VJ - MAXx2

For rocks, I recommend VJ (my shoe of choice being the VJ Maxx2). I trust vibram Megagrip too, but it’s not as good as VJ rubber on wet rock. Amazing how well these outsoles hold up too. Anything approaching this level of grip years ago (very few options) would suffer from rapid wear down from the soft compounds.

For dirt roads I picked up some Nike Ultrafly. Retired a pair at 615 miles and am about 400 miles into a second pair. Tried a pair of Nike peg trail 4’s in between, but they were a let down after the ultraflys. Most of my real running is on steep, rocky trails in the mountains, though, where I switch between Arcteryx Norvan SL3 for really fast efforts and VJ Maxx2 as my all arounder. Love both of these shoes. Edit: rocky trails in the mountains, not “Rocky Mountain” trails.

I like VJ Maxx2 for really technical stuff up to that distance. Lot of people might want some more cushion though. Recently started running in the VJ Ultra 3, too. Equally great grip, but with more cushion to help with the comfort on longer runs. Added stack definitely compromises stability for fast running on boulders etc., but the effect would be lessened at more typical (slower) 50k pace.

My two current favorites for technical rocky trails are Arcteryx Norvan SL3 and VJ Maxx2. For the 50k distance I’d give the nod to the VJs. Norvans are super light and nimble. VJs offer more protection and better grip but are a little heavier and slightly less precise. I might also consider the VJ Ultra 3 for a 50k. I find the extra squishiness and taller stack to be a liability over the other two when trying to run fast (particularly downhill) on super technical terrain. But at 50k pace that liability is likely to diminish and the extra padding will be nice. These feel way faster on flat non-technical terrain than the other two too. Maybe it’s the rocker design or some propulsion from the extra foam.

Great review. I have a pair that I used for 325mi (~500km). I retired mine mainly in favor of moving on to a different shoe. I never used them on pavement but had noticeable wear of the tread, especially in the ball of foot area, like you. I run on a lot of rocks. But I will note that I’ve since run similar terrain and higher mileage in both the VJ Maxx and Maxx2 which have both experienced a much slower tread wear rate than the Spark. The Spark is quite flexible and has tons of ground feel. That’s something I used to seek out more (used to do ultra distances in Inov-8 f-lite 195’s for example) but have since come to appreciate having a rock plate. I feel like the Spark would be improved if they could make it lighter and less bulky feeling for such a minimalist shoe. They’re like 50% heavier than my Arcteryx Norvan sl3, for example, and don’t feel as precise. VJ grip is better than Megagrip though, especially on wet rock. To the OP: you should give the VJ Maxx2 a try. Definitely a more inspiring midsole there. Same, or better grip than the Spark, with better tread wear in my experience. I’m not a fan of the upper, but overall they’ve become my go-to general purpose trail shoe for distances of 5-30+ miles.

Nice! I recently snagged a pair of those (light speed) too for only $30 (probably same place you found yours) just to try out. When first trying them on I was astonished at how different they felt to the maxx2, especially in the heel. On the trail, they don’t feel as different from the maxx2 as they did standing in my kitchen. But ultimately I prefer the maxx2. Maxx2 feels a bit more flexible and lively while at the same time feeling more stable and in-tune with the environment. I’d recommend the maxx2 over the lightspeed, but probably not enough to suggest tossing the lightspeeds in favor of them. Upper on both shoes kind of sucks, so I’m really hoping for a maxx3 with improved upper. Upper on the Ultra3 is decent.

My recommendation would be the VJ Maxx2 I also really love Arcteryx Norvan SL3 for steep technical uphill stuff, but these are maybe a bit too minimal for a lot of people’s taste and I think they’re discontinued. Bought a pair of Vertex Speed Low to try as replacements? But they’re not really the same. You could also try Nnormal Kjerag. This kind of splits the difference between the two shoes I listed above. I found the upper to be a bit too sloppy (foot will move/roll relative to the sole on off camber stuff) compared to the other two though, so I don’t trust them at speed in serious technical terrain. That’s pretty specific to my foot though, otherwise I think I’d be a big fan.

My go to for this is the Arcteryx Norvan SL3. They might be discontinued though. I recently picked up a clearance pair of Merrel Skyfire 2 Matryx that see very very promising. Never owned a merrel shoe before, but excited for these this year. Wouldn’t be my first choice for pure rocky trails given the lack of surface area in the lugs. Another similar shoe is the Nnormal Kjerag. I don’t love the fit. Seem a little too sloppy in the upper midfoot for my taste on really technical terrain, but everyone’s feet are different. Common theme among those - lightweight, matryx upper, megagrip sole. I find that to be a good recipe. You could also check out VJ Spark. I put a few hundred miles on a pair, but honestly I wish they had more rock protection and a less bulky upper. VJ Maxx2 is a great all around shoe. It’s not heavy, but not super light either.

VJ Maxx2 is my go-to general purpose trail shoe. I used to run in Roclite 285’s and 243’s back in the day. Maxx2 is a similar type shoe, but more modern. Edit: the midsole of the Maxx2 is way more substantial than a Roclite 243, but that isn’t saying much as that was one of the most minimal shoes I’ve ever come across.

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

Great review. I have a pair that I used for 325mi (~500km). I retired mine mainly in favor of moving on to a different shoe. I never used them on pavement but had noticeable wear of the tread, especially in the ball of foot area, like you. I run on a lot of rocks. But I will note that I’ve since run similar terrain and higher mileage in both the VJ Maxx and Maxx2 which have both experienced a much slower tread wear rate than the Spark. The Spark is quite flexible and has tons of ground feel. That’s something I used to seek out more (used to do ultra distances in Inov-8 f-lite 195’s for example) but have since come to appreciate having a rock plate. I feel like the Spark would be improved if they could make it lighter and less bulky feeling for such a minimalist shoe. They’re like 50% heavier than my Arcteryx Norvan sl3, for example, and don’t feel as precise. VJ grip is better than Megagrip though, especially on wet rock. To the OP: you should give the VJ Maxx2 a try. Definitely a more inspiring midsole there. Same, or better grip than the Spark, with better tread wear in my experience. I’m not a fan of the upper, but overall they’ve become my go-to general purpose trail shoe for distances of 5-30+ miles.

VJ maxx 2. my favorite shoe. Super (best!) grip. Feeling great all in all for me.

Take a look at VJ Shoes. I love my VJ Maxx 2. (Love my ASICS Noosa for the street too so nothing wrong with Asics either) Edit: https://vjshoes.com

VJ maxx 2. or irock+ depending on terrain

One more. Love my VJ maxx 2 too ✌️

VJ shoes. VJ maxx 2 are great for mountains. Comfortable

Nice review. Upvote for VJ. Getting miles on my VJ maxx 2. planning a trail marathon in May as aim. Step by step

VJ shoes are European and from the north not UK though. Just as an alternative. I didn’t run in innov8 so literally purely suggestion based your requirements and as I am super happy with my VJ maxx2 and ultra3.

in terms of best grip, VJ soles for me. VJ maxx 2 did decent job on slippery stones in the forrest, that was also the reason i got them. And generally also my favourite shoe, you may take a look. Good luck

Another shout out for VJ! Maxx 2 and Ultra 3 owner here 🏃‍♀️

sensible to tapered toe boxes epecially on small toe (street and trail shoes). VJ max 2 and VJ ultra 3 work well for me!

VJ maxx 2 works great on wet stones. And wet general. Vest grip!

VJ Maxx 2 or La Sportiva Akasha II, depending on the goal.

Hope to get an update! I have a love/hate relationship with VJ. The grip is real, but their EVA models, ouch. Hope the new midsole feels great.

As always it’s very personal depending on how well the shoe fits my feet and the terrain I’m running in (technical mountains, mud, rocky). I like sky running races around 20-30k and VK’s. Sometimes short road races from 5k to Half Marathon. Current rotation: - Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx. Great allrounder. - VJ Ultra 3. Cushion. Great for easy and long runs. - NNormal Kjerag Brut (mud) - Salomon Aero Glide 3 (road and treadmill) Recently retired shoes: - Nnormal Kjerag 1. Fast but too small lugs to have good grip in mud/loose debris. Too little cushion for me. Kjerag 2 has more cushion but same outsole. - Nnormal Tomir 2. Great allrounder but didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). A bit heavy when wet because the insole keeps a lot of water. - Salomon S/lab Genesis. Great allrounder but worse grip on wet rocks than Vibram Megagrip and VJ. - VJ Maxx 2. Really good allrounder. But didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). Shoes I’m considering next: - La Sportiva Prodigio Pro - Merrell MTL Adapt Matryx - Merrell Skyfire 2 Matryx

Btw, if the VJ Maxx 2 fits your feet, it’s a great option. Grip and heel/midfoot lockdown are excellent. The upper isn’t as breathable as the Matryx but that’s only an issue in very hot climates. Unfortunately their sizing just didn’t work for me. UK 9 was too tight on my big toe and UK 9.5 too big and made the heel/midfoot too loose.

Since automod removed my comment ill post it again: The S/lab Pulsar 3 was my favourite shoe for shorter distances last year. Its a great shoe but durability is a bit bad and its quite narrow (like the speedcross is). Grip on techy stuff is excellent but sketchy on very muddy stuff. Same goes for the S/lab Genesis. The Pulsars are really cheap nowadays as well which is nice. Something that does stick on mud of the shoes i ran last year was the Tomir 2.0 and Vj Maxx 2. The Tomir is a proper allrounder but takes some breaking in. The Maxx 2 is also a great option for techy and slippery stuff.

Nnormal Kjerag 2 (24/18mm) and VJ Lightspeed (29/23mm) are my favorite shoes for technical trails (up to 21 km). For 42 km runs, I have used VJ Maxx2 (31/25mm) and Hoka Tecton X3 (40/35mm) for some extra cushion. The new Kjerag 2 is really good! I would probably have the Tomir as well in my rotation, if not for the 8mm drop ... (There is always VJ Ultra 3 (38/30mm), Mafate 5 (44/36mm), Mafate X (49/41mm), Rocket X Trail (50/44mm) for even more stack ... but good luck to your ankles if you wear those on technical trails ...)

You need to size down for the Maxx2. I am US 11 in everything (Saucony, Nnormal, Xtep, Adidas, other VJs), but 10.5 in Maxx2. VJ is one of trailrunnings better kept secrets. No idea why not more people know about them: [https://iancorless.org/2025/04/23/vj-ultra-3-shoe-review/](https://iancorless.org/2025/04/23/vj-ultra-3-shoe-review/) [https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2025/06/vj-shoes-ultra-3-multi-tester-review.html](https://www.roadtrailrun.com/2025/06/vj-shoes-ultra-3-multi-tester-review.html) Imo VJ excels in technical trail terrain, think mountains, UTMB, skyrunning.

Ultra 3 weighs around the same as X3, so I am looking for something lighter. I did the race in Maxx2 in 2024, and the shoes felt ... well, slow, kinda like I wasn't flying. Might have been the runner, not the shoes, of course. But if I am going VJ, it'll be Lightspeed, which I have run a lot of half marathons in. (The 43k race has been won in Lightspeed every year since Lightspeed came out, but I fear five hours on 29/23 is a bit low stack for me.)

i just got some VJ Maxx2 and think they're probably the best trail shoe I have ever owned. was wearing altras before which I also loved but the grip on the VJ is better and they feel like they will last longer. Not the plushest ride so not that keen on them for road to trail stuff which the timps excelled at.

second that went from altra timps to vj maxxx. loving the extra grip and they feel like a sturdier shoe.

Some shoes to consider for muddy uk hills: Ronhill Reverence - great value. Big Michelin lugs, matryx upper and last for ages. More cushioning than you’d think too. Vj maxx 2 or vj irock wide - if you want the grippiest rubber vj is the best. Maxx 2 more of a trail shoe (similar to Hoka tecton). Irock better for wet rock and off road. Merrell long sky 2 could be worth a try too. Decent lug pattern and foam. I run in inov8,mudtalon speeds from my house to the park and the insole/midsole combo is surprisingly okay on the roads and excellent once I get to the mud! Not tried but maybe worth looking into La sportive prodigio pro too. Agree with above comments US brands that talk about being grippy are most often useless in the mud over here! They normally mean grip for dry rocky trails 🤷‍♂️

VJ shoes - The Best Grip on the planet VJ Ultra 3, VJ Maxx 2

First of all, you have to realize that trail running is a completely different sport than road running. In trail running, you choose your shoes based on the type of terrain and the distance, the idea that you can graft your road experience onto the trail is very naive. La Sportiva Prodigio Pro, Nnormal Kjerag, VJ Maxx2, these shoes are overall very high quality and also fun