Very good trail shoe. Awesome grip and overall comfortable. Looks good too!
Two things I don't care for, they only last about 250 miles before getting holes in the sides and the tongue of the shoe is stiff and really irritating to the front foot tendon.

First off, I want to say that the VJ Maxx shoe is the best technical trail shoe on the market. When analyzing the Ultra 2 shoe, I find they fall flat in comparison on all dimensions.

The Good
- Color and design of the shoe is amazing. I think it's a beautiful shoe with unique look.
- The grip seems very similar to the Maxx and has never let me down.

The Bad
- My feet hurt after long-distance runs. Never happens with the Maxx. I don't know what is different about the sole of the shoe but it does not feel like it is supporting me during runs. The shoe does not live up to its name for me.
- The design of the laces is design-first instead of utility-first. The upper that connects to the shoe is zig-zagged and makes it hard to actually tighten your shoes to the desired comfort. I feel like this is the main reason I can't give the shoe more stars.

The title pretty much says it. I loved the design and grip and durable upper. The soles are hard as concrete, however I am coming from speedgoats. They made my toes numb the first 5 runs, I may get some insoles, but laces and grip and looks are great.

First off, the grip on these shoes live up to the hype. When Portland got hit with snow/ice Ultra 2 held their own.

These shoes are awesome for confidence on technical descents.

But these shoes are FIRM. Usually I don’t mind firm but after all my runs my feet feel pretty beat up. All my runs were on pretty hard packed terrain so maybe Ultra need softer terrain. But even with the firmness, I didn’t feel as though the shoes were especially responsive.

I’ve been fighting some Achilles tendinitis (which the ultra might have aggravated) so hopefully I can give them another chance when I’m healed up. But would maybe recommend going to the xtrm (and settling for shorter distances) or the Maxx rather than the Ultra which isn’t quite the “Goldilocks “ I was hoping for.

Side note: VJ team is great; super helpful exchanging to size up. Just wish I could have exchanged for max after testing.

I just completed a Spartan Ultra in my VJ Ultra 2s. It was between them and Inov8 Trailfly 300s. While I liked the Inov8s, the Ultra 2s offered that quintessential VJ grip, giving me all the confidence for those technical trails and tricky descents.

I love the MAXxs, but wanted some more cushion. 32 miles later, my feet were still in great shape.