Customer Reviews inov-8 X-Talon 200

Just used this shoe for a muddy 10k in Kauai. It was the perfect shoe. Initially I was concerned the rubber would be too hard to grip on the wet rocks as I hopped through creek bottoms, but surprisingly they grabbed hold quite well. As for the muddy, steep assents and descents, the shoe did exactly what I expected. It hooked very very well. I was able to get out of the mainline easily and motor past people The shoe is nimble! Up/Down/side to side it doesn't matter!! It's responsive and very accurate. Especially for a mud shoe!! The upper is breathable and flexible, but has just enough support to keep your foot from rolling off of the lower as you pivot and plant. The only downsides I saw, on dry hard trail the shoe has too much of a lug. I only had to run a mile in such terrain but had it been more I would not have enjoyed it. Hope this helps!

Exactly what I was looking for. Light, comfortable, minimalist feel but cushioned. First run in them was 5 miles and had no issues at all! Great traction on trails and very grippy on road surface. I'll have to until winter to see how they hold up on snow and ice.

A long time minimalist mountain runner the Talon 200 to be great tool climbing up loose trail, moving easily through mud and the shoes drains quickly. I have owned two pairs and both required several outings to wear-in to fit. After, it is comfortable fit providing me confidence to move as fast or as carefully as I need. The toe box is wide enough for comfort and control and rubber on the shoe is strong, but I have busted busted knobs on rocky descents. I use the shoe 25 to 50K distances and still comfortable after 12 hour outs.

Loved this shoe. Bought it for my first Spartan race, and the grip really helped me to not slip on the trails, rocks, ramps and walls. Did not need to break them in and wore them without socks and didn't get any blisters. Various other reviews recommend getting it a half size up, which I did, but I didn't need, as I believe they fit me true to size. Only small negative is that it doesn't drain water very quickly. Very happy with this purchase

I'm training for Mt. Marathon and ordered several shoes to find the right one. These had to become the right one because of my time frame and because that mountain is no joke. I had a hard time breaking these in only because my right foot is slightly larger than my left. Running down that mountain through the rocky chute, climbing down the cliffs, waterfalls, mud, has been so much better with these than I had thought, even if my right foot is a little not happy with me. It took some getting used to running on pavement but that is part of the race so be it. The best thing about these is their flexibility. I'm training to go up the roots part and where some areas are tricky, these have literally saved me.

This is the shoe that I have been looking for, I have tried several inov-8 shoes and this is one of the best. I do cross country and trail running averaging 30 miles a week. The shoes are lightweight with a neutral fit. Love them.

Love these shoes. Been running different OCR courses since 2012 with all different shoes. These are hands down the best shoes. Fit was perfect. The shoes stayed light even when wet. Great grip in the mud, cleaned up easily, and hardly look different than new after the first race. My favorite race shoes I have ever tried.

I like this shoe and love this brand but I didn't realize how high the treads were for these. I am not a road runner so these were just the wrong pick for me. Exchanging for a another Inov-8 shoe. PS I have wide feet and short toes

These shoes are awesome. I use these in competitive pistol competitions where movement is everything and half seconds count. The give a positive grip under multiple conditions and my feet are not hurting at the end of 8 hours of competition. Love the wider toe box as my feet have room to splay out when you are digging in during extreme movements. The lightness of the shoes make them feel like you aren't even wearing shoes. The only downside I have seen is that they grip so good, and I am getting so much more acceleration out of the shoes, am having to slow down a little sooner so I wont overrun the next shooting position. Thinking about acquiring a second pair for use when conditions are wet and I need to change shoes.

Short and narrow

I ordered these for running in dog agility trials, both for slippery outdoor conditions in wet grass and for indoor artificial turf. I received the Talons on Friday and took them to a 2-day indoor trial on the weekend, wearing them all day (sockless) for two consecutive days. I have very high arches. Amazingly good results! They were excellent on the artificial turf, with good grip and fast turning with no slipping and no "catching" the turf. But more importantly, I didn't notice I had shoes on for two days -- they felt that natural on my feet, even though they were brand new and not "broken in." I should mention that I have had quite a bit of trauma to one foot -- a Lisfranc injury and a break in 8 places during a racquetball game 30 years ago, and later a significant running injury to the peroneal tendon. This foot goes numb in most shoes, running included, and it is a constant fight to keep it feeling normal. I had no numbness at all in the Talons. I almost can't believe it! I also have arthritis in both feet after decades of running, and after a 2-day agility trial, when I'm on my feet a great deal, I'm usually almost hobbled with pain. Tonight I'm sitting here writing this review with zero pain at all -- it's like I wasn't even on my feet. For my particular foot injuries and circumstances, and for my particular sporting needs, these Talons are as perfect as any running shoe has been in a decade.

Awesome. Very comfortable out of the box, and the color looks great. I have semi wide feet, and these fit perfect. So happy with this purchase.

Greatest shoe I've ever done a tough mudder in. There were probably a dozen times that were were ascending or descending a hill and my friend and I (same shoes) literally ran past people that looked like they were on ice. These babies gripped so well yet remained extremely flexible and comfortable. On the hard surfaces I was worried that I'd feel each little cleat pushing into my foot. Not an issue. Now I wouldn't recommend street running obviously. But for off-road, wet or dry, these are the best shoes I've ever worn.

I bought these for my sister in law. She has very small square feet and these worked for her. The shoe is very light and flexible and the tread is substantial. She is planning on using them for hiking.

For those wide toed people out, is will help big time. Most trail shoes are so narrow that you can't wear them long without it getting uncomfortable. Great fit and can't wait to wear them in a race.

I have done many obstacle races (of varying lengths) and raced in these every time. I love these shoes - I did have to wear a few times before the race to get used to the 3mm drop, but once I did...I love them! I have not had any trouble with tearing or arch support.

I love obstacle racing in the X-Talons...I have done a variety of distances and they were amazing each time. Needed to wear a few times get used to the 3mm drop...but I did, they were fantastic!

I need to insert my own arch support insoles because my feet ache after many runs but other than that these are really comfortable shoes! These have a great grip in the muddy trails and steep inclines. So far I've just trained in them but I can't wait to use them in my Spartan race!

Nice shoes just not for me. 10.5 was a hair(not a half size) too small, 11 was clumsy big. For reference, I am a 10.5 all day long. Maybe if I tried another 10.5?

These are quite a bit narrower than the last pair I bought.It's the same size and width but much narrower.

I returned these before I wore them outside but my overall impressions were that these would be great shoes for mud, sand, dirt, wet or dry leaves but NOT for sharp rocks or haphazard boulders since they have no protection on the sides at all, just mesh. Also I found the toe cap very light and flimsy with very little protection in the front as well. I'm looking for a good shoe for Yosemite and these would simply not do. Overall, the fit was spectacular. If you are doing muddies, Spartans or obstacles courses these would be perfect. Anything slightly unpredictable or treacherous I would suggest look elsewhere.

X-talon 200 First of all this shoe fits true to size not a 1/2 size big like zappos says. I had to return the first pair. I have a wide fore foot and this shoe fits nice with a good fit in the heal. The more you run in it the better it feels. The seams where the tung is sewed on could use some improvements but over all it a good shoe. It has more flex than the x-talon 212

I bought these after hearing they drained water better than the Invo-8 Talon X 212. I own two pairs of the 212's and been happy in the past so I took a chance only to be slightly disappointed with the fit. The 200s are lighter and the fit was better since I wore precision with the x 212 when I should've worn standard. These felt more flexible than the 212's but the footbed was not as sturdy as the 212's. The 200's have lower cut on the ankle which allows mobility but since they were lower than the 212's I experience discomfort after a short period of time. I would recommend this shoe for short-mid distance races and it will uphold all sort of different terrain (west coast dry sand mountains to wet climate/east coast mountains). I compete in many Spartan Races and would not recommend these for running any Beast distance (at least 13.1 miles) on technical terrain such as Killington, VT, Vernon, NJ, etc.

I love these shoes. However, even though I ordered a half size larger than I normally wear, they almost seem too tight through my toe box, and feel like they might start rubbing blisters. I'm unsure if I'll send them back or not, because they are insanely comfy. I wore them walking around for a day, and the grip on pavement was fantastic. Would recommend, just be leery of the weird sizing.

Long distance runner. A little over seven miles almost every day. Tried these for the first time and while, ideally, yes these could be superb for trail running, on the road I started to feel the hard soles of these shoes. I read somewhere that these are good for gripping the road and I agree, but after a long distance run you definitely start to feel the stiffness of the spikes and an oncoming soreness. For sprinters though? Again this shoe would be killer because it IS very lightweight, flexible, good grip on surfaces. But for long distance runners, I would highly recommend something else.