After years of spending insane money on shoes of all kinds with all kinds of different “tech”, here I am full circle and happily running injury free in basic NB 880’s and Nike peg trails….
The Vectiv Pro is a superb shoe. I ran Andorra by UTMB this year and Pau Capell was running in them. The race was sponsored by them and I bought a pair at at the athlete pavilion. They haven't disappointed. The grip is superb, the midsole is wonderfully soft, the plate is great and OMG, the drainage in wet conditions is out of this world. They're worth every penny. Can't wait to get the Vectiv Pro 2's (releasing in January apparently).
@@MadLadsAnonymous I really thought they might. But nope. I took a pair out on a shake out run before I bought them (they let you do that at sponsor pavilions at races) and had no issues. Ran a 100 miler with them in October too. Zero discomfort. I've heard that some folks could 'feel' the carbon plate on the lateral areas of each foot - but I never had that problem.
Watch this vid, bought’em, ran in’em, loved’em!!! Literally pulled them out of the box, took them on one 5 mile test run, and them I ran the Silver State 50 miler in them. They did not disappoint, no blisters and happy feet, worth the money!!!
I think for 250 you need a shoe that can handle super soft ground as well and last for a 1000 miles. Which I can imagine these don't. I hope no one buys them so brands will understand that this price point isn't ok
People are buying this shoes. So it's ok for some runners which run 50+ mile races. Just grap a cheaper more daily trainer like model and you are fine. The Torrent is what 130. Or wait for a discount. If you want the high end product you have to pay the high end price. And these are light and so of cause not build for 1000 miles. Just take a normal training model. Peragine, Torrent, Agravic.... There are multiple options for half the mony.
I loved this shoe... for about 100 miles (actually almost used it for Tiger Claw) but, the carbon wing started hitting my feet and causing some problems... But dang, those first 100 miles were magical
Agree - the price point is a dealbreaker for me. In my opinion, TNF hasn't done enough to earn that price point yet. I'm more willing to give brands like Norda, Speedland and even Hoka the benefit of the doubt because they very clearly demonstrate how and why the premium tech they're incorporating works in their shoes. That translates to better performance, durability and/or versatility in those brands. TNF doesn't. CTRL rubber is such meh, the midsole foam is pretty good, the upper material is good enough, the carbon plate is average, the aesthetic has only recently gotten good, idk. I'll wait until the next iteration but I'm intrigued by the pros that are using them and getting amazing results internationally.
TNF has definitely earned my respect in the last few iterations of the Vectiv series - FAR more than brands like Speedland which are brutally problematic for me - but I understand your reservations with the decades of rough TNF shoes past!
@@rschreck876 because they use premium materials with partners that have a trusted brand and reputation. Nothing they make "in-house" necessarily rises to that level but the design and implementation is there. Speedland for the same reasons but they also partner with Dyneema, Michelin, Carbitex and are run by two former Nike/UA/Puma guys. I do agree with your general contention: of the brands I listed, Norda ranks the lowest for sure and I think most people in the know would agree.
The vectiv pro is awesome... gives me an adios pro3 feel on the trail, they are fast but with one caveat... the wings! They are digging into the ball of my right foot 😢
Do the shoes also come with a western state entry. I would pay $250😂😂😂😂😂. Joking a side great review. It is going to be interesting to see if this price point is normalized and we see more shoes in this bracket.
Hello thank u for video. I have a question. I am not a runner, i am a tour guide i just walk and stand a lot. Which vectiv model is the most squishy and comfortable? Eminus or which?
@@MadLadsAnonymous I used a boxcutter/carpet knife thing and carefully cut the carbon wings at the top of the fold out over the outside of the midsole, then peeled off the detatched piece. I read that someone else had done it, and I had nothing to lose as they were killing me on downhills after about an hour of running in them. It did the trick and they were awesome for another few weeks until the lugs started wearing down, squashing back into the midsole foam to the point that they were pretty useless in Irish weather. It's still nonsense to have to do that in the first place to a pair of €250 shoes
Resolved the carbon wings problem by replacing the thin insole with one from the plush Endorhin Pro 3. A bit of a hassle to change them out but it does solve the issue for me.
Thanks for the review. I am testing TNFs next Gen of this shoe and they both are unreal! I got 400ish miles out of the ones you are holding (better ROI than most shoes right now) and am pushing more distance in the current testing shoes. Keep up the great work. I am a fan!
I too am a massive fan of TNF shoes and the Enduris 3 is my shoe of the year. When the prize is rigt, if ever, I must try this one as well. It really sounds like a brilliant shoe
Great review and a fantastic shoe! I’m surprised you didn’t mention the carbon wings issue lots of runners have. I trimmed mine, and would buy them again even though they need a bit of DIY (for me) because they are that good. Comfy, fast and perfect for long days.
Totally agree ( and regarding the price point, you often find them on sale ), and regarding the issue, I have the same problem and solved it with blister-bandage 😅
Blisters can also be avoided by using an insole: Inov-8 Bommerang and you will have no more problems. I also switched to a new outsole after the 850 km: Zegalite from Vibram (= Normal Tomir). Now it is an excellent shoe!
No issues with blisters on the feet? Love the Vectiv Enduris 3's, but these Pro's feel like there is something sharp near the balls of the foot and can't figure out a way to remedy it myself. Love the bounce though and sometimes suffer through the pain for some of my shorter runs.
For some runners the wings of the carbon plate cause issues just like you describe. Unfortunately the only "remedy" in these cases seems to be to remove the wings.
There are so many $200+ offerings out there right now. Cool to see the tech, but my wallet hates it. Idea: do a "Trail Tested" video with the cheapest offering from each major brand (Hoka, Nike, Altra, TNF, Saucony, etc.) and see how they stack up.
In France we fount it a 150-160€. So this price is correct ! I have done 400km with it and it’s still perfect (70kg for me). This shoes is a dream : fun, cool, confortable, perfome ! A dislike is te hight of crampons (only 3,5 mm).
Had to check out my new shoes! Can’t wait for this mid packer to feel a little boujee! 😂 Thanks again Ethan for the amazing prizes! You, Kim, and Gary go all out for Gingermas and make it so fun for all of us crew!
Salomon S/Lab Ultra d’Haene: raced a 100-miler in it last week. Handles anything, everywhere. TNF by comparison is amazing for buffed trails. So depends on the challenge embraced. Technical as in…Colorado technical? Salomon for any distance; Speedland (up to 50 miles for most of us); TNF will work but not as stable, protective or durable.
80/20 love these shoes, ran a couple of 50k's this last season in them and enjoyed them to the max, I really only had an issue with the upper not getting a full lock down in the toe box/midfoot area a couple times, which i hope they fixed in the v2. I have two pairs of the v1 and still love them on my longer training days or days when i want a lil more cush. Also the laces are a HUGE pro, I haven't had an issue with these at all, also, love to runners knot them. But they're designed like a slightly adjusted version of the Alphafly/vaporfly laces on a trail shoe?? Hell yes. Oh man, and the drainability ?! You can take these through all the stream crossings and not even worry about it cause the upper will just drain any excess water, and i think they mentioned its sort of hydrophobic? I cant rememberm anyways. They rule, im stoked someone finally put out a review of these. Thanks Ethan!
Managed to buy it for like 150 euro. First experience with tnf for me, I used to be an Altra fanboy, but trying various new shoes for the past two years. Done a race and a long run, under 100km, but pretty happy with them, no issues at all, fast on paved surfaces, stable and comfortable on trails. My first experience with super trail shoes was a Tekton X - rubbed my big toes, sitting on a shelf after a few tries.
@@the-amateur-runner-mt I think it's a much space in the toe box as I have in regular Altras, I don't have super wide feet but never had too much space issues in Altras, nor in TNF. Compared to Hokas which are noticeably narrower.
TNF is one of my favorite trail running shoe brands, but $250 is just too much. The Vectiv Eminus and Vectiv Enduris offer a lot for a more reasonable price point and aren’t terribly hard to find on sale.
it worked great for a solo 100k run I did last july, the midsole didn't flat out at all, where the old model (flight vectiv) has a 50k - 50M limit to it before it flattens out for the day. it did feel less snappy than the old version, but this feels like an easier cruising option for the longer ultras. I've had no issues with lugs sinking into the midsole, I'm definitely not a heavy runner though at 70k and 185cm, so might still happen for heavier runners. apparently the vectiv pro 2 for '24 is just an upper update, so that should drop the price for this one without anyone missing out on any major changes from the 2
I'm due for a new pair of trail shoes and plan to combine some xmas cash with my normal shoe buying to try a pair of "super shoes". Thank you for the Nike and now this review, both are on my radar! Now I need to get my feet into some to see how they feel. I think my feet are pretty similar to Ethan's so these reviews are usually pretty spot on for me.
I have been waiting for the price to come down and just got them on sale from TNF for $150! Love the sky (which I also got on sale for $110) and enduris, stoked to try these out
Wait, where are you finding these on sale? I've been waiting for the price to drop as well but they're still full-priced online. How do you like the Sky?
Picked up a pair of the vectiv summit pro, for £65 in a sale. Though similar 'issues' with the amount of upper, other than that they are a great shoe 👍
Worth every penny!! Wore mine for a really rocky root filled 100 miler with many many creek crossings and rain almost the entire time. Didn’t change shoes or socks at all. It’s just a great shoe! I have just little over 200 miles in mine so far.
