HOKA ONE ONE Carbon X 3 Shoe Review

female runner wearing a track singlet, form fitting shorts, a backwards running hat, and orange Hoka One One Carbon X 3 road shoes while she runs beside a blue marina at sunset in Los Angeles

It took a carbon fiber plate and the flashy upper of the Hoka Carbon X 3 to bring me back to a company and a community I knew very well once upon a time. 2016 feels like a millennium ago (as does my Hoka Clifton 3 collection in every color made…), but I have lived and loved a lot of shoes in the last six years. I’m here now to review the Carbon X 3 - the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

THE GREAT

Hoka One One Carbon X 3 Orange Road Running Shoe Midsole.jpg

Maybe it is the triathlete in me, but I haven’t met a carbon fiber I did not like. Of all the running shoes in the Hoka One One arsenal, the Carbon X 3 is the most suitable for road runners who like cushion AND speed (it’s like the whole “have your cake and eat it too” thing). The carbon fiber plate and Hoka’s Meta-Rocker midsole (a design technology that guides the runner’s foot more efficiently through the gait cycle) are two of the most universally GREAT things about this running shoe.

My Running SPECS

Forefoot to midfoot striker with wide feet and a 37 inch inseam. After training in the Carbon X 3 for a little over a month, I came to find that this shoe did indeed make me run faster (at least it felt like the shoe was assisting with my speed). All of the training runs I completed in these shoes were at a distance of 10k or less and at a speed of an 8 minute mile average or faster. From other reviews I have read regarding the Hoka Carbon X 2s, this shoe’s design favors the forefoot/midfoot striker due to its extended heel. More on this later.

The Good

Ringing in a close second place to my precious carbon fiber (cue the Hobbit puns): the brand new revised performance knit upper of the Hoka One One Carbon X 3. Snug as a bug in a rug (is she done yet?)…absolutely knot.

Hoka informs me that the Carbon X 3 has improved upon its predecessor’s upper with a new knit. Unfortunately I do not have experience with the previous model, so my comments will be limited to the X 3. It is good! Not great. My feet most certainly felt locked into place with the gusseted tongue and breathable upper’s weave. I am a huge fan of bold, contrasting colors, so the color of this shoe is funky and fun in all the best ways. Here is where I explain the “good not great” part. This upper is not forgiving to wide feet (or even worse, wide feet with bunions…like mine). I cannot fault Hoka for this aspect of their shoe as runners with bunions are the exception not the rule. But be warned: if you have wider feet, you may need a little extra time to break in these speedy clouds and assess if the grip is right for you.

The Bad & The Ugly

Listen…I know we all read the one-star reviews first. We want to know what is wrong with the item we are carefully considering to call our own. How can it hurt us? How can it disappoint us? And how can we save ourselves from the let down? I put the “bad and ugly” at the end because there truly is not anything bad about this shoe. As for ugly…let’s just get it out of the way: the heel is a vibe. It is not everyone’s vibe. And I am not sure (yet) if it is my vibe. But the benefits of the structure and science of this shoe far outweigh that wonky extended heel. As mentioned previously, this shoe lends itself to runners who land on the forefoot and midfoot, so beware heel strikers. Also beware anyone walking down open-back stairs. The extent of this heel has enough reach that it can (and will) catch itself on the steps as you descend. It reminds me fondly of the Altra Lone Peak trail shoes when they updated the heel with a new gaitor trap…watching runners drop like flies while descending the final wooden stairs of Buckin Hell 50k in 2019…..good times.