The new Hoka Clifton 9 is already available to buy, but now you can find the Hoka Clifton 8 highly discounted. Should you grab the latest version or save some money instead and go for the previous one?
Introduction
The Hoka Clifton 8 is a road neutral daily trailer and is Hoka’s best seller. Hoka designed this shoe for your everyday run or walk, featuring all of Hoka’s well-known features like the wide platform, the early-stage meta rocker, and the not very well received compressed molded EVA.
I bought these shoes for my daily runs and I already logged more than 450 miles (725 km) with them.
Stats
Upper
The Hoka Clifton 8 has an engineered mesh upper designed for breathability and comfort.
Regarding the breathability, I had no issues with it, but it is not the most breathable daily trainer for sure.
Regarding comfort, Hoka nailed it. The inner lining material is very smooth to the touch and you feel it as soon as you put on the shoe. This smooth material is also found in the heel collar and counter and both are very well padded with the ideal amount of padding for a daily trainer. Not too much, not too little. In fact, the Clifton 8 works for me like a max cushion shoe that I always pick for my recovery and slow runs. That’s the level of comfort that you’ll find in the Clifton 8.
The heel counter is very sturdy, both for added stability and comfort, and will help you keep your foot in place, giving you a very secure lockdown.
Like other Hoka shoes, the Clifton 8 features an extended heel flare that also works like a pull tab and it really helps to put on the shoe when you don’t want to mess with the lacing. It’s almost like you are using a shoehorn.
The heel flare doesn’t touch your achilles, but somehow this design seems to improve the overall comfort feeling that I get when running with this shoe. I do wonder if this heel flare is not just increasing the shoe weight when a simpler pull tab, like the one in the Rincon 3, would also work just fine,
The tongue is semi-gusseted and very well padded, and if you like puffy tongues, you are going to love the Clifton’s. It’s puffy and comfortable, but you won’t see or feel a huge amount of padding there because Hoka designed this tongue in a way that only by looking at it you won’t guess that it’s that padded.
Moving now to the toe box, some reviewers state that the Hoka’s have narrow toe boxes, but that has not been my experience. I have no toe box complaints on any of my 3 Hoka shoes that I have, but I need to highlight that my Clifton’s 8 is the wide version. I only bought the wide version to try it and not because I felt the need for extra room in the toe box. Having said that, the Clifton 8 (wide) has a roomy and comfortable toe box.
Still in the comfort area, we have an Ortholite insole that increases step-in and ride comfort and softness.
Lastly, in the upper section, we have some nice overlays with reflecting material in the heel and in the toe box. These overlays don’t seem to add anything to the shoe structure so they are only there as light reflectors.
Midsole
The Hoka Clifton 8 features a single density compressed molded EVA foam that brings the signature Hoka cushioning with it.
As expected, the Clifton 8 also features the traditional early-stage meta rocker. The rocker is not as noticeable as the one that you feel on the Hoka Mach 4 or 5, but you feel it and it will contribute to your natural gait cycle by propelling you forward with a smooth heel-to-toe transition.
As usual on Hoka’s, the Clifton’s midsole gives you a wide platform to land, improving stability and overall comfort.
The Clifton 8 has a high side rail that should improve the ride stability, but be aware if you have flat feet. If it’s your case, then this shoe might not be for you because it can pinch you in the arches. I would only recommend the Clifton 8 to someone who has normal or high arches.
Hoka states that the Clifton 8 includes an extended heel crash pad to help you land the foot if you’re a heel striker, but to be fair, the crash pad is not that extended and I don’t feel that it’s making a significant difference. Nevertheless, rest assured that you have a smooth landing with the foam, crash pad, and heel bevel combination.
Because it’s an EVA foam, the cold can impact it, removing the softness from it and, consequently, the protection. In my experience, this will happen so it’s better to keep them inside your house.
This midsole benefits from a break-in period between 15-18 miles (20-30km) as it softens a little bit.
Outsole
The Hoka Clifton 8 features a decoupled groove outsole that will remove some weight and, at the same time, will help with the responsiveness of the foam. This decoupled groove is excellent at picking up dirt so if you run on dirt roads, bring a stick because you’ll need it to scrape the dirt that will be on the threads.
The outsole has strategically placed high-abrasion rubber covering a good portion of the forefoot and the higher impact zones of the rear foot.
The midfoot has no rubber, allowing some weight reduction but it will also contribute to the smoothness of the ride.
The Clifton 8 is my go-to shoe when it’s raining and I never had any grip issues, even on slippery pavements.
This outsole should last up to 400~450 miles (645~725km) before you start to chew the midsole. Most reviewers say that the Clifton’s outsole will not last as long as the competition, but my experience proves otherwise.
Fit
I got a very nice lockdown in the Clifton 8. The heel padding, counter, and puffy tongue all work together to achieve this lockdown. I always do the runners' knot, but in the Clifton, I don’t need it. The lockdown is this good.
I already mentioned earlier, but I bought a wide version only to try it out and in the wide version the toe box is roomy so you’ll find no issues here. I can’t tell how the regular version is, but I have other Hoka’s in the regular versions and never had issues with tight toe boxes.
My Clifton’s are half a size bigger than my usual Hoka’s size and the shoe runs long for me so I should have opted to keep the usual size (29cm - US 11). In the end, the Clifton 8 is true to size.
Ride
Hoka has been highly criticized for not bringing enough innovation to its midsoles and I understand the critics, they are right. Compressed molded EVA is old tech and today we have those supercritical foams that mix performance with fun and resilience, but does it work?
Yes, it does, and that’s why even the new Clifton 9 still features (a better) compressed molded EVA. The Clifton 8 midsole is not snappy as the dual-density foam found on the Mach 4 and 5, it’s not as springy and fun as the Puma Nitro foam, but in the end, you get a protective and very comfortable ride as you would expect.
Innovation is fun and needed, but the most important aspect is the shoe feeling on your foot.
This foam, combined with the early-stage meta rocker and the strategy placed rubber on the outsole, gives you a smooth ride that you’ll enjoy for your daily miles. It's not a soft and squishy foam, but it’s very comfortable.
As a daily trainer, this shoe is not intended to be used as a speed shoe, but I did some strides with them and they can handle it better than I expected taking into consideration the bulkiness of the shoe. As you speed up and increase your stride length, you typically land more on your midfoot or forefoot and you can feel the responsiveness of the foam in a way that you don’t feel at slower paces.
So, this is a very well-balanced shoe with a protective cushion that you can use for easy runs. It’s light and it feels light on foot so it’s also a good option for your long runs.
Despite being a neutral shoe, with its big landing platform the Clifton 8 is also good for those that need a little bit of support. The side rails on the medial arch also contribute to this supportive feeling. After a long effort, I always pick the Clifton 8 not only because it feels like a max cushion shoe, but also because I feel that extra support. Now, these side rails are not that good if you have flat feet, like me. On my first run with the Clifton 8 (a 10k run), I got some nasty blisters, but I wanted to keep the shoe so I let my feet slowly adapt until I felt no discomfort with the shoe. This worked for me, but I don’t recommend doing it. If you feel some discomfort just by walking in them in the store or your house, return the shoe. It’s the best that you can do.
After 450 miles the Clifton 8 kept its properties but you feel that the foam is softer than it used to be. Honestly, I don’t complain when a foam turns softer but is still protective.
Verdict
If you want a Clifton right now, you need to choose between versions 8 and 9. The new Clifton 9 is a better shoe with an improved midsole, but the difference might not be that significant.
If you are on a budget and are looking for a comfortable shoe with a smooth ride, the Clifton 8 is a great daily trainer that will fit your rotation.
Below $100 (100€) the Clifton 8 faces strong competition from the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 which is often found with great discounts.
If you prefer a fun, soft, and springy ride, go for the Velocity. If you want a smooth, rockered ride, go for the Clifton. I have both on my rotation and use the Clifton for easy and recovery runs.
Scoring
This shoe review scoring takes into consideration the shoes of the same category and technologies available at the time of the review. This score might not be comparable to future reviews of shoes that present unseen features and/or technologies.
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