Red Chili Spirit Velcro Impact Zone

...my review of the standard Red Chili Spirits (http://sports.ciao.co.uk/Red_Chili_Spirit__Review_5643275) as I bought these after my lace up Spirits wore out. I found the Lace up shoes to be very comfortable while still offering ample ability, but fancied the quick on/off advantage of the Velcro Spirit.

Here's what the manufacturer has to say about the shoe:

- ImpactZone EVA heel shock absorber
- Velcro triplex ...
...Graduated midsoles
- Red
- UK sizes 2-12

"Built for bouldering and sport, both inside and outside, but with enough power for towers, the Spirit Velcro ImpactZone targets a wide range of fun. For quick on and offs, technical ups and jump-offs, the convenience of Velcro makes this shoe a must have.

Enhanced Velcro Performance."

and on the Impact Zone shock absorb system:
... more

This is more of a follow-up to my review of the standard Red Chili Spirits (http://sports.ciao.co.uk/Red_Chili_Spirit__Review_5643275) as I bought these after my lace up Spirits wore out. I found the Lace up shoes to be very comfortable while still offering ample ability, but fancied the quick on/off advantage of the Velcro Spirit.

Here's what the manufacturer has to say about the shoe:

- ImpactZone EVA heel shock absorber
- Velcro triplex tension control
- Easy on and off
- Asymmetric last with comfort fit
- Performance fit heel
- Precision edging
- Graduated midsoles
- Red
- UK sizes 2-12

"Built for bouldering and sport, both inside and outside, but with enough power for towers, the Spirit Velcro ImpactZone targets a wide range of fun. For quick on and offs, technical ups and jump-offs, the convenience of Velcro makes this shoe a must have.

Enhanced Velcro Performance."

and on the Impact Zone shock absorb system:

"Red Chili's ImpactZone is an internal shock absorber to soften jump-offs and walk-offs. Its EVA wedge, high-density foam forms a protective buffer between your heel and planet Earth.

The concealed EVA heel is thin enough for technical hooking, thick enough to increase comfort and confidence, and just the right feature to enhance a performance shoe.

EVA's so light and low profile that you won't notice it's there until you need it, in the ImpactZone."

Again I bought these from a local outdoors shop so that I could make sure that the fit was just right. I already rated the original spirit but wanted to buy a shoe that matched my technical ability and new found love for bouldering, the spirit Velcro seemed to do just that and looked cool to boot.

I found these shoes just as comfortable as my last ones and the Velcro closure was just as secure as the lacing system. They still offered me enough precision for the grades I was climbing and I found they helped instil confidence. I should be in the perfect position to review the Impact Zone having worn spirits with and without this technology, but I cannot say that I noticed a difference. This could be down to the quality of the mats at the climbing centre's and my reluctance to fall off outdoors. I still, however, found these shoes extremely comfortable and wore them all day long on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately the dye runs when damp in these shoes as well, now my feet are red instead of blue-green :-). This time round they lasted slightly less than a year, although I would say that was down to me climbing more often (mostly twice a week).

All said and done I would still recommend these shoes. I would also recommend them over the original Spirits due to their Velcro closure system, I found it unfaultable.

Thanks for reading. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. 

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