These are great beginner/intermediate shoes. Relatively sticky, not as responsive as a more expensive, more aggressive shoe, but overall a great shoe for the price! I use them for bouldering and will be buying a more aggressive shoe when the time comes. I bought an 8.5 because that's my shoe size and they fit as I expected (tight, slightly uncomfortable, slight toe curl) I could have probably gone down to an 8 though as there's a little bit more room than I would have liked. If you're a new climber I'd just buy your size and remember that climbing shoes are not supposed to be comfortable! They're SUPPOSED to feel &#34;way too small&#34;.