Spider

I bought the Spiders on the recommendation of a sales guy at Neptune Mountaineering. I've worn these shoes on Flatiron solos, alpine rock climbs in the High Sierra, and on easy Yosemite Valley climbs. My assessment is mixed:

Pros:

Fairly light weight.

Good friction on gritty or well-featured rock.

Decent durability.

Cons:

Poor friction on smooth rock (e.g., Yosemite Valley granite). The rubber doesn't compare to Five Ten's Stealth C4 rubber.

Stiff. Hard to break in.

Not very good for trail running.

The shape of the toe is a little odd. It doesn't seem possible to lace the toes up really tight.

Not very good at edging. I think this is due in part to not being able to tighten the toe area completely.

Expensive ($130).

In summary, these shoes are decent, but if I had it to do over, I would not buy them. They don't climb as well as the Five Ten Guide Almighties, and they're not great for the trails. I'm still waiting for a low-top version of the Guide Almighties...

great shoe if it fits your foot. got mine a little too tight (my fault) but they climb great, hike great as long as you have a light pack. and did I say they climb great!! I would have given them the best rating but the rubber could be stickier