The Hoka Tecton X 3 sees Hoka make big changes to its trail shoe that’s built for going fast and long.
For the new Tecton it’s tweaking the carbon plate design, adding in a lively, new midsole foam and it’s made some pretty big changes to the upper too including that new gaiter.
Testers Kieran, Nick and Mike have putting the Tecton X 3 on the UK trails to see if this is one of the most exciting trail shoe launches of 2024.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro, price and key features
00:35 – Price, key stats and Tecton X 2.5 differences
02:12 – How does it fit?
06:07 – The Run Test
15:26 – Verdict and comparisons
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Hey this is Mike from the r testers and This is the new hoker tekan X3 a trail Shoe or a version of the trail shoe that Has been worn by the 2024 winners of the Western states 100 and the UTMB two of The toughest Ultra races going now Myself Nick and Karen have all had the Tekan X3 in to test and what we're going To do in this video is let you know What's new from the tan X2 get into some General running thoughts using the tekan X3 and then let you know whether you Should be spending the big bucks on the Hoker tekan X3 so this is your Lowdown on the Hoka Tekon X3 so let's start with price and The tekan X3 price is a pretty hefty £220 in the UK or $275 in the US that Makes it more expensive and the likes of The Adidas agravic speed Ultra the Nike Ultrafly and around the same price as The new aex meta Fuji Trail in terms of Weight and men's UK size 8 weigh in 260 G and does come in heavier than the Tekan X2 there still a 5mm drop like the Tekan X2 with the same 40 mm and 35 mm Stack Heights and that's packed with a Dual layer of peber foam to give it Serious bounce for your off-road runs There's also a new dual carbon plate Design with winglets to add propulsion And control over trails and Hawkers meta Rocket in place to give it all those key Ingredients to pick up the PAC in up top
Is a quick dry Matrix upper and a vamp To keep keep things roomy in the toes With that new gator style collar and Tongue to keep tra debris out the outso Is a vibrant Mega grip light based one That has 4 mm LS compared to the 3mm Ones on the X2 and that is to offer a Boost in grip across a range of Challenging and techical terrain and if You're wondering what the difference is Between the tekan X3 and the shoe dubbed The tekan x2.5 that's been seen worn by Haw athletes including Jim wormsley and This year's UTMB winner Vincent yard the X2.5 has a more aggressive design in Terms of the carbon plate setup and also Features a slightly different outso Compared to the one used on the X3 fit then and I ran in a UK in a half Which is my regular size in hoker though That does often feel quite snug when I First saw this kind of booty style of This shoe my heart sank a little bit as Someone with high in steps and fat Fairly wide feet I don't tend to get on Very well with booty shoes I'll be Honest I was trying to get these on but That was the first pleasant surprise With the Mac X3 the booty collar Stretches nice and wide there's actually Quite a lot of room and flex across the Top of the upper so they slid on really Quite easily for a booty design though I Do wish they had a heel pull heel as
Well as kind of one on the top once They're on I find the fit surprisingly Good I like the room in the toe box I Like the flex and wiggle room that comes With this kind of stretchy section this Kind of dynamic Vamp there's good hold Across the top of the midfoot from these Matrix uppers too though I did find I Wanted a little bit more support from The heel collars here just a bit more Structured been nice and offer like a Shade more security but on the whole These felt great on the foot kind of Wide and roomy for a Hoka and I would Recommend going true to size so when it Comes to the fit of the Hoka tekon X3 I've got my normal Hoka size which is a Uk9 it's a us99.5 it does fit me pretty Well but I would say as with the speed Goat I sometimes feel that I should go Half a size up with hocus trail shoes Compared to their Road shoes especially If you're running downhills can feel a Little bit close the toe box and I think Actually while it was okay on my longest Run my hilliest run in the shoe I Actually tighten the laces quite a lot And I didn't get that kind of feeling of My toes hitting the front of the shoe Too much I have added at other times I Think could probably gone half a size up Because it is a fairly daring upper in Other ways but I'm generally right on The fence between a us99.5 and us10 so I
Think if you in a similar situation I'd Probably go for the slightly larger size Just so you have that extra space in the Front otherwise the fits be really good For me the gator I didn't really need Too much I did do some running through Long grass generally I wasn't on running On anything that was going to put too Much debris into my shoe like or grit or Anything like that but I like the fit of It I kind of forgot it was there but it Also felt cozy at times and given that When I first saw the shoe I thought That's not going to be something I like I actually did quite like it so yeah the Gate is I think it's quite a nice touch To add to the shoe and in general the Fit was pretty good for me on normal Size but there's definitely a case for Going half a size up potentially if You're right on the barrier between two Sizes now in terms of fit unsurprisingly This is a tricky customer to get on your Feet in the first place but once I have Managed to get it on it's been a very Good experience overall for me I've got It in a UK size 8 that's my typical Running shoe size that's typically the Shoe size that does work best for me in Both of Hocus kind of Road and trail Shoes now like a lot of those shoes it Can feel a little bit on the narrow side I think you kind of see it kind of does Put a little bit narrow further back in
The shoe it does open up quite naturally As you'd want to see in kind of long Distance kind of TR shoe and kind of When you get into the for foot of the Texan X3 now I've been very happy with The space up front in that toes the kind Of level of room you're getting here Some might think it's a little bit on The snug side for me it's been fine so There may be an argument to go or have a Play around going half a size up in here If you're worried that it's going to Feel a little bit snug but for me has Been okay for me now when you get back Further into this shoe obviously you've Got this kind of all-in-one kind of um Gator um kind of collar but also that Kind of extends into the uh tongue as Well too generally it's felt absolutely Fine for me the lockdown I think I was a Little bit concerned whether I'd get a Good kind of lockdown with that kind of Um stretchy kind of Gator there but Actually it's been generally fine for me You do get some kind of internal kind of Heel padding here while it doesn't seem Obvious here you do get some support There at the back of the shoe and I Haven't had any kind of you know issues In terms of heel rub in terms of Achilles kind of irritation either as Well so for me yeah overall the Experience has been very good I was a Little bit wary about a shoe that looks
Like this but ultimately the fit has Been good my only thing I would probably Say is if you do you know maybe prefer To have a little bit more room at the Kind of front of your toes then I think Maybe Might be worth looking at going half a Size up in the shoe But ultimately going Through size work best for Me now in testing I've done a good mix Of miles in the hant X3 a lot of that Has been on more runnable rolling Terrain that I have access to here in The UK groomed compacted paths Forest Floors fields and Grassy Meadows that Kind of trails that you can attack now I Have a few miles of road to reach those Trails too so I've tested the TAC Credentials I also had the chance to hit The trails in Shaman for some testing on Some steep stonia some more rapid and Technical kind of descents so overall I've logged around 25 miles in these Shoes on a mix of terrain now I like the Teec the next two slightly snappier Speed goat with some pleasing similarity To the goat that made it easy to move Between those two shoes however that Also left us wondering if we really Needed both of those shoes they ran Quite similar in most cases for many Runners the cheaper speed goat was the Better option that is all changed now You can see hoker has put some clear
Distance between the goat and the ton Not just with this booty design and a Very different silhouette but the tekan X3 is now softer springier bouncier I Think with less stability than the speed Goat 6 but a whole lot more ride energy It's fun smashing along the easier Off-road terrain flying through the Runnable forest in these shoes it's very Happy on tarmak as well it ate up my Road commuter miles to the trail and as Much comfort and with as much energy as Many of the road shoes that I've tested Recently that says a lot about the Pea Midsole if you're planning to race an Ultra where you jump from Trail to Road A lot this shoe will cope brilliantly With that on the Steep descents into Shamon I personally felt that That Bouncy midsole left me a little bit out Of control more gifted Trail Runners Might not struggle as much with that big Energetic ride but I found I had to Focus a lot more on work to control this Shoe a bit more than I would have liked The built-in Gators also strike me as a Potential win if you're planning to head To Desert Ultras like the marathon theab Those slipping badly blistered feet back Into the shoes each day might not be Ideal but that protection you're going To get from the sand would be a big Thumbs up the only other thing i' point Out here there's not much by way of
Toebox protection so if you're running On toe stubbing territory sort of Terrain that might be a concern I do Also wonder if these uppers will hold Their shape over the Long Haul I've not Had any trouble so far but the lack of Structure does make me wonder how They'll fare longer term they' run about 60k in the hch next three and most of That's been done on the pentland Hills Near Edinburgh which is a nice little Set of Hills you can do quite a lot of Elevation there without necessarily Going too high overall it's not like It's mountains or anything but there's Lots of nice ups and downs there it's a Good variety of Trails there as well so There's a lot of grass and mud and hard Packed dirt and there's some Stony bits As well done a little bit on the road I've also run with the shoes in my local Forest here in London which is much Tamer Trails but you know some rooty Bits some muddy bits that kind of thing But so I have done a variety of trails In the shoe but I haven't spent loads And loads of times on things like rock And that kind of thing which obviously a Lot of people will be running on but That's just not really something I have A lot of access to so first couple of Runs in the shield I did actually rack Up a fair bit of elevation cuz I did a Hill rep session uh just going up and
Down one Hill and then I did my long run In the pentlands which was about 24 4K I Think with over 1,000 MERS of ups and Downs like I say mostly quite short Sharp ups and downs rather than any Particularly long climbs or descents but You know for me primarily a Road Runner Generally training for marathons that's A lot of elevation and I certainly the Big thing that came away from those Couple of days in the shoe was how Comfortable and protective it is like I Have done that kind of run in the pels Before and nearly always my legs are Shredded for you know a few days because Like I said I'm not really used to doing That amount descending in particular but Actually had none of none of that kind Of muscle fatigue in the days after Those runs with the tekan X3 because Feels like the midell is really Absorbing the impact of downhill running Really well in particular and yeah I Felt pretty fresh after that actually And having done like half the elevation Of that run in the speed go a couple of Weeks earlier and really you know had a Lot of muscle fatigue afterwards it was Quite notable to me how much that stood Out with this shoe in general the mid Cell does feel really nice I really like Hok's peber foone that they use in shoes Like the cello and rocket road racing Shoes and the macx road shoe and I think
It's been brought to a trail shoe very Successfully here in the tech X3 because You are feeling that softness that Bounce that spring you are getting the Real deal feeling Under Foot like Sometimes when Brands put their kind of Road super Foams in trail shoes they Tame them down so much it doesn't feel Quite as good but you know it does feel Really good in the hch next three but it Also doesn't feel so out of hand as to Be incredibly worrying on the trails Like it's not the most stable shoe but It delivers a lot of spring while Feeling pretty stable and reliable on Most Trails I was on actually I'd say Like I did have some moments in the shoe Especially when I was tired at the end Of runs coming down Hills like I'm not The best descender in the world it's not Something I do a lot of and I was some Quite you know steep staff on grass or Little rocky bits and you know i' take Them fairly slowly in a shoe like this It's a bit wobbly I'll be a bit worried Probably more experienced Trail Runners Will be pretty happy to hair up and down Mountain in the shoe but it definitely Feels a little bit less kind of stable And secure than the previous models of The shoe like the tekon X2 which I think Were very grounded and reliable for that Kind of running but I think you're Getting a massive upgrade in the ride
With the tekan X3 because of that peber Midsole there was a small sacrifice of Stability and that kind of thing but for The most part it's pretty manageable and You do get that really nice bouncy Feeling as a result you certainly notice That if you hit some Road sections or Anything like that or really run Trails Like I've had bits of Road nor my runs In the shoe kind of to and from the Trails or in the middle of the trails And you can pick up the pace really Nicely in it because it has Got That Bouncy feeling and although the outso Does feel better on trails and softer Ground like it doesn't feel too skittery Or anything like that when you are on Roads I the one extended stretch I Didn't get on the shoe as well was Probably on like a camber where I was Just running on a slight angle the whole Time and then it does just feel like It's pulling you over a little bit more Than other trail shoes that have a wider Base with a harder foam you know it was One section of a run light and again I Was on tired legs then the day after I Went out on a very rutted and cambered Run that was mostly in fields and it Didn't bother me so much cuz I felt a Bit fresher but you know if you're Eyeing up the shoe for something like Ultramarathons think on tired legs you Just have to be a bit more careful about
Running in it but the same time you're Getting such a benefit from that mid It's a trade-off that a lot of people Would be prepared to make grip's been Really good on a variety of different Trails like a lot of soft ground running Like I say and kind of Muddy running I've done some very steep like fa style Descents in the shoe and although I Wasn't going very fast uh I think you Know I had no problems or concerns about Grip with the shoe at all the same when I came across kind of wet rocks and wet Roots things that can be quite slippery I've had reliable grip from the shoe and Not really had any moments where I've Thought oh I just slipped a bit there It's felt really good on the foot so all Around a really enjoyable experience Running in the hooker so in terms of my Testing time with detectan X3 now aside From the couple of runs that I have done Out in shamley for the launch of the Shoe I've done plenty of running my Local Trails now I have done Ultra runs Before I've done kind of 50k and 100K Race it's been a while since I've done Those but typically when I'm going out On the trails now I'm probably maxing Out a couple of hours in terms of that Kind of distance and kind of time on my Feet uh so in terms of my testing time That was where I kind of maxed out so I'm really coming in from it from that
Perspective not the kind of ultra kind Of endurance level but I would say kind Of you know the kind of probably the the Typical Trail Runner that is probably Kind of pushing it to a few hours of Running now I use them on my local Trail So there's a kind of Vanguard Way which Is kind of down in South London and have Some you know quite straight elements But obviously uneven surfaces there's Some kind of woods to go through and Navigate mixture of terrain and surfaces As well you know some mud both soft and Kind of you know where there's been some Rain and obviously a little bit harder Cuz it has been generally dry some kind Of uprooted branches kind of rockier Terrain as well some elevation and some Nice kind of downhill bits kind of pick The pace up and see how it handles that As well I think the first thing that Stood out for me is I still got that Really enjoyable Bouch from this shoe it Is nice and Lively and you know I've Loved it where I've had some kind of Straighter elements I've been able to Really kind of pick the pace up in and Run a little bit more Up Tempo in the Shoe what it has got up a little bit Weight from the tekan X2 it still does You know allow you to pick up the pace Really nicely in this shoe I think the Big thing for me I wanted to see is when I started to tire and that longer run
You know that the most recent longer run I did you know and I did start to tire Was starting to having to climb a little Bit more kind of you know think a little Bit more about my footing it did feel a Little bit wobbly and I was having to be A bit more worried about how I was Stepping in this shoe and I typically Would run in something like the speed go Or the ultra flyer which I think know Slightly different shoes but definitely Give you a little bit more shoes a Little bit more in terms of upper in Terms of support and structure but still Give you something that's very Protective in terms of that Cushing Maybe isn't as Lively as what you get Here on the tekan X3 but definitely does Offer a bit more of a kind of an all Around package where you know I think Ultimately this definitely feels the Faster of that you know those shoes that I've kind of described and the shoes I Typically go for the outsole fantastic I Love the outsole in here obviously the Logs have grown a little bit in terms of The Texon X2 I still have found that you Know I've been able to run a little bit On road and PVE Where I have been on kind of going out In the shoe But ultimately I think Slightly firmer kind of muddier ground Is quite nice I think I found um I think You know it has been able to handle kind
Of softer kind of you know you know mud As well too and I think it does you know It's well equipped to handle a mixture Of kind of surfaces so from the outside Point of view I don't have really kind Of any question marks from that point of View but I think yeah I've enjoyed Running when I've had some nice kind of Parts of my route to kind of you know Kind of tackle it can handle that kind Of uphill kind of climb pretty well as Well too and as kind of downhills but It's where I think I've got a little bit Kind of Tide my legs have struggled to Keep that kind of form and technique and It's been a little bit more of a Challenge to run in this shoe But Ultimately overall I've really enjoyed Running in the tekon next three those Are really kind of the things I think There's some good things definitely some Things to be wary of about this shoe But Ultimately overall the experience has Been very good and ultimately enjoyable Then when I first saw the details of the Hoker tector X3 I thought hoker Potentially messed up this shoe the Built-in gate has seemed quite an Extreme change and like it might only Play nice with certain feet in reality I Think hoker has transformed the tekan And it's now a markedly better shoe for Running a certain type of Trail luckily This shoe fits the regular trails that I
Run perfectly the kind of off-road where You want agility grip protection and Security but you're able to move with Freedom nothing too Steep and nothing Too technical if you want shoes that Will help you attack run a ball trail With a fun Lively energetic ride these Definitely deliver it's a great deal Punchier than the previous tectons the Roomy fit is also an improvement in my Opinion I feel more like gifted Descenders might be able to control the Shoe better and get more out of it on Trickier terrain regular Runners might Be better off sticking to the more Reliable stable speed goat six if They're taking on anything particularly Technical and gnarly so verdict I think The hook X3 does a really good job of Bringing a super shoe experience to the Trails like hoker has thrown caution to The wind a little bit it's a bouncy shoe It's got a quite a soft midell foam it's Not really wide either to try and Counter that like Nike did with the Ultrafly when they put zoomx foam in That had a really wide base to counter The instability of the foam you are Getting a really nice feeling under foot It's very protective it really looks After the legs well when you're Descending and you get a lot of Bounce And you can run pretty fast in the shoe When you have the sections on your runs
Where you can run fast at the same time You can kick right back in the shoe and You know even hike or run very slowly on The sections where you have to do that Like I did a lot of uphill climbing in The shoe where I was just walking and That kind of thing because it got steep Enough and it felt good for that as well As I said in the run test there are some Stability Warriors to have with the shoe But I think if you are a more Experienced Trail Runner than me or a Very experienced Trail runner in general I think you'll be able to manage them And enjoy the benefits of the shoe Without feeling too concerned about the Squirly feeling under foot you get Sometimes from that soft foone but it Might be one to look out for a bit more If you are a bit more new to the trails And that's where shoes like the hoker Tech and X2 still have appe peel because They are more grounded you get a little Bit of punch from the Foams in there but Nothing like what you get with the Texan X3 but you do get a more reliable kind Of stable shoe is also really expensive So you've really got to have a purpose I Think for picking up this shoe because It is a shoe built for purpose it's a You know it's a longdistance racing shoe It feels amazing it works well for that But you're got to know what you're doing And be have races or events or runs that
You know Merit spending this much on the Shoe and be confident you're going to be Able to use it for them so I do think it Steers towards you know experienced Trail Runners all around but if you are Going to spend the money you are going To get something special for that money Sometimes you know you see super trail Shoes and they put a big price tag out There but the shoe doesn't really Deliver an experience that you know Feels different to a much cheaper shoe This does like it feels like a big Upgrade on something like the hook of Speed goat 6 which is an amazing Trail Shoe that's probably the kind of Trail Shoe I would buy I some focuses more on The roads but just wants a trail shoe to Do a bit of everything this does give You an elevated experience in terms of The bounce and the kind of protection And just fun you get from it all around I think the only Trail shoe I really Experienced the same kind of level of That super shoe feeling would be the Adidas terx agravic speed Ultra which I Think is even more kind of concerning Under F in terms of stability with its Very pronounced rocker very narrow heel That's a also not quite as good an Outside I think as the one on the hoker It feels a bit gear towards harder Surfaces maybe shorter events for lots Of people more runnable Trails I think
This can handle really a bit more of a Wide range of trails well that does have A bit more stability and ground feel for Longer events but they're both really Good shoes very fast shoes with you Serious road racing Foams in the midsole That then deliver that kind of benefit To the trails think the hoker is Probably the one I would prefer out of Those two cuz I do think it's a little Bit more accessible but the Adidas is a Bit cheaper and it is an exceptional Shoe I used it for the first 30 mil of a 50 m Ultra last year and I really Enjoyed it that was a very tame runable Trails and you know happy in the shoe on That i' probably look more at the techex 3 when I was going on to something a bit Sketchier though it's also the Nike Ultrafly which is heavier certainly not As propulsive or as fun feeling as the Hoker I would say like Nike did widen The base quite a lot but I think it's a Probably a more accessible Trail shoot As a result I also use that for I did a 50k in it and then the last 30k of that 80k Ultra last year as well and it is a Very comfortable supportive shoe the Ultrafly just doesn't really feel quite As Lively and dynamic as the Hoka or Theum Adidas trail shoes even though it Has that zoomx foam in there the whole Package has been tamed down a little bit Whereas I think hoker and Adidas made
Fewer concessions to that and made Slightly less stable shoes that have a Bit more kind of Verve and excitement on The trails we're about to also start Testing the aex meta Fuji Trail which Should be a good shoe also tested the New balances super Trail shoe and the One from so and a few others and I think The hoker does beat them all for Performance I think it's up there with The Adidas in particular but you're Going to have to pay a lot for it or Something like the S endorphin Edge is Available for a lot less uh in sales at The moment it's a firmer riding shoe it Might not be one that people would enjoy So much I think for long distances but It is another very impressive shoe so my VES on the hoko tekan X3 and I'm really Coming at this from a perspective of a Trail Runner that you know has done Ultras in the past hasn't done them for A long time and when I'm going out in The trails I'm typically not going to Hit Ultra distances now despite that I've still really enjoyed running in a Tekan X3 and I think if you like the Idea of a troe that is bouncy that is Lively that has a great outsole on it And gives you that kind of feel of a Kind of you know Road running kind of Carbon racing shoe then absolutely you Get that in the shoe and I don't think You have to be a seasoned kind of Trail
Runner to kind of really enjoy that Feeling you get from Texan xory what I Would say is that I think if you are you Know running longer in this shoe you Know running at ultra distance I think If you are you know running across more Technical terrain you're trying to Maintain that quicker Pace over those Kind of longer distances and more Challenging kind of routes I think you Know you're going to find you're going To get on more in terms of the you know Slight instability you're going to see Elements of design of this shoe I think If you are a bit more of a beginner Trail Runner it might be a bit more Challenging and ultimately I think when You start to tire there are some kind of Things that make it a little bit more Difficult a little bit more challenging Than some other H shoes kind of you know Running I think ultimately it is you Know not the most accessible trail run Sh in Hocus range and that's something To keep in mind here it's obviously very Expensive and I think if you are looking For those gains over those longer Distances over those more challenging Kind of environments and I think you are Going to get a really good shoe here and If you know you can make this work for You I think ultimately you know when I Look at the other trail shoes that I've Kind of liked over those longer
Distances that may be slightly in this Category I think you know I've really Enjoyed running in the Nike ultrafly Which for me isn't the same fast quick Kind of feeling a shoe with a kind of You know a midsole phone that is you Know more renowned in kind of Road Running shoes that's a more comfortable Longdistance shoe doesn't have that same Kind of pepep as the tekan X2 But Ultimately that's a very nice shoe if You just want something that's very Comfortable and does give you that kind Of Road running shoe kind of feel Under Foot um and a really good outso on that As well too but ultimately that's still A very expensive shoe as well but Ultimately yeah I've really enjoyed Running the tekon X3 I think a lot of People enjoy running in this shoe I Think ultimately if you are going to go Planning to run longer in it and I think You have got a very good kind of Technique in terms of those kind of you Know hitting those trails that a little Bit more kind of challenging then I Think you will get on with this shoe um And get the most out of It ultimately so Yeah Tech next three really enjoyed it Very bounced see livey Trail shoe that I Think a lot of people are going to like But I think there's going to be certain Runners that are definitely going to get Most out of this shoe okay so there have
It that is our take on a pretty pricey But enjoyable hooker tektin X3 now if You got any questions about this shoe or You want to see it compared to any other Shoes that we haven't mentioned in this Video do let us know in the comments as Always like And subscribe hit that Little bell to find out about our latest Videos and yeah we's see if you next Round test this video
