Hoka launched the 9th version of its best-seller, the Clifton, and
introduced some changes, especially in the midsole. Will these changes be
enough to allow the Clifton to go beyond the well-established fan base?
Let’s
find out!
Introduction
The Hoka Clifton 9 is a road-neutral daily trailer and still is Hoka’s best seller. In this iteration, Hoka reduced some weight (just a few grams) while adding 3mm of stack height, and changed the foam formulation to be softer but still responsive. The Clifton 9 keeps all the other traditional Hoka features like the wide platform and the early-stage meta-rocker.
I bought these shoes for my daily runs and I have already logged more than 60 miles (100 km) with them.
I recommend checking out the Clifton 8 review to better understand the Clifton 9 changes and evolution.
Stats
Upper
The Hoka Clifton 9 features an engineered knit upper, made with recycled materials, and was designed to be lightweight, breathable, and to give you that foot-hugging comfort.
This shoe does hug your foot like Hoka states, and despite being indeed comfortable, I feel too much of that hug and too much fabric around my foot. Probably because of this, this shoe feels a little hot (I am running with them in hot weather so it’s difficult to judge the breathability).
The tongue is still very well padded, but it’s larger in this version and it really hugs your foot. So, the tongue is also responsible for that feeling that I have too much fabric and padding around my foot.
Also contrary to the previous version, this tongue is not fully gusseted and it’s only semi-gusseted. Nevertheless, the tongue hugs your foot so well that you won’t have any slipping.
The heel collar has more padding, but it lost the smoother fabric that it had in the previous version. This fabric seems to be grippier so perhaps they did it to try to improve the lockdown.
We still have the extended heel flare which is my favorite kind of pull tab. This heel flare doesn’t touch your achilles so you don’t need to worry about irritations.
The heel counter is very sturdy, so it will work to improve your foot stability and lockdown.
Moving now to the toe box, the previous version that I bought was a wide version so I can’t fully compare both versions, nevertheless, this Clifton 9 has a snug fit but with enough room for your toes.
In the upper, we have the usual branding overlays with reflecting material in the heel and in the toe box, just like in the previous version.
Midsole
Just like previous iterations, the Hoka Clifton 9 features a single-density compressed molded EVA foam, but in this version, the foam has more stack, it’s softer, and it keeps its lightweight properties.
Just by pressing with your thumb, you can feel the foam softness and it’s indeed softer than the previous version.
The Clifton 9 also has the early-stage meta rocker that combined with the small heel bevel, will help you on your heel-to-toe transition and will also give you a smooth toe-off.This midsole also gives you a wide landing platform for improved stability and overall comfort.
The Clifton 9 still features the high side rail on the medial side that is there to better support your arches and improve the shoe stability, but this side rail is lower than the previous version so it should also fit flat-feet runners, like me.
I already said this in the Clifton 8 review, but this midsole is an EVA foam so it can be impacted by the cold. It’s better to store it inside the house if it’s cold outside.
I didn’t feel any difference in the sole after the initial miles, so I don’t think that this foam needs a break-in period, but probably it’s going to perform at its best after some runs.
Outsole
The Hoka Clifton 9 features a smaller decoupled groove outsole that will remove some weight and, at the same time, will help with the responsiveness of the foam, but in this version, the decoupled groove is less prone to picking up dirt and small rocks.
The outsole’s rubber is Hoka’s Durabrasion and it's strategically placed in the higher impact zones just like the predecessor. Hoka made some changes to the outsole but honestly, they are minimal. Despite that, it should be at least as good as the previous version, and from my experience that’s a good thing.
Hoka keeps not adding rubber in the midfoot area and that’s great because not only helps to reduce some weight but also contributes to the ride's smoothness.
Unfortunately, because this foam is softer, it seems that the exposed midsole is going to be chewed quicker compared to the previous version.
I did not run on wet pavements, but this rubber should be grippier as always.
I retired my Clifton 8’s at 450 miles (725 km) and they would last up to 500 miles (800 km) for sure. The Clifton 9 should last up to 435 miles (700 km).
Fit
The knit mesh upper and the well-padded tongue that hugs your foot gives you a snug fit and you can definitely feel that hug (too much in my opinion).
In the heel area, despite the amount of padding, I was unable to get the perfect lockdown, as I got in the previous version. I am getting a small amount of heel slippage, but to be fair, it isn’t affecting the ride in any way. Nevertheless, I can definitely feel that my heel is not perfectly secured.
In my first runs, I felt that my toes were too tight and I was blaming the toe box, but after a couple of runs, the fabric stretched a bit and adapted to the feet, and right now I have no issues with the toe box, but it’s still not roomy. If you have wide feet perhaps the wide version is best for you.
I found the Clifton 9 to be true to size. I am wearing my usual size (29cm - US 11) and I don’t have any issues.
Ride
And again, Hoka kept the foam formula, EVA that is. While doing this, Hoka is being loyal to the Clifton fan base, but it’s missing new customers that are looking for innovation and fun in a shoe ride.
As I wrote in the Clifton 8 review, in the end, what matters is if the foam works or not, and again, this EVA foam works perfectly. We get a very soft ride with some responsiveness. Now, this change to the foam softness might not be great for some, and it sure isn’t for me and for those that prefer a soft ride, but not too soft.
The previous version was more balanced and for me it was a proper workhorse. The Clifton 9 lost a little bit of its balance and with the foam softness and more padding, it’s now closer to a max-cushion shoe.
It’s not mushy, but it’s close, and it’s also not very responsive so I feel that this shoe is best for recovery and slow pace easy runs.
I tried to do some strides and gave up after a few tries. It’s just too soft for speed work and that’s why I think it lost the workhorse status.
But, for high-paced easy runs, it works! The foam feels so soft and comfortable, and the ride is so smooth that I want to pick up the pace just to feel the foam compressing and I enjoy the response that the foam gives me back. It’s only a minor response, but enough for an easy run.
The midsole is also too soft for long runs. For my long runs, I prefer a less soft foam (not hard) and preferably with more response. After 15K with the Clifton 9, I can already feel that my heel is sinking too much and I can definitely feel a minor discomfort showing up.
Because the foot sinks a little bit, I don’t know if this shoe will be a good choice for heavy runners. I believe that a heavy runner would still be protected from the impact, but the foot might sink too much.
One thing that Hoka improved in this version was the side rails. The previous versions had high side rails on the medial side that would help support the feet and it really worked. The downside is that the side rail was so high that people with low arches felt a bite on the arches and ultimately, blisters. Now, I only felt the side rails on my first two runs and never had any discomfort. Despite the side rails still being present I can now recommend this shoe to the ones with flat feet.
In the end, the Clifton 9 keeps its signature smooth and comfortable ride for your daily miles and adds more plush to the mix.
Verdict
If you felt that the previous Clifton iterations were smooth but a little bit firm, then you’re going to love the Clifton 9. It kept almost all the pros and added extra softness under the feet.
If like me, you enjoyed the Cliton 8 foam, then you might not appreciate the changes that Hoka introduced.
If you have never tried a Clifton before, then the Clifton 9 is a great choice if you prefer softer foams like a memory foam pillow. If you prefer a lively and fun ride and/or do some speed work, then the Clifton 9 is not what you are looking for. That would be the Mach 5.
In the end, it’s not a better or worse midsole. It’s just different and I believe that the majority of the runners will appreciate the changes and will appreciate the softer midsole.
Another aspect to take into consideration is that the Clifton 9 upper starts to feel like a max-cushion shoe for me. It’s too much fabric around my feet and I prefer simplicity in running shoes. But, if you like max-cushion shoes, then the Clifton 9 might be what you are looking for and it will cost less than the other (real) max-cushion shoes.
Right now, I don’t quite understand how Hoka wants to categorize the Clifton 9. From my perspective, it’s now closer to the Bondi 8, and at the same time, the Mach 5 is closer to a workhorse daily trainer while the Rocket X2 is now a proper super-shoe. So, this leaves a gap… are we missing a decent speed shoe for our workouts? Let’s wait and see what Hoka still has to offer.
The Clifton 9 has a place in my rotation as a recovery shoe, but with this new iteration, it’s no longer one of my workhorses.
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.
Have you already run in the Hoka Clifton 9? Tell me about it in the comments below.
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If you're interested in buying the Hoka Clifton 9, follow the links below:
- US: Road Runner Sports
- EU: Top4Running - Code "allaboutrunning" for an additional 5% discount.
- UK: SportsShoes.com | ProDirectSport.com
- Global: Amazon
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