VJ - MAXx

It definitely feels very different, I have them both. To me it feels like the Maxx2 is from a different decade with the new midsole, the old Maxx2 feels very dead by comparison. Also very much disagree on the grip, to me they feel very similar (different tread pattern though) . Fit-wise I could never get the heel of the original Maxx to work for me, the heel cup wasn't deep enough, just a vertical wall at the back. I understand the appeal of the original Maxx: it's nimble, has good grip and ground feel while giving some protection via the midsole. However the moment you take it on something less technical it just feels harsh and out of its element. I suppose the original Maxx could be said to be a better "high mountain" shoe due to the thinner, denser and thus more stable midsole.

Maxx2 are superb. Comfortable and confident is how I feel in them. Not sure as their use for a muddy or deep UK winter shoe, but for summer and autumn trails they're great, dry, damp or hard terrain the shoes inspire confidence. I tried the old Maxx in tbe largest size, impossible to wear. The new foot shape shoe is a godsend.

Here’s my contribution. I haven’t done controlled tests like you did, but I run a lot of rocky vertical terrain and have put lots of miles in all these shoes. Trying to focus here on wet rock grip from the outsole and ignore other shoe attributes (fit, lock down, flexibility/stiffness, weight, cushion, etc) that also come into play with their overall ability to do the job on wet rock 5: VJ Maxx 1&2 VJ Spark Arcteryx Norvan VT (limited mileage) 4. Arcteryx Norvan SL 1, 2, &3 Salomon s/Lab Sense 7&8 Nnormal Kjeraq 3. La Sportiva Helios SR La Sportiva Vertical K & VK INOV-8 F-Lite 195 2. Whole bunch of older inov-8 x-talon and RocLite models NB minimus Salomon s/lab ultra 3 Salomon s/lab sense 7SG 1. Old Nike Terra kiger Salomon s/lab sense 1, 2, 3 For spiked shoes, I actually think they suffer quite a bit on rock because they don’t stick instantly like pure rubber soles. 4. VJ Devil 4 3. VJ bold race, VJ ice hero, INOV-8 ORoc 280

Yeah. I used the Maxx before switching to the maxx2. I think there were a number of significant improvements. I especially appreciated the weight reduction. I run a lot of steep rocky stuff, and the weight of the Maxx was noticeable compared to some super light shoes I like to run in, whereas the maxx2, while heavier than my other shoes, isn’t really noticeable. Next, for me, was probably the change in upper material. The maxx2 is much more compliant and less substantial of an upper. I prefer more minimalist shoes, so I liked the change. Maxx2 still feels quite bomb-proof compared to many of my other shoes, but it conforms to my foot whereas the Maxx felt like something my foot was contained within. The third major difference that I noticed was the heel lock. Out of the box the Maxx didn’t do a great job at locking my heel in place. This was remedied using a heel lock lacing method. With the maxx2, no such lacing was needed. It did a great job locking my heel in place with traditional lacing. I personally wish the maxx2 ran a bit narrower. I find myself tightening the laces together almost as closely as the uppers can come together and still feeling a slight bit of relative motion between my foot and the shoe. I have a narrow foot and prefer narrow lasted shoes in general though. I spend a lot of time on off-camber terrain where this feels like it matters to me. That being said, I still feel as confident in the maxx2 as any other shoe, and perhaps more so because it protects my foot more than most of my other shoes. Lastly the midsole foam of the maxx2 is probably better. On paper and reading the reviews it’s pretty clear that the midsole foam is one of the star features of the maxx2 over the Maxx, but I guess I never felt the Maxx midsole was a problem. And this is t a shoe I use on smooth fast runs where high rebound might be of more value. I have different shoes for that kind of stuff. Midsole feels comfortable and there is some noticeable springiness to the shoe when pushing off of my forefoot climbing steep terrain. The lighter weight of the maxx2 is the thing I notice most in this situation though. Lastly - sizing. Pretty sure I sized down a half size in the maxx2.

I think the Maxx and Maxx2 share the same 6mm drop with the Maxx only being 2mm shorter stack of 29/23. Either way, neither of the shoes feels like a high stack shoe from an ankle stability standpoint. I know exactly how you feel about this point. When I first got the Maxx2’s I was a little bit concerned in how my foot felt like it was sitting on top of the midsole and not cradled into it like my maxx1’s. But that was simply pre-break-in, and the insole/midsoles have nicely conformed to my feet now.

Great review, thank you! I have the Maxx and love them because of the rock plate, zero-drop, and lower but still reasonably protective stack height as an all-arounder. Higher stack height shoes make me prone to ankle rolls. But I've been curious about the Maxx2 for most of the reasons you listed which are VJ's 'upgrades'/improvements to the Maxx (though the Maxx is still being sold I assume due to its continued popularity and lower stack height). I didn't know about the heel smugness though - I often have problems with lateral heel/foot slipping in trail running shoes which is the root cause of ankle rolls, so that is definitely attractive. I think the Maxx is one of the only VJ models that fits true to size and they don't recommend getting a half size down.

Mike Zegama 2 are amazing all around shoe. VJ MAXx and LaSportiva Bushido 2 are great if u have a narrow foot.

VJ Maxx - rock plate, kevlar upper, unbelievable grip, low profile.

I've over 100 miles on VJ Maxx 2, the lower stack version, still very bouncy