Hi,
I'm Jim Brody, originally from Santa Cruz, California.
I'm a proffesional climber and climbing instructor for over 20 years.
More information about me and about climbing you can find in my other article - "The complete rock climbing handbook". Link in the bottom of this page.

I have concluded all you need to know about buying a new climbing shoe, in a very concise article - so it won't take you forever to read it...
In here I will teach you the differences between different climbing shoe types and show you which shoe you need.
I will refer you to the leading climbing shoes in the market and my all time favorites.

The single piece of climbing equipment that helps you actually climb is your climbing shoes. All of the rest is safety.

The main goal of these shoes is to allow you to balance your weight correctly on small crimps in hard angles. The way the shoe is built is very unique: Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand.

When buying a climbing shoe, it is very important that you go to the store and see that the shoe fits. I've had some rough time adjusting to some of my shoes. What I usually do, I go to my local climbing gear shop and try the shoe on. The shoe should be a little smaller than your normal size, and your toes should be bent down inside. It hurts a little in the beginning. So how would you know If it's good?

1. Walk around with it. After about 10 minutes I try climbing a wall that's in the store. If it doesn't hurt too much - It fits.
2. Check that the heel doesn't slip off. It's very important for bouldering.
3. It's very individual. Go with your instincts.

After finding a good shoe and size at the store, I return to my house and order it through the internet - It's just cheaper... I climbed with a lot of shoes over the years, and I gathered here the top five climbing shoes exist in the market today for various purposes, based on my experience and experts in the climbing world:

Your first shoe must have two characteristics: It will have a rough rubber coating (your toes will have to get use to the stress), a decent all-around shoe and it will have to be cheap (your shoe will wear out fast because of poor technique - trust me). A descent shoe that comply with the above - the Mammut Psycho.