Manufacturer: Five Ten
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
![]() This Product
Five Ten Grandstone | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $179.95 at Backcountry | $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 Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score ![]() |
|||||
Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Padded high-top upper, svelte toe box, sensitive for a trad shoe | 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 | Expensive, roomy heel, limited support | 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 | An ideal all-day shoe that's a little softer than the other traddies | 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 | Five Ten Grandstone | La Sportiva Katana Lace | La Sportiva Solution | La Sportiva Futura | La Sportiva Genius |
Edging (20%) | |||||
Cracks (20%) | |||||
Comfort (20%) | |||||
Pockets (20%) | |||||
Sensitivity (20%) | |||||
Specs | Five Ten Grandstone | La Sportiva Katana... | La Sportiva Solution | La Sportiva Futura | La Sportiva Genius |
Style | Lace | Lace | Velcro | Velcro | Lace |
Upper | Microfiber | Leather/Lorica | Leather / Lorica | Leather/Synthetic Leather | Suede leather / Microfiber |
Width Options | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular | Regular |
Lining | None | Pacific (forefoot and back) | HF in toe box and arch area only | Unlined | Unlined |
Rubber Type | Stealth C4 | Vibram XS Edge | Vibram XS Grip 2 | Vibram XS Grip2 | Vibram XS Grip2 |
Rubber Thickness (millimeters) | 3.5 mm | 4 mm | 4 mm | 3 mm | 3 mm |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Edging
We've now tried several pairs of trad-oriented shoes from different manufacturers. The Five Ten Grandstones distinguish themselves by having the softest soles of the bunch. Compared to the average climbing shoe, we would still describe them as stiff, but there is noticeably more flex than you get with the La Sportiva TC Pro or other high-top crack shoes. On the one hand, this improves sensitivity. On the other, it has a slightly negative impact on edging performance. These are still effective edging shoes, but at our absolute limit, we might opt for a stiffer pair with a more precise toe.
Crack Climbing
Weaknesses in the rock are the Grandstone's primary strength. The padded leather upper supplies extra protection during sustained crack jams, while the barrel lacing design shields the purple strings from getting shredded. Compared to many other trad shoes, the toe box is rather svelte. This makes it easier to slide more rubber into thinner cracks. This still probably isn't the best shoe for sub-0.75" cracks, but for anything larger, it's sure to be comfortable and effective.
Pockets
The sole of the Grandstone features a slight downturn from the heel to the toe. Our testers believe this modestly enhances its usefulness on steep terrain, but without significant harm to comfort. The toe box is average in terms of height and bluntness, and correspondingly average for utilizing pockets. Towards the back of the shoe, the sole becomes softer and there is a bit of extra roominess in the heel. This provides welcome relief to the testers whose heels have suffered while wearing other high-top trad shoes. However, spaciousness of the heel may not be appreciated by anyone hoping to heel hook in these trad daddies.
Sensitivity
One of the most common complaints about stiff trad shoes is a lack of sensitivity. The relative softness of the Five Ten Grandstones addresses this issue to a moderate degree. Although they don't offer the same sensitivity as an ultra-soft bouldering shoe, the enhanced sensations they transmit is a nice improvement over many other crack-specific shoes. Beware, however, that extra sensitivity is not necessarily a good thing during painful crack jams.
Comfort
As we alluded, the added sensitivity of these shoes is a double-edged sword. It improves your ability to feel the rock, while making crack jams feel more painful. Our testers observed this most on hand-size and wider cracks where the lateral flexibility of the sole supplied inferior support and protection. This criticism, however, is only valid relative to other stiff, trad-specific shoes. Compared to the average climbing shoe, the Grandstones are exceptionally comfortable. In fact, the slight downturn and spacious heel cup make them some of our favorite footwear for long, varied multi-pitch climbs.
Value
The Grandstones are priced similarly to other premium crack climbing shoes, and relative tho these rivals we think they present a slightly lower value. The reason is that the construction of the Grandstones is lighter and softer, so we believe they won't hold up as well to long-term abuse. However, we also think you're more likely to find these and other Five Ten shoes on sale. If you can score a good discount, they should turn into a great deal.
Conclusion
The selection of high-top trad shoes has grown rapidly in recent years. The Five Ten Grandstone presents a nice addition to the field. Its softer, more flexible sole addresses the chief complaint made about many of its competitors — that they're too insensitive. In our tests, however, we discovered that the added sensitivity also leads to added foot pain during sustained crack jamming. Nevertheless, the Grandstones manage to fill a nice middle ground between an ultra-stiff trad model and an ordinary rock climbing shoe.
— Jack Cramer