Inov-8 X-Claw 275 Review

Nearly new pair of test shoes

So, I'm now back in the UK and it's time to try to resurrect my running career. But first I need some new shoes, after 18 Months in Vietnam wearing nothing but sandals, my toes have spread slightly so all my shoes are too tight. Time for a visit to Castleberg Outdoors to see what they have in store.

Tread pattern, good grip!

After a chat with Steve, it turns out they have some tester shoes in, the Inov-8 X-Claw 275's which are a fell running shoe designed for longer distances. Perfect for the Yorkshire winter season of rain and mud.
My first run was a short three and a half mile loop of the river at Bentham, a good test piece as there is a little bit of everything on this run, mud, grass, road, tracks and hills. Initial impressions were, these are a good comfortable shoe, good grip with a reasonable amount of cushioning.

They're not waterproof

I only had the shoes for a week (and I'm not very fit at the moment so I'm not doing a great deal of running) so my next and final run in the shoes was a ten mile trail run on the side of Ingleborough. Again, there was a good mix of terrain to test them, road, tracks, grass and wet rocky sections, oh, and some mud!
So, after a week of testing, what do I think? Pretty much the same as my initial impressions, comfortable, good for longer runs (that's what it's designed for!) and would be great for training on the fells. Am I going to get a pair? Not yet, I need trail running shoes more, but if I can't get comfortable in my Mudclaws then these will be on my shopping list.

Ready to hand back to Castleberg Outdoors, think they're clean enough

How do they compare to the Minh Tung X26 ATS? On the downside, they are heavier (especially when wet), you can't feel the ground quite as well and they cost about 167 times as much! On the plus side, the grip is better, as is the cushioning, I also think they will last significantly longer.