 In this video, I will be telling you why the Hoca Tecton X2 is my new go-to trail shoe. First of all, if you're a regular viewer to this channel but you've yet to subscribe, then please do me a huge favour and press that subscribe button now. If you're new here, well welcome along, take your shoes off, make yourself comfortable and help yourself to some ice cream. Today's review is chaptered down below, so you can skip to the part you're most interested in if you would like. What we'll be doing is we'll be starting with a brief overview of the specs of the Tecton X2, then we'll move on to the things I like about the shoe, including when and where you'd be most likely to use it. We'll also talk about things I dislike, and there are one or two of those, and then we'll sum it all up in the conclusion. So for the sake of transparency, these shoes were bought with my own money, money that I earned from sending my children down the mines, so it's not a Hoca sponsored video at all. Okay, let's get into the specs. The Tecton X2 is Hoca's second iteration of their very first carbon-plated trail shoe. Now the shoe features two separate carbon plates running the entire length of the shoe. The idea being that it allows for greater lateral compensation when running on the uneven terrain that you would find on the trails. This makes it less likely that you will roll your ankle, say, and more likely that you will feel planted and balanced under the foot. The stack height is everything we've come to expect from Hoca, with 32 at the back and 27mm at the front. That equates to a 5mm drop. We also have an outsole, which is a mega-grip light-base outsole, and it's got a 4mm lug depth. Now that's not huge, but it's only 1mm less than my previous favourite trail shoe, the Hoca Speed Goat 5s. The midsole is dual-layered, with the carbon plate sandwiched in the middle. The upper layer is soft and cushioned like we like our Hoca's to be, and the lower layer is rather more firm. The whole thing, if you want to know the buzzword, is called Hoca's Pro Fly X Midsole. The X2 weighs in in my UK size 10 at 270 grams, but when I add my Enator insoles, that brings the weight up to 320 grams. Price-wise, you can get the Tecton X2 in the UK here for £185 on the Hoca website. However, shop around a little bit and you'll find them much cheaper. For example, right now, sportshoes.com is giving them away for £129. So that's it for general specs. Let's move on to what's great about this shoe. The first thing to highlight is the toebox. I've been wearing Hoca Speed Goats for a number of years now, and although they have been my go-to trail shoe, I've always found the toebox to be slightly narrow. Not enough for me to stop wearing them, but certainly in longer races. I have had a few problems with blisters and my toenails have suffered. It has to be said, though, that you can get the Speed Goats in a wide version, which I haven't had. The Tecton X2 seems to have an ever-so-slightly wider toebox, and that, in combination with a sock change I made recently, meant that during UTMB I didn't suffer any blisters on my toes whatsoever, and my toenails were no more damaged than they already are at the end of the run. Furthermore, I could really feel that my toes were able to splay out just that little bit more in the Tectons. The next thing to say is really related to that, and it's about the comfort of the shoe. The X2 is very comfortable to wear. It's a good fit for me. You'll often see reviewers talking about lockdown, and you'll see them tying the shoelaces really tight across the top of their foot, and that's to prevent things like heel slippage. But for me, that's really uncomfortable. I don't actually like my shoes to be tied that tight. I don't really have any problems with slipping on the back of the heel there, but I also don't really want to feel my shoes that tight across the top of my feet, and I don't mind them feeling a little looser, even in my road racing shoes. The ride is definitely firmer, and we'll talk a little bit more about that shortly, but the dual layered midsole is well cushioned without feeling overly soft. I ran 114 miles, over 44 hours at UTMB in Chamonix, and I never felt like I wanted to change shoes once. They were never uncomfortable, they never felt overly heavy, and I always felt well supported. I felt perfectly grounded in this shoe, and that's entirely opposite to what some of the other reviewers have said, in that they felt they were more likely to roll their ankle in this shoe. That hasn't been the case for me at all. Let's talk about the carbon plates. Now, maybe it's a trick of the mind, but these shoes feel fast. I could feel it on the easier, flatter ground. Maybe it's psychological, and because I know there's a plate in there, I felt I was moving forward more efficiently. I felt lighter on my feet and faster. Now, whether that's true or not, that's got to be a good thing. I mean, feeling good when you're running is half the battle, right? Obviously, I am a big fan of this mega-grip Vibram Soul here, and the Tecton X2 does not disappoint. On easy ground, in normal conditions, the Tecton X2 will keep you perfectly upright. There is no trail shoe and no outsole technology anywhere in the world that will keep you upright on every single different type of terrain in all weather conditions. It simply isn't possible. The four mil lugs on the Tecton X2 will mean that you will suffer a little in deep mud, and if it's very greasy underfoot, yes, you may well slip, but in generally normal conditions, the Tecton X2 will manage very well indeed. Finally, in the things I like about the Tecton X2 is the price at the moment. We are looking at 130 UK pounds, or 200 or so dollars, for the Tecton X2 if you shop around. Considering this carbon plated shoe can hold its own on the flat and on the road compared to some road racing carbon plated shoes, this is an absolute steal at the moment. Now, let's move on to some of the things I'm not so keen on about the X2. Seeing as we've just been talking about grip and the viroom sole, let's start with that. Yeah, I'm putting it in the things I like and the things I dislike. I would like to have seen a slightly larger lug on this shoe, so it's four mil on the bottom here. Now, I wish that they had been at least the same as the Speed Goats, maybe even a little bit more, just to give us that extra bit of grip and stability on slightly more challenging terrain. This shoe is built for very long distance over relatively benign terrain, so I would have liked to have seen it be a bit more aggressive. Of course, that may well have been at the risk of losing some of the speed in the shoe, and I guess that's why they went with four mil as opposed to five or six. So while we're doubling up on things that I like about the X2 and things that I don't like, let's add in cushioning to that. I am a really big fan of that pillow-like soft cushioning that you get with the Speed Goats. You don't get that with this. It is definitely a firmer ride, and if you really can't manage without that pillow soft cushioning, then perhaps this shoe is not for you. I do find it a firmer ride, but not so much that I'm going to give up on this shoe at all. I do find it comfortable still. It's not a bad thing that it's firmer. Firmer doesn't mean less comfortable later on in a 100 mile race at all, in fact. It is simply the carbon plate, the stiff carbon plate that makes it slightly firmer. But like I say, it's not uncomfortable, and it doesn't mean I'm going to stop wearing them. Finally, for the things that I dislike about the Tecton X2, it's the tongue. Now, it's a cushioning thing again. It's a comfort thing again. I do prefer having a plush, soft, squeegee tongue in my shoe. This is a gusseted tongue, but it's very thin, much like the original Mafate Speed 2. It had a very flat tongue, and I found that cut into my foot. Now, having run 114 miles at UTMB, actually this didn't cut into my foot at all, because it does have this cut out here, which tends to fit to your foot a bit better. In reality, it hasn't caused me any problems, but I would have just liked a nice soft cushioned tongue. I guess the other reason they've done that is weight. It keeps the weight down. That's it for the things that I dislike about the X2. Not a long list, and to be honest, maybe a bit of a picky list as well. I really wish that I'd worn these on the Ring of Steel race that I did a couple of weeks ago in Scotland. The Innovate mud claws that I wore were useless on the Rock. They're okay on mud, but they weren't very comfortable either. I just wish I'd chosen these over the mud claws. Overall, I'm very happy with my decision to move on from Speed Ghosts. Yes, in a couple of years' time, maybe another shoe will come along and make a significant step forward in terms of weight, comfort and speed. But for now, I'm very happy with my decision to move on from my Speed Ghost 5s and use these Tecton X2 as my go-to trail shoe, and that has to be a recommendation. If you want to watch my review of the Sorkony Endorphin Elite Carbon Plated Road Racing shoe, then click that link right there. If you've not subscribed to the channel, then please do that, and share it with your friends if you liked it, and we'll see you on the start line next time.