Don't like toe box-too narrow and tapered, not suitable for legs pronate, lack rocking, energy return low to nothing, midsole hard. Price not justified.
Reporting from Wyoming winter, where I’d have surely broken my back over the last month if I wasn’t wearing my VJ Aces. For one, these are a great shoe for long runs and easy miles. Foam is enjoyable and my feet stay completely dry! You can kick it up a notch and get a little speedy if you’re into that. I have hit threshold intervals and hung there at that pace pretty easily.
Stay upright and moving forward on the ice with this fantastic shoe.
P.S. VJ sizing is truly insane (maybe you guys could work on this?). I’m an 11 (43 European) women’s in most of my running shoes. The men’s 11 fit me perfectly. I have a narrow foot and the fit lock keeps me snug in this shoe. Toe box offers the perfect amount of room.
Love these shoes! I am hoping we get more snow and ice this season just so that I can run more in these shoes.
Done 3-4 mile walks, hikes felt pretty comfortable. Also love the looks because of which I wear them Sometimes all day for daily wear
One of my best hiking boots
Very comfortable, nicely shaped to fit the feet perfectly. Love the looks
Used it twice for hiking so far, even for motorcycle rides and casual everyday wear. Love them. Can’t wait to buy Artix2
Traction is very good, however, the shoes started leaking water at the front of the shoes after one year of very occasional use, and the upper material is not breathable at all, so wet feet (from the leak) don't dry. Also, the shoes should use speed hooks instead of fixed hooks for the top two eyelets.
Grip 10/10
Comfort 10/10
Appearance 7/10
Durability 8/10
The shoes look great and are undeniably comfortable, but the material doesn’t feel as durable as the other VJ’s I’ve owned. It’s externally soft and the midsole feels like styrofoam. Additionally, the ones I received had a white stain on the toe of the right shoe that won’t come out which was kind of annoying.
I used the foot sizing tool on the VJ website and ended up with a perfect fit in my Artix hiking boots. Right out of the box, they fit great and feel even better on the trail. I’ve taken them through a variety of conditions—swampy terrain, snow, soft trails, and hard-packed surfaces—and they’ve performed exceptionally well in all of them.
The Artix boots are light, quick, and incredibly comfortable, making long hikes feel effortless. Traction and stability have been solid no matter the terrain. I’m really looking forward to putting them to the test with upcoming rucking and more hiking. So far, I couldn’t be happier with my Artix boots.
Love these shoes. Finally someone came up with a locking heal and wider toe box cushioned winter running shoe. I have put about 50 miles so raf and love them. I’m in Alaska and my feet are almost hot in these. Never been cold. Great shoe, really appreciate your effort!
I wore these shoes to run the Spartan Race Trifecta weekend in Central Florida. They held up really well. And I've gotten a couple compliments on how nice they looked. One thing that I noticed is they didn't have any grippiness when trying to climb near-vertical walls; I was expecting my feet to stick to the walls but they would just slide down. It could be because of the mud or water.
I have used these shoes for a 50k trail race and a 100 mile trail race, as well as daily training. They are fantastic in almost all aspects. The grip is amazing on all types of terrain. They drain well and dry quickly. They feel great on my feet and strike a good balance between great cushioning and responsiveness over long distances. However, they cause severe blisters on both heels. The material that VJ has used here is a little on the sticky side and this creates a lot of friction in the heel area. I love everything else about the shoe, so I put multiple layers of KT tape on my heels just to be able to run in them. VJ, if you can fix this you will have 5 star shoes for sure, something that can be used anywhere and any distance.
Great shoe. I went down a 1/2 size from my normal shoe size. The grip is awesome and the midsole was excellent for about 90 miles. The midsole felt flat and did not filter out sharp rocks at about 90 miles. I think if VJ designed an insole like Inov 8 boomerang insole it would make these shoes a 5 star for me. Overall I love the shoe and will probably buy another pair .
Grippy as always. Very comfortable. Great long distance shoe with a pop for speed if needed. My only complaint is that it holds water/sweat. My solution is to drill some holes in the bottom which I have done for all my VJ purchases and it drains well after that. Will buy again
I LOVE all my VJ's but these were an expected find. A bit more rugged for hiking and more durable, very comfortable right out of the box and VERY grippy. I like how they come up a little higher than the Maxx2. So far my favorite VJ.
I've been using this for mountain runs, hikes and longer distance Spartan obstacle course races. Love the fit and cushion for this middle-aged runner, best all-around setup for me after trying all the major brands' max cushion trail shoes. I've put them through quite a bit of abuse and so far they've held up well. Highly recommend.
Was originally concerned about purchasing these - but the size was a perfect fit and very comfortable on the first run. Can’t wait to try them on my first swim run event next month. The Low Tides Boys were right!
Darn near perfect!
Love these shoes for the grip and comfort. One not so small point is the lack of a toe cap for when I stub my toe on a rock! I miss that, please do bring it back. Helpful on rocky trails.