Article by Jeff Valliere
NNormal Kjerag Brut ($210)
Introduction
The Kjerag Brut builds upon the original (current) Kjerag and addresses my primary complaint, traction! While I like the Kjerag, I found the low profile lugs to be insufficient for loose terrain, off trail or really any trail that has challenging footing. Enter the Brut, with super deep and aggressive 6.5mm lugs/Vibram Megagrip Litebase rubber outsole, which now makes it one of the grippiest outsoles on the market. I also found the Kjerag to be a bit too thin and minimal underfoot for the rocky, technical terrain that I frequent and found myself gravitating towards less technical terrain and shorter runs (I have no idea how Killian runs 100 miles in them, as he is of course superhuman as we all know).
The Brut however feels notably more protective underfoot despite the same midsole foam, however with the 6.5mm lugs in play, adding enough substance to help protect and soften the impact. The other most notable change is a complete re-working of the upper, with a new Matryx Micro mesh that is very thin, light, comfortable and secure.
Pros:
Traction!
Lightweight, secure, stable, agile, improved protection, quick drain/dry upper
Cons:
Still feels a bit thin/flexible underfoot than I would prefer,
Upper is VERY minimal, which is in line with the purpose of the shoe, but is NOT plush in the least.
Sizing (runs large, so size down a half size).
Stats
Spec Weight: US men's 9 - 8.2oz / 232g
Sample Weight: US men’s 9.5 - 8.4oz / 239g
Stack Height: men’s 28mm heel / 22mm forefoot (6mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 81mm heel / 57mm midfoot / 110mm forefoot
Most comparable shoes
NNormal Kjerag
NNormal Tomir 2
VJ XTRM2
Ron Hill Reverence
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
My initial reaction was “yes!!”, just the Kjerag I would have hoped for after my traction concerns with the original model, as the 6.5mm lugs are right in my wheelhouse for the steep, loose trails and off trail that I frequent. While both models share the Kjerag name, from the best I can tell the only things they have in common are the midsole, name and heritage, as the upper and outsole have been completely re-done.
The upper is made of a Matryx Micro mesh that is woven from individually coated polyamide and kevlar yarns, with micro openings for fast drying water drainage. The upper is exceptionally thin, breathable and durable. Despite how thin the upper is though, it is surprisingly comfortable and secure.
The toe bumper consists of a double layer TPU overlay that is somewhat thin and flexible, but I have not had any issues in technical terrain.
The lacing is quite secure, as the laces are ridged or “crinkle cut” as I like to call them and really do a great job securing the midfoot (and do not easily come untied).
The heel counter/collars are notably minimal and flexible, which had me slightly concerned at first, but does a great job keeping the heel in place. While there it looks at first like there is no padding, there are very thin tubular bolster strips built in on either side as you can see in the photo above.
The thin heel and upper though did cause me some minor rubbing, as my heels, arch and sides of my feet have all felt a bit hot at times from friction. Despite that, no blisters or true soreness ever materialized and I think broke in over time, I never thought about it after a few runs.
The neoprene tongue is hydrophobic, yet breathable, more of a booty/wrap style than gusseted for improved foothold that has a nice comfortable feel to it. While the “tongue” is thin, I do not experience any lace bite.
Like the Kjerag, the Brut runs large and sizing down from my usual size 10 to 9.5 is perfect here.
Once that is settled, fit is excellent, with a secure heel, midfoot and a forefoot that strikes a great balance of having just enough room for splay, swelling and comfort, yet at the same timet is secure and dialed in for technical terrain. No matter how technical the terrain, my feet feel secure and well planted in the shoe.
Midsole & Platform
The midsole foam is the same as the Kjerag. The supercritical EExpure EVA midsole is soft, flexible and compliant, with an amazing blend of a plush, cushioned feel, predictable stability, protection and propulsion.
It helps a lot that the Brut is very light, but the midsole here really enhances the lightning fast feel of the, be it on uphills, the flats, rollers and downhills. I find the cushioning to be ample for my several hour runs and likely enough for a full or long day on the trails, but being able to run these for 100 mile races, such as Kilian and Dakota have done I think will be a rare outlier.
Protection underfoot is very good for the weight and the deeper 6.5mm lugs, along with the midsole foam features a woven nylon/TPU “ground filter” type plate, adequate for technical terrain in shorter doses, but if I were planning a longer day on rocky talus or rock garden type of trails, I would personally choose a shoe with a bit more underfoot.
That said, for such a light, fast and nimble shoe, the Brut is hard to match and provides a very good balance of ground feel and protection. While some may find it a little thin for technical terrain, others will appreciate the added ground feel.
To quote Sam’s excellent description regarding the original Kjerag: “The EExpure midsole is a supercritical EVA foam which is expanded from a smaller form with gasses to create resilient voids which also reduce weight and we assume density.
The foam similar to Brooks Catamount’s DNA Flash, Skechers Hyperburst and Puma Nitro. It is not an expanded beads PEBA as the full midsole of the Saucony Rift and the core of Xodus Ultra are. NNormal told us they did not go with a PEBA compound due to the lower abrasion resistance of PEBA.
Embedded in the midsole is a TPU/Nylon woven "ground filter" or rock protection which sounds similar to Salomon or Saucony's protection but is clearly more flexible than the Saucony filter.
In fact, until NNormal told us this filter was in the mix, I puzzled on how the shoe delivered truly excellent rock protection on such a low quite flexible and soft platform. The plate is seamless in feel with the rest of the shoe’s undercarriage. It even provides a tiny touch of propulsion along with the outsole.
As is the case with the Kjerag, the Brut does not have a sockliner.
Outsole
The Brut features 6.5 mm lugs in its Vibram Megagrip Litebase outsole, which is a HUGE upgrade for me over the original Kjerag, making them significantly more usable and higher performant on a much wider range of terrain, conditions and circumstances.
Traction is among the best out there, as the directional chevron shaped lugs are deep, sharp and aggressively designed.
Performance is amazing on all surfaces, particularly on steep, loose off trail conditions where the deep lugs provide exceptional bite. Traction is also very good in wet conditions, snow, slush and mud, as well as slabby rock. The lugs are deep/large enough that they are noticeable on hard surfaces, but that is just the nature of deep lugs and despite that, are not really a big deal for short stretches.
The photo above came out looking as if flat, but is quite steep sandstone and grip here was confidence inspiring despite the huge lugs.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
While I like the Kjerag, the Brut has become a favorite and will feature regularly in my rotation for shorter, faster, technical runs where minimal weight and maximal traction are paramount. The ride of the Kjerag Brut is quick, light, nimble, energetic, fast and fun. In my opinion it is race ready for middle distances on just about any terrain and especially steep, technical loose terrain, (50k might be the most for me).
I appreciate the attention to detail, quality, purpose driven construction, sustainable materials, quality, performance and especially now the new deeper 6.5mm lugs.
While this is for sure a top tier race shoe, I think it is well cushioned and protective enough to double as an uptempo daily trainer and especially now with the deeper lugs adding to the protection and substance underfoot.
Jeff V’s Score: 9.5/10
Ride - 9.5 - The ride is fast, well cushioned and protective, especially for the weight
Fit - 9.5 - While they run big and you need to size down at least a half size, once you dial the correct size, fit is excellent, secure but not confined.
Value - 9.5 - A pricey shoe, but certainly not an outlier and you get a very highly performing and high quality shoe.
Style - 9.5
Traction - 10 - Traction is drastically improved! One of the best out there.
Rock Protection - 9 - very good and especially for the lightweight minimal nature of the shoe, the new deeper lugs help
😊😊😊😊😊
4 Comparisons
NNormal Kjerag (RTR Review)
Compared throughout, the Kjerag and Brut are very close in weight (within 2 grams), where the larger lugs of the Brut add weight, but the minimal upper reduces weight. The Kjerag has a quite minimal, yet more “normal” upper, with luxuries such as padding and a structured heel, where the Brut has an even lighter, more minimal upper, yet still very good security and protective enough in rough terrain. Midsoles are the same, but the standout difference is the deep 6.5mm lugs that for me, really provide much more usability and value to the shoe, over the Kjerag which I find to be very under tractioned for my preferred running/terrain.
NNormal Tomir 2 (RTR Review)
The Tomir 2 uses the same midsole foam, but has a few more mm of stack and a wider platform and a more conventional upper that is padded and more protective. All of that adds 2+ ounces to the shoe (note that sizing of the Tomir 2 is true to size at my usual 10 vs. having to size down in the Kjerag). The Brut stands out as a very minimal type of shoe (though with moderate protection/cushion/longer day usability), where the Tomir 2 is more of a moderate shoe with a more maximal protection/cushioned feel for longer distances. Traction, at least in loose terrain is superior for the Brut.
VJ XTRM2 (RTR Review)
The VJ XTRM2 has been my go to for a PR attempts on rugged terrain, primarily if it involves a loose and technical downhill, as they are (or at least feel) light, have a very secure fit, are protective enough, but most importantly have supreme traction when the going gets rough. The Brut however knocks the VJ out of my rotation for this specific application, as they are ~2 ounces lighter, have more cushion and even a more effective outsole for loose chaff underfoot.
Ron Hill Reverence (RTR Review)
I will be up front, I am only bringing in this comparison because of the deep lugs, water shedding upper and both are obvious fell running options. Other than that, they are quite different. The Reverence has even more aggressive 7mm lugs, is much more protective, both underfoot and from the upper, but that comes at a weight penalty of 4 ounces in my size!! The midsole of the Reverence is also not the least bit dynamic with a very heavy, car tire slab of rubber sort of feel, where the Brut is crazy light, fast and dynamic. The Reverence would be a fine choice for hikes where traction, protection and water draining are key (I used them hiking in Kauai and they were great for that), but for fast running in challenging terrain, the Brut is king.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Tester Profiles
Jeff Valliere loves to run and explore the mountains of Colorado, the steeper and more technical the better. He has summited all of the 14ers in the state, many 13ers and other peaks in Colorado and beyond, plus, he has summited his local Green Mountain over 2,100 times in the past 20 years. He can be found on mountain trails daily, no matter the weather, season, conditions or whether there is daylight or not. On the side he loves to ski (all forms) bike and hike, often with his family, as he introduces his twin daughters to the outdoors. Jeff was born and raised in New Hampshire, but has called Colorado home for over 25 years. He is 5’9” and 145 lbs.
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1 comment:
Are the Bruts in any way comparable to the North Face Vectiv Sky 2 in terms of agility and traction? Perhaps the carbon plate compensates for the lack of a true rock plate and gives a little extra cue for propulsion?
I had the Kjerags resoled and the shoemaker showed me the "rock plate": it's basically a tear-resistant but flexible, paper-thin sheet of fabric, it's so light!
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