Glad you have these Loyd - I have LOTS of thoughts as I used these for the first 100k of the Leadville 100 miler in August. The gaiter works. Full stop. Period. No issues there. But what is related, and problematic about the use of a gaiter is that the two little side heel bumpers simply did not work to keep my heel in place. In fact, by 60k, I Had to moleskin my two heels as they were getting shredded by the movement (even with good merino socks). THe midsole compound is nice, light, and bouncy. The outsole has superb grip, though I didn't fully trust them in technical/cambered terrain with the lack of a real heel structure. They also got soggy and stayed soggy, not draining well at all, almost like the foam itself was carrying water (never had that in the Tecton x1 OR the X2 which both drained superbly). So I'm not convinced by the heel bumper design here; may this be a precautionary note to those of you contemplating this purchase. Make sure they fit PERFECTLY around your back heel and really give them some false climb heel stands and flex, to make sure you don't feel slippage. Buyer beware!
Thanks Lloyd. Best trail shoes I’ve worn to date. 1st run out was a Petzl night race and won my age group - must have been the shoes as I’m not race ready at the moment.
I had a pair in hand and waiting in line to pay but I backed out of paying 300CAD + taxes. I went with the mafate speed 4s instead for just about half the cost. thanks for the review though!
I think they're a cracking shoe Loyd. I agree with the sizing. Worth going up half a size for sure. Still managed to run a 115 miler in my pair and haven't lost any toenails.......yet 🤣 Great review as always bud! 😎🤘
problem with mine was..the zonal padding is like scrubbing my ankle...both side of my legs if i go with half a size up i couldnt go with true to size because my feet slightly wide, did tested it though and it does not went well after 2 minutes running with it🥲
Good and helpful input - many thanks! Your prior reviews led me to Hoka Mafate and Saucony Xodus - for my foot and my stride, both are a good choice. But I am now lined up for Leadville 100 (clearly madness has taken hold), and a plated shoe seems the better choice. I’ll have a look, and a try-on … we’ll see what *my* feet have to say. P.S. Sported a Run4Adventure shirt on today’s run - and caught some eyes. No question, it was the shirt!
Bought these last week. Black & blue. Love them and thankfully, they work even with my wider feet ! The front vamp is super stretchy and they do loosen up too.. (I did switch the insole to a super thin one). great review
Ran a mtn 50k with no issues. No blister or hotspots. First hoka I’ve really enjoyed in years. Something always disappointed me in every model previously. (Speed goats to mafates). These fit my feet with toe socks and no issues in the heel. Honestly I was kinda hoping they wouldn’t fit right and I could just return them lol, 275 is up there with speedland and not sure they’ll last long enough, but such a fun ride on the trails for me. AND the biggest plus is I never felt the plate, ever as compared to the TC2. Lastly- sizing for me was spot on. 10.5 in Hoka like every other model in the line, plus I’m wearing thicker toe socks as well. With that said I’ve heard mixed responses on sizing…..so if you can try on in store, might be a good idea.
Thanks Loyd. best shoe reviews by far. Sizing - I measure just over 9 and always run in 9.5, including the X2. Would love to try a 9.5 before committing.
Totally agree with everything. I usually size-up in Hoka but went true-to-size with these and still felt movement. Only did 11 miles and could feel rubbing particularly around the underside of the anklebone. I did have them on pretty technical trails so not overly sure if they may perform best on tracks (?) Remains to be seen.
I have been using my pair for training and I really like them. I'm not sure I would use them for racing short distances but for ultra probably. As long as its dry since many reported these shoes are not great once wet.
Thank you for this honest review! Great job as always Loyd! I gotta say- I have always worn 10.5 in HOKAS, with perfect room, but the last few recent pairs (trail and road) I've had to size up a half size to 11s. Just picked up Mafate speed 4s in 11. Seem like the sizing nowadays has been generally a tad shorter. And, I'm an older runner so I know my feet aren't growing LOL. Cheers!
Great Video as always! Looking forward to the long test video for sure 👌 Have you ever Tried shoes from On Running, or been pestered by the comments too? Keep up the good work
I have run in On shoes but it was a long time ago and I didn’t really get “On” with them! I should re-visit the brand and try some of their more recent models 👍🙂
Great video! I have the Mafate trail 4 and also had to size up seems like HOKA are just sized small always. Looking forward to the in depth review and if this is the best carbon plated trail shoe?? And worth the price? Etc Cheers man
I have 10 runs and around 250km on my pair. They fell very different than any other shoes and I love the pop of the carbon plate/midsole. I am around 15 seconds / km faster at similar effort when the terrain is reasonably flat. The outsole is great and I am surprised how stable they feel given their stack. As a downside, I feel my achilles a bit more after longer runs in them, probably due to the lack of flexing when going uphill. I wish all the trail shoes would have a built in gaiter.
I tried the Tecton X2 on a club run when Hoka came along and hated them. Caused me lots of pain and was glad I put my Inov-8’s in my vest so I could change in to them. And after talking to the Hoka rep about their shoes and them not having any inclination to offer a bigger heel drop I won’t be buying any of their shoes..
Wamsley was on the 2.5s, not 3s…I have mixed feelings on these after using them in a variety of circumstances…the foam and outsole that sticks off the back is delaminating/tearing apart, I’m guessing because of contact with rocks when descending techie trails…they’re nice and light on the up, the gaiter feels fine and yes, definite heel slippage
I realise he was in a prototype of the shoe and it wasn’t actually the 3’s 👍 That’s a shame you’re having durability issues with the outsole delaminating! 😟
It’s the exact same problem I’ve had with mine after only five runs, the outsoles delaminating where it comes up around the toe box, the sides and the back. Also the PEBA foam has been flaking, easily punctured by hitting rocks, roots and other things on the trails. But a very comfortable, lightweight, fun shoe, just not durable and given the high price. I don’t know if it’s really worth it unless you’re a sponsored athlete with HOKA
I was one of the commenters on the last post. I ended up getting a pair to try and TBH I'm not convinced by them. On perfectly flat trail (maybe to the maximum of what you were running on) they're great. But anything more technical like my local areas and you just slosh inside the shoe all over the place and being on such a high stack means they're really not confidence inspiring. Further to that, with the movement inside the shoe I was getting a little rubbing on the heal which I'm not prone to at all (I'm generally fine in 98% of shoes to run a marathon out of the box kind of thing). Aside from that the outsole is great, loads of grip. The midsole isn't super soft but definitely felt nice to run on. But tbh I just don't see the upper as a plus. I would much prefer a Salomon style gator construction. Would you say that your testing ground is the extend of technicality of the Arc? As that's what I was really thinking of for these shoes. Having tried them locally I kind of think they'd be perfect on a UTMB style route, but maybe not for a Lakeland 100/Lakes in Day style lakeland route.
I didn’t seem to have any movement in the upper at all Ellis, obviously everyone’s foot shape is different so it might be down to that. I was literally running on the Arc route, the section along the North Cliffs and the dips are all on the Arc route towards the end of the race. However the section from Mousehole to St Ives is a lot more technical and they’ll be a lot more mud underfoot 👍
@@Run4Adventure I think I have the same size foot as you and for the sake of a 100mile ultra sized up to a 10. This might have lead to some of the movement. Also admittedly I was running terrain (which is my usual) that the shoe was not really suited to I guess. Steep off cambers etc. I'm still so undecided haha. Sucks not being able to recce any of the route ahead of time.
@@ellismccoy It will be a nice surprise Ellis! There’s lots of content on the channel about the Arc and it shows you a lot of the terrain on the route. There’s also Classic Quarter videos that show you the the section from Mousehole to Land End but in the daylight 👍
I’ve been running in them, and they’ve been a nice shoe, comfortable, lightweight, and even though they have a high stack height 35 in the front and 40 in the back the carbon plates keep you pretty stable, however, I ran into durability issues with the outsoles peeling away from the peba foam on the front toe box, into the sides and the back of both shoes. After only around five runs. I just sent them back to Hoka for warranty. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve seen the same degradation in quality even with the Saucony shoes that I’ve ran in for years, the peregrine and the xodus ultras, the outsoles just breakdown much faster than previous models. I live in California and they’re banning PFAS chemicals and shoe manufactures are trying different non PFAS materials and they brake down sooner.
I’ve heard that from a few viewers, it’s a shame there seems to be a durability issue with the outsole peeling! 😟 Hopefully my pair will be ok 🤞 Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
There’s loads of alternative James! There’s lots of trail shoe reviews on the channel but I’d suggest going for a trail shoe without a carbon plate for your first shoe 👍🙂
The coat is made by Scott running. Unfortunately it’s about 3 years old so I don’t think they make it anymore? Every time I wear this jacket I get asked where it’s from so I think Scott should bring it back 👍🙂
I wore these for a 50k in October and they absolutely destroyed my feet and legs ☹ I'm so unlucky when it comes to my trail shoe experiences, can never seem to find a comfy shoe that just works for me.
Hoka is super random for me. Some worked great, some gave me blisters on the arc of my feet and both big toes, no amount of breaking in the shoe could fix it either. Atm I am using Salomon Ultra Gilde 2s for my chill runs. For next years summer I will probably try to get the upcoming S/Lab Ultra Gilde and see if it's any good.
@Run4Adventure I did mate. Just for some reason after about 20 miles my legs and feet felt destroyed in them, so I'm now reluctant to wear them for anything over half-marathon distance 🤔
@Run4Adventure Yeah I've had a few pairs now from various brands and never seem to find one I like lol Only non-carbon plated trail shoe I've had was the trabuco max 2 but that just felt too big and bulky for ultra distances. I'm desperately trying to find a shoe that I can use for next years Sputh Downs Way 100 😵💫
Glad you have these Loyd - I have LOTS of thoughts as I used these for the first 100k of the Leadville 100 miler in August. The gaiter works. Full stop. Period. No issues there. But what is related, and problematic about the use of a gaiter is that the two little side heel bumpers simply did not work to keep my heel in place. In fact, by 60k, I Had to moleskin my two heels as they were getting shredded by the movement (even with good merino socks). THe midsole compound is nice, light, and bouncy. The outsole has superb grip, though I didn't fully trust them in technical/cambered terrain with the lack of a real heel structure.
They also got soggy and stayed soggy, not draining well at all, almost like the foam itself was carrying water (never had that in the Tecton x1 OR the X2 which both drained superbly). So I'm not convinced by the heel bumper design here; may this be a precautionary note to those of you contemplating this purchase. Make sure they fit PERFECTLY around your back heel and really give them some false climb heel stands and flex, to make sure you don't feel slippage. Buyer beware!
Thanks for sharing your experiences! Valuable insight.
Thanks Lloyd. Best trail shoes I’ve worn to date. 1st run out was a Petzl night race and won my age group - must have been the shoes as I’m not race ready at the moment.
I had a pair in hand and waiting in line to pay but I backed out of paying 300CAD + taxes. I went with the mafate speed 4s instead for just about half the cost. thanks for the review though!
I think they're a cracking shoe Loyd. I agree with the sizing. Worth going up half a size for sure. Still managed to run a 115 miler in my pair and haven't lost any toenails.......yet 🤣 Great review as always bud! 😎🤘
That’s great to hear Ben and well done on your race! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 🙏👍
problem with mine was..the zonal padding is like scrubbing my ankle...both side of my legs if i go with half a size up
i couldnt go with true to size because my feet slightly wide, did tested it though
and it does not went well after 2 minutes running with it🥲
Good and helpful input - many thanks! Your prior reviews led me to Hoka Mafate and Saucony Xodus - for my foot and my stride, both are a good choice. But I am now lined up for Leadville 100 (clearly madness has taken hold), and a plated shoe seems the better choice. I’ll have a look, and a try-on … we’ll see what *my* feet have to say.
P.S. Sported a Run4Adventure shirt on today’s run - and caught some eyes. No question, it was the shirt!
great video as always! I have tecton x2 and they are awesome. did 500 km so far and they are still grate. waiting for some Black Friday deals for x3.
Bought these last week. Black & blue. Love them and thankfully, they work even with my wider feet ! The front vamp is super stretchy and they do loosen up too.. (I did switch the insole to a super thin one).
great review
Ran a mtn 50k with no issues. No blister or hotspots. First hoka I’ve really enjoyed in years. Something always disappointed me in every model previously. (Speed goats to mafates). These fit my feet with toe socks and no issues in the heel. Honestly I was kinda hoping they wouldn’t fit right and I could just return them lol, 275 is up there with speedland and not sure they’ll last long enough, but such a fun ride on the trails for me. AND the biggest plus is I never felt the plate, ever as compared to the TC2. Lastly- sizing for me was spot on. 10.5 in Hoka like every other model in the line, plus I’m wearing thicker toe socks as well. With that said I’ve heard mixed responses on sizing…..so if you can try on in store, might be a good idea.
Thanks Loyd. best shoe reviews by far. Sizing - I measure just over 9 and always run in 9.5, including the X2. Would love to try a 9.5 before committing.
Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed the video. I’d say if you’re a uk9.5 in other Hoka shoes you should be fine in a uk9.5 in the X 3 👍🙂
@ thanks Loyd 😊
Totally agree with everything. I usually size-up in Hoka but went true-to-size with these and still felt movement. Only did 11 miles and could feel rubbing particularly around the underside of the anklebone. I did have them on pretty technical trails so not overly sure if they may perform best on tracks (?) Remains to be seen.
Would love to hear a comparison of these to the S/Lab Genesis, Mafate 4s or Vectiv Pro 2.
I have been using my pair for training and I really like them. I'm not sure I would use them for racing short distances but for ultra probably. As long as its dry since many reported these shoes are not great once wet.
Thank you for this honest review! Great job as always Loyd! I gotta say- I have always worn 10.5 in HOKAS, with perfect room, but the last few recent pairs (trail and road) I've had to size up a half size to 11s. Just picked up Mafate speed 4s in 11. Seem like the sizing nowadays has been generally a tad shorter. And, I'm an older runner so I know my feet aren't growing LOL. Cheers!
Older runner? You mean experienced. 😊
Great Video as always! Looking forward to the long test video for sure 👌 Have you ever Tried shoes from On Running, or been pestered by the comments too? Keep up the good work
I have run in On shoes but it was a long time ago and I didn’t really get “On” with them! I should re-visit the brand and try some of their more recent models 👍🙂
I’ve enjoyed using this one! Still unsure if I prefer the x2 over the x3🤷🏻♂️
I love these
Great video!
I have the Mafate trail 4 and also had to size up seems like HOKA are just sized small always.
Looking forward to the in depth review and if this is the best carbon plated trail shoe?? And worth the price? Etc
Cheers man
I have 10 runs and around 250km on my pair. They fell very different than any other shoes and I love the pop of the carbon plate/midsole. I am around 15 seconds / km faster at similar effort when the terrain is reasonably flat. The outsole is great and I am surprised how stable they feel given their stack. As a downside, I feel my achilles a bit more after longer runs in them, probably due to the lack of flexing when going uphill. I wish all the trail shoes would have a built in gaiter.
I tried the Tecton X2 on a club run when Hoka came along and hated them. Caused me lots of pain and was glad I put my Inov-8’s in my vest so I could change in to them. And after talking to the Hoka rep about their shoes and them not having any inclination to offer a bigger heel drop I won’t be buying any of their shoes..
Good afternoon. I'm not a elite trail runner. Thanks Loyd. Here is my Like. Happy sunday.
Wamsley was on the 2.5s, not 3s…I have mixed feelings on these after using them in a variety of circumstances…the foam and outsole that sticks off the back is delaminating/tearing apart, I’m guessing because of contact with rocks when descending techie trails…they’re nice and light on the up, the gaiter feels fine and yes, definite heel slippage
I realise he was in a prototype of the shoe and it wasn’t actually the 3’s 👍
That’s a shame you’re having durability issues with the outsole delaminating! 😟
@@Run4AdventureAll good, I live in Boulder and use them on super rocky trails, not the easiest on shoes (or legs)…. Have an awesome day!
It’s the exact same problem I’ve had with mine after only five runs, the outsoles delaminating where it comes up around the toe box, the sides and the back. Also the PEBA foam has been flaking, easily punctured by hitting rocks, roots and other things on the trails. But a very comfortable, lightweight, fun shoe, just not durable and given the high price. I don’t know if it’s really worth it unless you’re a sponsored athlete with HOKA
Been waiting for this. Awesome
Man I just can’t pay that price, but the shoes surely seems to be the real deal.
I was one of the commenters on the last post. I ended up getting a pair to try and TBH I'm not convinced by them. On perfectly flat trail (maybe to the maximum of what you were running on) they're great. But anything more technical like my local areas and you just slosh inside the shoe all over the place and being on such a high stack means they're really not confidence inspiring. Further to that, with the movement inside the shoe I was getting a little rubbing on the heal which I'm not prone to at all (I'm generally fine in 98% of shoes to run a marathon out of the box kind of thing).
Aside from that the outsole is great, loads of grip. The midsole isn't super soft but definitely felt nice to run on. But tbh I just don't see the upper as a plus. I would much prefer a Salomon style gator construction.
Would you say that your testing ground is the extend of technicality of the Arc? As that's what I was really thinking of for these shoes. Having tried them locally I kind of think they'd be perfect on a UTMB style route, but maybe not for a Lakeland 100/Lakes in Day style lakeland route.
I didn’t seem to have any movement in the upper at all Ellis, obviously everyone’s foot shape is different so it might be down to that. I was literally running on the Arc route, the section along the North Cliffs and the dips are all on the Arc route towards the end of the race. However the section from Mousehole to St Ives is a lot more technical and they’ll be a lot more mud underfoot 👍
@@Run4Adventure I think I have the same size foot as you and for the sake of a 100mile ultra sized up to a 10. This might have lead to some of the movement. Also admittedly I was running terrain (which is my usual) that the shoe was not really suited to I guess. Steep off cambers etc.
I'm still so undecided haha. Sucks not being able to recce any of the route ahead of time.
@@ellismccoy It will be a nice surprise Ellis! There’s lots of content on the channel about the Arc and it shows you a lot of the terrain on the route. There’s also Classic Quarter videos that show you the the section from Mousehole to Land End but in the daylight 👍
@@Run4Adventure think I've watched all the Arc stuff you've put out :-). Been a subscriber for about 4 years! Thanks Loyd.
@@ellismccoy Oh ok Ellis, thanks for the support its really appreciated 🙏🙂
Hahaha! Haven't watched the video yet, but that is a fantastic title! 😂
Glad you liked it! I won’t spoil the surprise 😜
I would buy that shoe if it didn’t have that big sock gater on it.What song was that in the video it sounds good
I’ve been running in them, and they’ve been a nice shoe, comfortable, lightweight, and even though they have a high stack height 35 in the front and 40 in the back the carbon plates keep you pretty stable, however, I ran into durability issues with the outsoles peeling away from the peba foam on the front toe box, into the sides and the back of both shoes. After only around five runs. I just sent them back to Hoka for warranty. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve seen the same degradation in quality even with the Saucony shoes that I’ve ran in for years, the peregrine and the xodus ultras, the outsoles just breakdown much faster than previous models. I live in California and they’re banning PFAS chemicals and shoe manufactures are trying different non PFAS materials and they brake down sooner.
I’ve heard that from a few viewers, it’s a shame there seems to be a durability issue with the outsole peeling! 😟
Hopefully my pair will be ok 🤞 Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Hi mate, any alternatives? I’m looking to run a few trail marathons next year, nothing too technical but struggling with what to go for? Thanks!
There’s loads of alternative James! There’s lots of trail shoe reviews on the channel but I’d suggest going for a trail shoe without a carbon plate for your first shoe 👍🙂
What brand coat are you wearing?
The coat is made by Scott running. Unfortunately it’s about 3 years old so I don’t think they make it anymore? Every time I wear this jacket I get asked where it’s from so I think Scott should bring it back 👍🙂
I wore these for a 50k in October and they absolutely destroyed my feet and legs ☹ I'm so unlucky when it comes to my trail shoe experiences, can never seem to find a comfy shoe that just works for me.
Sorry to hear that Paul! Did you go up in size? 🤔
Hoka is super random for me. Some worked great, some gave me blisters on the arc of my feet and both big toes, no amount of breaking in the shoe could fix it either.
Atm I am using Salomon Ultra Gilde 2s for my chill runs. For next years summer I will probably try to get the upcoming S/Lab Ultra Gilde and see if it's any good.
@Run4Adventure I did mate. Just for some reason after about 20 miles my legs and feet felt destroyed in them, so I'm now reluctant to wear them for anything over half-marathon distance 🤔
@@paulmulks Have you run in carbon plated trail shoes before?
@Run4Adventure Yeah I've had a few pairs now from various brands and never seem to find one I like lol Only non-carbon plated trail shoe I've had was the trabuco max 2 but that just felt too big and bulky for ultra distances. I'm desperately trying to find a shoe that I can use for next years Sputh Downs Way 100 😵💫
I got a deal on a pair of 1s and love them for 50k. But the price...
Algorithms
Algorithms? 🤷♂️
@ helps with the UA-cam algorithm if I comment 👍
@@mrpoobumhead857 Thank you 🙏🙂