VJ - Spark

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

I love the Sparks as a race shoe on a dry day. Not the most aggressive sole by any means but a true banger if it’s not sloppy. The irock is the obvious alternative for when it’s muddy (and a better shoe generally in my view). The rubber wears quickly, but the butyl stuff they use is mega soft to maximise grip, so it is to be expected. Personally I find the Inov-8 fancy graphene rubber to be a bit shite. They new stuff they use in the mudtalon is much better (though they ruined every other aspect of the show compared to the old mudclaws and 212s with this idiotic foot shape thing).

A group I run with had several people recommend the Speedgoat to me when I first got into trail running. To me they look more like a hiking boot than a running shoe. I ended up with a pair of VJ Sparks and absolutely love them.  

I have Sparks that I use for obstacle course training and events: they're agile and have great grip, but they're also very minimal, narrow and the outsole wears fast if you're not running on soft surfaces only. My training buddies use mostly inov8s (212, mudtalon speed), speedcross 5 and saucony peregrine. I wouldn't recommend the Sparks for longer runs, on non-technical runs or where the surface is hard wearing. As a successor I have the VJ XTRM high on my list. I'd look at the Maxx2 for a more all-round shoe than the Spark, they get great reviews.

I normally fit US size 11 or 11.5, but for the Sparks I chose US 12 based on what I read online, and still the right shoe fit me very tightly lengthwise (but not too tight to return them), while my left foot is actually longer. I suspect there are manufacturing consistency issues going on. The narrowness is mostly mid foot and where the fit lock system really hugs your feet and theres not much height in the toebox. These are definitely minimal and low stack and work great on soft terrain and good enough in all mud, they don't have ridiculously large/deep lugs. I just checked my Strava and I have 272 km of abuse on them: loads of rope climbing that tends to wreak havoc on uppers.

Comparative review of three trail running shoes after a couple of hundred kilometers (most in the NB, least in the VJ) Use: forest trails, grass, obstacle courses (including rope climbing), mud & paved surfaces. Not used on hills and rocky terrain. Standout features and pros: Hierro: all day comfort, plushness, lots of padding around the heel and ankle, Vibram rubber compound stick to everything, great for walking too, mild outsole lugs that feel great on paved surfaces too, nice forefoot flexibility allowing ground feel even with the enormous amount of midsole. This is the Sunday long run shoe. Parkclaw: do-it-all road to trail show, immediate perfect fit, no break in period required at all. The soles strike a good balance between responsiveness, comfort, ground feel and agility, good enough for obstacle races and rope climbing, nice forefoot flexibility, good outsole durability, rugged upper that can withstand abuse. This is the very day trainer. VJ Spark: minimalistic off road performance, most aggressive outsole with VJ's own rubber provides ultimate traction including mud, very nimble, lightweight and agile shoe, but still some comfort even on paved surfaces and even without much padding. Hug the feet tightly. No rock plate so proper flexibility. Great for obstacle and rope climbing. Thick insole so there are options for experimenting. This is the specialist shoe. Cons: The NB is simply too bulky for (technical) obstacles and fast short races: the mid- and outsole extend way beyond the foot. The outsole lugs are not aggressive enough to handle mud. The midsole is more plush than responsive so this shoe does not feel fast. The Parkclaw is so do-it-all that there are many compromises for each specific use case. The outsole lugs aren't aggressive enough for mud. One big disadvantage of the Parkclaw is the Inov8 graphene G-grip outsole that feels very slippery on wet hard surfaces. One of the worst I've encountered, but it's not so bad that it ruins the overall experience, you just have to be more careful. The laces are plasticky and come undone easily. I wouldn't recommend these as walking shoes. The VJ Spark sizing is off: all my shoes are either 11 or 11.5 US sizes and I ordered these in size 12 US because of what I read online. Still in size 12, the toe box was (initially) very narrow and required me to change the lacing system and required breaking in. The tongue is a thin flap with no padding. Outsole lug pattern is (obviously) not meant for paved surfaces. Probably great on descents but I have no way to test that. Outsole durability to be assessed.

Update on tye VJ Spark: I've done a little over 200 kms on it, almost all obstacle course training with (unfortunately) a lot of kms on paved surfaces which has caused significant wear. The lugs in the middle under the forefoot are at 20% of their original height and this impacts grip in mud but also when climbing ropes. Considering the enormous grip, I could've suspected there had to be a trade-off, but the wear is excessive for my use case so I'm probably not buying these again (certainly not without a discount). Maybe only for events/races and use different shoes for training. Other than outsole durability, I really like the Sparks, they really feel agile: like an extension of the foot and they haven't caused any pains or injuries.

Saucony Peregrine 15 has drainage holes in the outsole Inov8 mudtalon speed also drains well but you may not be interested in shoes designed specifically for mud VJ shoes are popular in OCR so they must have proper drainage. I have VJ Sparks and I have no drainage issues with them except that I once noticed that sand stays inside after the water has drained. But I did an OCR race with approx 10 full submersions last week and didn't have that issue at all.

Lol, they're narrow especially in the middle. But the fitlock system is excellent and might give a glove like fit. Definitely go at least a half size up. I normally wear 11 or 11½ but my Sparks are nicely tight at 12.

I'm not sure if they're any similar, but I graduated from peregrines to VJ spark shoes

I find it superb on technical routes, I have quite large feet (Uk13/EU48) and used to use the inov8 Roclite for technical trails as it had a rockplate, light feel to it and a precise fit, I feel the Maxx2 gives me all of that. Put simply, I find I run and race with more confidence in this shoe because of its grip, feel and close to ground comfort. If they ever discontinue it, I'll buy a good handful to keep me going. I had always heard about VJ grip but after trying their Spark/Ultra 2 that were too narrow I ruled them out, but thw Maxx2 feels amazing for me atleast. Regarding the below comment, not every shoe is right for everyone and all that.