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ROCK AND ICE MAGAZINE REVIEWS
Bufo Weapon I've probably worn 200 rock shoes over the past decade, but good shoes for under a hundred bucks have proven a rare commodity. The Bufo Weapon, is proudly in the minority. With two young children at home, my climbing trips have become less frequent, as evidenced by my puny forearms and jerky footwork. The bright side is that my rusty condition makes me the ideal shoe tester -- I must rely entirely on leather and rubber to get me up the stone. The Weapon gave me just the leg up I need. A low-cut sport shoe with a moderately stiff midsole, slightly asymmetrical last and firm yet sticky rubber, it climbs well beyond its pricetag. A slightly pointed toe wriggles into mono pods, yet yields enough front-point power and precision to press off the smallest chip. The generous sticky rand and heel can grip aretes with the best of 'em. Comfort and fit-wise, the Weapon feels more like an all-around shoe than foot-crushing sport wear. A great relief for feet -- and pocket-books -- alike. Bufo Fly This unlined, asymmetric slipper took a lot of testers by surprise -- inexpensive shoes just aren't supposed to perform this well! The fit runs a tad wide in the forefoot, so it may not fit narrow-footed climbers that well. That said, nearly everyone thought the Fly performed as well or better than other high performance slippers. As Dougald put it, "Overall this shoe performs great. It's a very sensitive slipper that fits tight for hard edging, heel hooks and toe hooks." ... A lot of bang for the buck - shipping is included with all Bufo shoes. Bufo Spider The narrow footed testers liked the very snug fit of this synthetic lined leather slipper with velcro closures. The symmetric shape and minimal midsole reduce edge-holding power but offer great feel on plastic. One tester felt that the Spider's adept handling on steep sport routes would make it a nice addition to his collection of shoes.... |
As appeared in recent Rock & Ice issues 