Totally agree with you. I work in a scientific field and got into climbing a few years back. When I went looking for my first resole I really bit into this question and tried to find as much data as possible on shoe rubber. Unfortunately, little of it is interpretable to the layman as the base specs of a rubber don't always align with performance. This is probably due to other additives/processes that aren't well measured by Shore Hardness or DIN Abrasion, but... that's beyond me. Regardless, I wound up using the Google Waybackmachine to survey a few of Vibram's old resoling catalogues and found a lot of the numbers I was looking for, at least in regards to Shore Hardness relative to other brands. XSGrip Shore Hardness... ~70 XSGrip2 Shore Hardness... ~74 XS Edge Shore Hardness... ~78 Now, if we compare these to the broadly advertised characteristics of UnParallel's rubber (here: www.unparallelsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Unparallel-Rubber-Physical-Properties.pdf), we begin to get a sense of how to compare these compounds. UP also reports DIN Abrasion and Resilience, which are much much harder to find on the big brands. This is a bold move by UP, and I think speaks a lot to their confidence in their product. Although curiously, SoILL uses the same rubber manufacturer and people have almost universally terrible things to say about their product. I even tried to ask SoILL about their rubber to see if it might be better than people say... and the poor customer service lady had no idea. She had not idea if they even had an edging rubber, despite a few resolers reporting SoILL Soft and SoILL Hard.

@@thesii213 I work in modeling, so I understand that there are many more factors at play than those 3 that I mentioned, but it does go a long way. I havent heard of UP rubber, but I have some spare shoes, so I might try grabbing a resole kit and trying it out. I love that link that you added. That makes a world of difference for determining what I would want as a consumer.

@@mrs_radrod UP is the "new 5.10" in that they're the US remnant of the old 5.10 when Adidas moved manufacturing out of the US. Supposedly they're in the old 5.10 factory and making shoes largely derived from old 5.10 lasts as... they were the original designers. It's complex, but many/most of 5.10's athletes have shifted their way recently. I think the way they present their rubbers' true specs should be the gold standard in the industry. Their RH is supposedly the old C4 formula, or at least, a slightly tweaked one. I could also probably dig around and find that old Vibram catalogue for you. I also have estimated Shore Hardness for some of the other major rubbers available, although some of these are resoler estimates and not something from a spec sheet.

Add stiffness as a fourth parameter and it would be quite perfect as a Consumer Climbing Shoe Rubber Guide.

@@mikaelpetersson9113 Shore Hardness is likely the best measure of stiffness. However, Evolv makes a softer rubber that they purport edges like a much harder one due to modifying a few other variables with rubber additives. These are likely the DIN Abrasion and Resilience, but these aren't as easy to interpret for the average person.

After talking to a shoemaker who resoles Vibram he said that the Edge rubber is actually less durable than the Grip. He has come to that conclusion after resoling many many shoes and inspecting them.

I like his explanations anyways and will be useful for my next climbing shoes.

Do you like stealth as much as Trax SaS?

@@MPHshoots, I've never tried Trax SAS. I couldn't make a comparison.

@@FlatOutFE oh lol it’s good. I’m actually at the gym RN lol

@@MPHshoots, I just got home from the gym. I used STEALTH C4 the whole time. 😁

Stealth C4 is very good

I like my shoes ribbed and unlubed

As the wise man once said, nope.

grip2 is softer, provides more grip and wear faster. grip is an intermediate between edge and grip2.

I've found the grip 2 to be softer and stickier than the grip. IMO grip is a middle ground between xs edge and xs grip 2. This is based purely on my experience. Perhaps someone has a more scientific response in regards to the actual rubber compounds.

@@adriensanz2354 Actually, I peeked at Vibram's old resoling catalogues on the WayBackMachine and Grip is actually softer than Grip2. Grip's durometer is roughly 70, while Grip2's is roughly 74. Edge is about 78. Of course, there are a few other additives besides simple hardness that determines durability, but hardness is generally the best measure.

Some resolers offer grip in up to 5mm, which is insane and means your shoes last for ages, I've only ever seen grip 2 at up to 3.5mm.

Yeah, before this video I didn't know that Grip and Grip 2 both were on the market at the same time, I thought that Grip 2 had taken over from Grip.

It says 3mm on the scarpa website.

@@imahuman1996 www.scarpa.com/instinct-vs en.scarpa.net/product/18496573/instinct-vs-specialized-performance-black not on any scarpa site I know

@@imahuman1996 It does say 3 mm on the UK site though, so maybe something to ask Scarpa: www.scarpa.co.uk/climb/instinct-vs/

Itsa bugger intit?

Per Vibram's old resole catalogues, XS Grip's Shore Hardness is ~70 and XS Grip2's is ~74. So Grip1 should be slightly softer and with better friction, at least from a pure data perspective.

They can't unfortunately. This is paid advertising for selling climbing shoes on their website.

Yes and no, if your more into climbing things get more detailed. I’m wachting this to really learn the difference to choose best for my climbing. These days you can customize much easier then 15 years back. All climbing movies are some sort of advert to go climbing and buy this stuff.. i think..

Is no rubber from Vibram. So it's not in a Video about Vibram rubber 😁

This video is an advertisment for Vibram, not a real piece about climbing rubber.

@@joaoandrebernardino true. he did not point out a single downside of the different rubbertypes

stealth = best rubber in the fcking world (pers op.)

@@gabrielhavemann9732 chill, it's just rubber 😅 but nice that you like your five ten shoes so much 😉

Actually it does help out a beginner with bad footwork psychologically. My first pair of shoes were La Sportiva Tarantula with FriXion RS rubber. When I got stuck at 5.10a level I thought a more intermediate shoe might help with my climbing, so I got a pair of Scarpa Vapor V with XS Edge rubber. I immediately noticed that the Vapor stuck to the wall much better, so I dared to smear more often and felt more confident with certain moves. Now that my footwork has improved I can do the same moves with the Tarantula, but back then it was a big help in advancing my climbing.