General Cycling Discussion - Sidi Blaze -- any opinions?

I have tried on Sidi Dominators and really REALLY liked them. But $200+ isn't in the budget for my first pair of bike shoes. Are Sidi Blaze a good compromise? I briefly tried them on and after putting on the Dominators, wasn't overwhelmed. But I'm thinking if I wasn't comparing Blaze's to Dominators, maybe I can get Sidi quality and fit and still fit my budget. It seems the Blaze can be bought for <$100. I'm not a huge fan of settling, and would generally prefer to wait until I find the perfect choice, but I have a feeling I may not see Dominators in a semi reasonable price range until 2008. Of course I don't know that, but I just ain't seeing them on ebay at the moment.

The other alternative is to get Shimano M181s for about the same price as the Blaze. More "features", same money, not Sidis.

Any constructive advice appreciated!

I've worn Sidi's bought from $80 - $220 and loved every pair.

If you are not in love with the Blaze right off the bat, you might keep thinking you should have bought the more expensive pair every time you wear them. IMO, you can't go wrong either way.

A few years back I bought a lower-end pair of Sidis (the Lightning, I think they were called) and am happy with them. They've held up very well, though I don't have any experience with other brands and can't make a direct comparison.