In reply to Herdwickmatt:
I am on my second pair of X-Talon 235Gs. The first pair fell apart after only a week of running - by the third run the rubber leaves pealed away and by the sixth the sole was splitting apart. Every other person I have met with them has had the same issues and said they would not get them again.
However, Inov8 replaced mine and this second pair have had none of the above issues so far. A faulty batch maybe?
Ignoring these major concerns they are a great shoe. I've been fell running for over twenty-five years and used Inov8 since they burst onto the scene. Many of my Inov8s have fallen apart on the upper before the sole gives in, but not on any of the shoes I've had with this all in one tough ballistic fabric. Another benefit of the fabric is that a splash of water doesn't soak your foot like the mesh models, but the water still escapes easily after a stream crossing.
They can feel a little tight across the toes at first, but a few runs in the wet and this goes.
I prefer the X-Talon sole over the Mudclaw mainly because the latter is not a solid stud and once they wear down a bit they split to reveal the smaller stud within. Particularly on the studs under the ball of the foot. Those new Mudclaws with the S grip sole wear down horribly too due to the consistently flat angle of the sole. Furthermore, the X-talon sole is nicer all round due to being better on rock. To be honest, I'm not convinced by the graphene sole whether it is any grippier or hard wearing than the originals - sometimes I wonder if it is the opposite.
I've had the X-talon 212s and 200s, but these 235Gs are much more cushioned at the back with more foam and a springy rock plate. In fact they feel as cushioned as the many much heavier Mudclaws I've owned. I massively prefer them for long runs because of this.
Hope that helps.