The Galileo Rock Climbing Shoe is the flagship for Five Ten's new Stealth ONYX rubber, which is more durable and has better friction than the reigning champ, Stealth C4. This high-performance hook and loop shoe has a stiff sole for incredible support on the smallest edges. The Galileo also comes with a no-stretch lined Cowdura Synthetic upper so you won't have to go through the long, painful break in process that usually accompanies high-end climbing shoes. With new ONYX rubber, you'll stick to the walls better then the turtles in UHF.
I found the fit to be drastically different from less "aggressive" shoes in Five Ten line -- so much so that I could not find a size that worked for me. I have narrow, size 11.5 to 12 feet, and I could not find the right compromise: smaller sizes were painfully tight (more so than even aggressive shoes should be), but larger sizes had too much volume and "dead space," making them sloppy. If you have long, narrow feet, you might want to look elsewhere... I love Five Tens, the Galileos did not work for me...
I have been climbing in these shoes for a little over a year. The reason it took me so long to write a review is that I think it is fair for potential consumers to read reviews after a year's use rather than 1 month of use. Honestly, any one of the shoes on this site would get five stars after a month of use; it is how the shoes perform after an extended period of time that I consider when paying an arm and a leg for them.
I would describe myself as an avid climber who understands the importance of a quality shoe. I purchased these shoes about a year ago and they still are treating me well. The rubber is still sticky, the shoe itself is held up through countless sessions in the gym (bouldering and lead). There are some marks near the big toe. But that is mainly from me being a beginning climber and having bad footwork rather than the rubber breaking down. The sizing and the overall "grab" of the shoe has retained its shape. (I wear a street size 9, 9.5, or 10.0 depending on the shoe, am a solid 9.0 in these shoes). It is no "looser" than it was the day I bought them. Pretty remarkable considering I washed them twice and the amount of usable I put into them.
I also purchased the La Sportiva Solutions and 5.10 Mocs within the same year. The Solutions are fabulous but like some of the reviews I have read, the rubber is very thin at the top of shoe and tends to have the track marks; which will affect your performance. I actually had to return a pair to La Sportiva because a hole developed in the right foot; after one month of use!!!! While the return was being processed, I put the Galileos back on and still use them today. I occasionally use the Solutions but I came to realize the obsession over 5.10's rubber. I will definately purchase another pair of Galileo's in the future and possibly try a pair of Dragons. Seems like that is the elite shoe nowadays.
The only complaint I have, and this is me nit-picking, is that there is some "dead space" in the heel. The heel of the shoe grabs my heel well enough to trust it on a bad heel hook but I can see the dead space. I guess these shoes are meant for people with wider feet. I have about an average width foot.
It had been quite a while since I had purchased a new pair of climbing shoes. When the shoes I had been climbing in began to wear out I purchased the Galileo on the recommendation of a friend, and I'm glad I did. The Galileo have Five Ten's Onyx rubber which are so sticky that you can stick the shoes together by the rubber and lift one shoe with the other. The heel is greatly improved over Five Ten's other shoes and the fit solid. These are very comfortable shoes, sporting a padded opening and Velcro closures. The synthetic upper keeps the shoe from stretching, but this shoe feels comfortable enough to climb all day in.
