i wore the ulanova 1 (version with a shorter vamp-- ulanova 2 has a long vamp) for a couple of years. the shanks come in various strengths, but they were still difficult to break in at times. the manufacturing quality went way down in the late 1990s, so i stopped wearing them. haven't tried them since, but i'm not just about to spend $60 to see if they've gotten any better.
