Serfas has a great tagline for their MTB shoes: Dirtier Than Thou. That pretty much ought to be the mountain biking mantra. As I tend to hold on to my mountain biking gear until it literally rots away, Serfas was new to me and I didn't really know what to expect with the Scandium shoe.
What to expect is: awesomeness! MTB shoes can be fickle to get the fit dialed in, but the Scandium let me make subtle adjustments on the fly. The two velcro straps make small adjustments easy by pulling with one hand and using the other hand's thumb to roll the strap a little tighter or looser.
The fit on the Scandium starts out slim in the heel but gets roomier in the toebox, a definite plus for cooler weather biking in thicker socks. The ratcheting buckle felt flimsy, so of course I reefed on it to see if it would break. No dice, it's much tougher than it feels, and as a bonus you can, with a little practice, quick release the strap from the buckle with one quick motion. Tough applies to the whole shoe, which is amazingly armored for its light weight.
You can cinch the Scandiums down to almost zero flex without unduly pinching your foot. On my Eggbeaters I was surprised how responsive the Scandiums are, and yet how comfortable they areto stand on. The sole is a nice compromise, soft and grippy enough for hard surfaces but with enough bite for those muddy hike-a-bike sections. Serfas has really nailed it with a race-worthy high-performance carbon-soled shoe that you'll find yourself wearing every day. Best of all, in a sport where prices for just about everything can hit the depths of ridiculousness so fast you get the bends, the reasonably priced Scandium won't break the bank. Highly recommended.