Well, I must say I like these tires a lot. I went from 2 Panaracer Fire xc pro 2.1 tires to
the 2.4 Ouster up front and a 2.25 in the back. I definitely noticed an increase in traction, and my bike seemed to handle the bumpy terrain better. I didn't really notice my bike was any slower, and in fact it felt like I was riding faster because I could just roll right over stuff. I ride a Specialized XC Pro and while these tires may not be the lightest for an xc designed bike, I felt any added weight only helped the bike handle the rocky and rooty terrain better. I can see why people ride bigger tires nowadays, and I'm glad I decided to make the change. The tires themselves seem decent, grippy rubber and sidewall protection for 32 bucks a piece. Not bad. I would suggest them, however I've only had 2 rides on them. But so far, I think they will hold up and they perform well.

 

10 rides in on these tires and I'm definitely liking them. They have held up to some brutal North East rock riding, hard slams into roots/rocks etc and have come thru without any damage.
I'm going to play around with the air pressure to see if I can make them a bit softer. I am running them with tubes right now. My old Panaracer fire xc pro seemed a bit softer, but I may have been running them at a lower pressure. I'll do some experimenting this week.
So, I guess I would have to recommend these tires. They are fairly inexpensive for what you get and the performance has been good.

 

CST Ouster - followup

Thanks for the review on the Ouster. I've seen ads for this tire in MTB magazines so I just ordered one for a trial (29, 2.25"). The claimed weight was just north of 700 grams which I don't think is too bad for this style of tire. If it works well for rocky desert trails I'll be stoked because I hate paying $50+/ea. for tires.

Edit: Set it up tubeless but it was kinda a PITA. I had to air it up (on an oem 19mm IW Giant wheel) using a tube and leave it out in the sun while I was at work. I used 2 layers of fresh Gorilla tape and a Stan's long valve as my base, and I think the tape layer interference was a bit much initially. My 'secret' was to de-pressurize the tire by just pressing on 1 side (while deflating), in order to remove the inner tube by unseating just 1 bead. I removed the tube carefully, poured in 2.5 oz of sealant, and seated the tire with a compressor and a hollow Stan's valve no problem. Since then, the tire has held air like a champ with very minimal pressure loss.

The 29" 2.25 is really a 2.2 at any pressure under 30 psi (tubeless), but it makes for a sound, inexpensive rear tire. The knobs are well-pronounced and it rolls really well with minimal resistance. Not sure I'd put this on as a front tire but it's great as a rear and weighed 752g on a scale, brand new. I'm pretty satisfied, overall with this purchase but I wish CST would label this tire's width according to real-world specifications.