Hoka One One Carbon X 2 Review; “The Super-Shoe”

Hoka makes many promises with this second generation “super-shoe”, but does it ultimately deliver on its vision? Lets get stuck in and find out! 

UPPER - Materials and Lockdown

I know we are all more curious about the midsole design and carbon plate placement, but the upper is worth mentioning because it’s quite well built and enhances the shoe’s overall quality and comfort.

The Carbon X 2 starts things off with a Single-layered Engineered Mesh, and it actually offers a great deal of lightweight comfort. On top of that, the airflow is quite nice in the forefoot.

I felt like the shoe locked my foot down securely in the way you’d like a race day shoe to, but it did not constrict blood flow or detract from any comfort you might seek in a shoe build for longer races.

Some final items to note about the upper is the lipped heel that should reduce any rubbing or achilles irritation. The internal sock-liner is very slippery at first, so take that into consideration with your sock choice.

POSITIVE: Lightweight and breathable.

DRAWBACK: Slippery sock-liner

MIDSOLE / OUTSOLE - Snappy and Responsive

With all super-shoes, this is where all of the hype is. For good reason too because it’s what most contributes to the performance benefits that we have seen in recent years.

A quick and general lesson in super shoe technology, the carbon fiber plate is not a new piece of technology in shoes. Companies have been trying to use a plate to enhance performance for decades!

The real magic of a super shoe is the midsole foam technology and how it interacts with the snappy response of a carbon fiber plate.

The more energy return (and cushion) that can be put into a midsole foam while also keeping the weight down, then the better off the runner is.

With the Carbon X 2 in mind, this shoe contains PROFLY X with CM Betty Fly foam above the carbon fiber plate and injected rubberized EVA below the plate.

So the carbon plate is placed pretty low in the shoe, as it is essentially only covered by a rubberized midsole foam. This really adds an extra bit of snap in your toe off.

Delving deeper into each aspect, the majority of the foam above the plate is a Resilient CM EVA that tries to offer that soft, highly cushioned ride you expect from HOKA.

It accomplishes this for the most part, as the sheer amount of cushion will get most through a grueling race, but it is definitely not as soft as the Nike ZoomX foam or Saucony’s PWRRUNpb foam, but it gets the job done.

The plate is of course, a Carbon Fiber Plate, and it is designed to split and curl under the lateral toes which allow for resupination. The plate does a great job at providing a snappy toe off and responsive ride.

Those who enjoy a harder midsole while racing will enjoy this super-shoe more than others.

PRICE

In the super-shoe category, this is pretty much the cheapest it gets. Granted this shoe won’t compete with the performance of many other super shoes on the market, it can compete as the “blue-collar” runner’s super shoe.

For many runners who want some benefit of a carbon plated super shoe, but also want something to get them comfortably though a long race, then this is a perfect option for them because it is wide, comfortable and less aggressive than the other options.

The versatility and modestly good durability you can get from the Hoka Carbon X 2 might make it worth the price point for some.

However, it is a lot to pay to use as a glorified daily trainer so make sure you have some sort of performance plan for it so you can make use of all the snappy and responsive features that a carbon plate provides.