u/nutelamitbutter

The Hoka Rocket X 3 has been my go to shoe for very hard, specific workouts and triathlons. Overall I’ve been very happy with the shoe.
My paces:

10k: 38:30

Half marathon: 1:23

Threshold pace: 3:55

Comfort: 10/10

For a carbon racer, this shoe is very comfortable.
Upper feels very lightweight, throughout all paces there aren’t any signs of stability issues, even when running at slower paces during the warmup when I’m running more on my heel, I haven’t experienced any problems.

Sizing: TTS

I think TTS is fine, however it’s a little bit more on the narrow side, so you might possibly go half a size up.

Durability and performance: 9/10

Even after 300km, I can still take the shoe for very hard and specific sessions or some events.
The foam is still very responsive, when I’m having workouts with threshold pace or faster, the shoe can still handle it with ease.
When running faster I’m landing more towards my midfoot, the aggressive rocker geometry really rewards a fast step. It might not be the fastest shoe out on the market, however it’s still extremely fast and made for all distances from 5k up to the marathon.

Durability has been great overall.
The grip has been excellent. Obviously at the heel there are signs of decrease, especially when the races include some trails during the triathlon and when I’m landing a bit more at the heel.
I think 100-200km are definitely possible, although for important races I might take another shoe.

Value and verdict: 9/10

You can find the shoe on sale pretty much everywhere these days.
I wouldn’t say it truly is a beginner shoe. However for your first carbon shoe, it definitely is a good option, especially for the marathon distance.
At around 4:15-4:20 per km, the shoe really starts to shine, however it handles slower paces for sure.
Just lately I grabbed another pair for 140€, so once my current version is done, I'm happy to have another one available.