There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
The X-Talon is a race shoe! Comparing it to the Altra Lone Peak - and the Neoshell version at that - is goofy, and your overall conclusion doesn't account for the range of both companies' product lines. An Inov-8 Trail Talon 275, for example, has tons of plush foam under your heel. Grab an Altra Superior, on the other hand, and you will not be thinking that Altra makes highly cushioned shoes. And, the Altra Superior is lighter than all but one of Inov-8's true trail-running shoes (and only 1oz heavier than the X-Talon 212).
To your point about apples and oranges, I did the same flex test with the soles of the Roclite shoes, and they are just as flexible as the X-Talons. So, I believe it would be a good comparison of the Lone Peak and the Inov-8 Roclite 285 - probably the most popular shoes from each brand, and the photos would have looked the same. I don't think that the NeoShell has any affect on that stiffness.
I'll definitely check out the Superiors. In fact, we'll have a sample coming in soon as they are scheduled to drop in mid October! I can update photos to this thread when I have the sample in house. Thanks again @engearment_dave