Exalt TRX Cleats - Written Review

Back in high school I had a set of Nike Shark Cleats and used them for a season of football. Of course being Nike's they were very comfortable and ripped up the turf. Since then I have traded my single purpose lawn shredders for a good pair of combat boots or a set of hiking boots.

So when the TRX cleats came across my desk I figured I would see what they might be able to add to bring cleats back to my gear bag.

SPECIFICATIONS

The Exalt TRX cleats retail for $79.95 and are available in sizes 9-13. They come with 2 full sets (22 each in fact) of removable cleats, one set for turf and one for grass. They also come with a cloth bag to carry them in.

IMPRESSIONS

These are good cleats, not great, but good.

I brought them home, tried them on and was pretty comfortable wearing them around the yard for a couple of hours (without the cleats being installed).

I brought them back in and cleaned out the plugs, since they seem to do a great job of collecting every little bit of crap on the ground when the studs aren't installed. I am sort of a bull in a china shop when it comes to gear and have on more than one occasion, wrecked a new piece because I tightened something more than it was able to stand. So I was a little put off when I looked at the sole and found that the brass inserts were molded in and could be prone to getting ripped out if I wasn't careful with the amount of force I used to install the studs.

Since I knew I would be playing a woodsball game the next day I installed the "grass" cleats and stowed them in my gear bag.

Morning came and off to the field I went. 

The course was a combination of open dry areas and rather boggy woods so I figured I would be able to see what they were all about in pretty short order.

I was suprised by how comfortable they were when walking through the woods, they didn't pinch when I crouched and the sole was just thick enough to insulate me from the things I was walking on without losing a feel for the terrain.

After 6 hours of running (who are we kidding I mostly jog) through the woods however, a few things became apparent.

The TRX cleats are not designed for this kind of thing, or if they are they aren't designed well for this kind of thing. These are designed for speedball games, shorter in duration where fast movement is key and traction is paramount. Hiking and long insertions are not the TRXs strong suit.

Don't get me wrong, when playing a TAC5 or XBall field these are great. They are super light, really comfortable and offer incredible traction. but walking through a parking lot with them on or wearing them at a big scenario for hours on end will not be pretty.

The removable cleats are a nice touch but after one day of play I had lost 2 studs (one from either foot). There is a small amount of blue LocTite on the stud's threads and I tightened them well so I am not sure how they unscrewed themselves, but they did.

The brass plugs that secure the studs into the sole make for a rather uncomfortable series of pressure points on the bottom of your feet on harder surfaces. While they don't cause blisters you will feel them when you get back to the car. 

CLOSING COMMENTS

Basically, cleats are (in my opinion anyway) still a one trick pony. Good at one thing at the expense of all others. If you tried to wear these cleats at an indoor field where they have not set it up with turf you might find they are little benefit and on harder surfaces they are like playing on skates.

I enjoyed my time with them, but they will be a limited use item to me. Unless I am suddenly forced into a game of speedball these will sit in the closet.

Rating: 5.5/10

DB- Sasquatch