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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:ON Cloudflash First Look}} I'm not a big fan of ON shoes, so trying their Cloudflash was a bit of a leap of faith. In the end, I didn't get on with the Cloudfla..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:ON Cloudflash First Look}}
I'm not a big fan of ON shoes, so trying their Cloudflash was a bit of a leap of faith. In the end, I didn't get on with the Cloudflash at all, so this is more of a first look than a full review. I found the [[On Cloudracer]] to be a reasonable, but not great shoe. By comparison, the Cloudflash has a similar weight, but far less cushioning, and the cloud racer was itself rather poorly cushioned for its weight. It's also a rather expensive shoe given what you get. It's possible that the ON approach might a lost longer than a traditional foam, but I'm not convinced the trade-off is a good one. I'd much rather have 2 pairs of the outstanding [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]] and cash left over. Overall, I rated the Cloudflash as "worth considering" depending on what you're looking for in a running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:ON Cloudflash-top.jpg|ON Cloudflash top
File:ON Cloudflash-outside.jpg|ON Cloudflash outside
File:ON Cloudflash-bottom.jpg|ON Cloudflash bottom
File:ON Cloudflash-inside.jpg|ON Cloudflash inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. ON use a radically different approach to cushioning, with a collapsible hard rubber loops they call "CloudTec." See my review of the [[On Cloudracer]] for an analysis of this approach. While the cloud racer was overly firm for its weight, the Cloudflash is even stiffer. There is very little conventional foam in the midsole, and it relies mostly on the collapsible rubber hoops. In the Cloudflash, this didn't feel effective or comfortable. It's possible that the CloudTec bumps may allow the Cloudflash to last longer than conventional foam shoes, but I'd much rather replace a better shoe more often than put up with the Cloudflash.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cloudflash has an 7mm drop either loaded or unloaded, which is rather more than I'm comfortable with. While many shoes with a 7 mm drop don't feel too bad, that's often because the drop is far less when the shoe is loaded, something that doesn't seem to happen here.
* {{H:structure}}. There's no structure in the usual sense; no variations in cushioning to prevent the natural movement of the foot. I found the Cloudflash didn't interfere with my running in the usual ways issue interferes, which is by limiting pronation. On the other hand, the Cloudflash never felt natural or smooth.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cloudflash is moderately flexible, and has some nice spring in the forefoot. I didn't find the CloudTec bumps to interfere or cause creases in the sole.
* {{H:outsole}}. Because of the CloudTec, the Cloudflash has outsole over the entire contact patch. This should give good wear characteristics. The CloudTec bumps can act as stone traps, and while mostly they are likely to be stuck in the gap between the outsole bumps, I have a nagging concern about any stones that do get launched under the bumps themselves.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cloudflash is shaped like many traditional shoes rather than being designed to fit the human foot. I'd recommend [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] for your feet to move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is really minimalist, and some think I'd associate with a shoe weighing less than half the amount. There is very little padding except for a tiny bit around the ankle opening. While I didn't have any specific problems, this is not a cushy or comfortable shoe by any means, and I'd expect better at this weight.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cloudflash has a boutique style tongue, though the attachment is part way down the tongue, so entry and exit are only slightly restricted. The tongue is unpadded and thin, and I found it tricky to put on without creasing.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cloudflash has thin flat laces that stay tied reasonably well.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cloudflash doesn't have a traditional hard plastic heel counter, or at least not one that I could detect. However, there is a lot of reinforcement around the heel that again reduced to the overall comfort.
{{FastBlr|on-running/on-Cloudflash-2-1091|1091|On Cloudflash}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
I'm not a big fan of ON shoes, so trying their Cloudflash was a bit of a leap of faith. In the end, I didn't get on with the Cloudflash at all, so this is more of a first look than a full review. I found the [[On Cloudracer]] to be a reasonable, but not great shoe. By comparison, the Cloudflash has a similar weight, but far less cushioning, and the cloud racer was itself rather poorly cushioned for its weight. It's also a rather expensive shoe given what you get. It's possible that the ON approach might a lost longer than a traditional foam, but I'm not convinced the trade-off is a good one. I'd much rather have 2 pairs of the outstanding [[Nike Zoom Streak LT]] and cash left over. Overall, I rated the Cloudflash as "worth considering" depending on what you're looking for in a running shoe. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
File:ON Cloudflash-top.jpg|ON Cloudflash top
File:ON Cloudflash-outside.jpg|ON Cloudflash outside
File:ON Cloudflash-bottom.jpg|ON Cloudflash bottom
File:ON Cloudflash-inside.jpg|ON Cloudflash inside
</gallery>
=Characteristics=
* {{H:cushioning}}. ON use a radically different approach to cushioning, with a collapsible hard rubber loops they call "CloudTec." See my review of the [[On Cloudracer]] for an analysis of this approach. While the cloud racer was overly firm for its weight, the Cloudflash is even stiffer. There is very little conventional foam in the midsole, and it relies mostly on the collapsible rubber hoops. In the Cloudflash, this didn't feel effective or comfortable. It's possible that the CloudTec bumps may allow the Cloudflash to last longer than conventional foam shoes, but I'd much rather replace a better shoe more often than put up with the Cloudflash.
* {{H:drop}}. The Cloudflash has an 7mm drop either loaded or unloaded, which is rather more than I'm comfortable with. While many shoes with a 7 mm drop don't feel too bad, that's often because the drop is far less when the shoe is loaded, something that doesn't seem to happen here.
* {{H:structure}}. There's no structure in the usual sense; no variations in cushioning to prevent the natural movement of the foot. I found the Cloudflash didn't interfere with my running in the usual ways issue interferes, which is by limiting pronation. On the other hand, the Cloudflash never felt natural or smooth.
* {{H:flexibility}}. The Cloudflash is moderately flexible, and has some nice spring in the forefoot. I didn't find the CloudTec bumps to interfere or cause creases in the sole.
* {{H:outsole}}. Because of the CloudTec, the Cloudflash has outsole over the entire contact patch. This should give good wear characteristics. The CloudTec bumps can act as stone traps, and while mostly they are likely to be stuck in the gap between the outsole bumps, I have a nagging concern about any stones that do get launched under the bumps themselves.
* {{H:shape}}. The Cloudflash is shaped like many traditional shoes rather than being designed to fit the human foot. I'd recommend [[Shoe Modifications| cutting open the toe box]] for your feet to move naturally. {{H:TryCuttingShoes}}
* {{H:upper}}. The upper is really minimalist, and some think I'd associate with a shoe weighing less than half the amount. There is very little padding except for a tiny bit around the ankle opening. While I didn't have any specific problems, this is not a cushy or comfortable shoe by any means, and I'd expect better at this weight.
* {{H:tongue}}. The Cloudflash has a boutique style tongue, though the attachment is part way down the tongue, so entry and exit are only slightly restricted. The tongue is unpadded and thin, and I found it tricky to put on without creasing.
* {{H:lacing}}. The Cloudflash has thin flat laces that stay tied reasonably well.
* {{H:heelcounter}}. The Cloudflash doesn't have a traditional hard plastic heel counter, or at least not one that I could detect. However, there is a lot of reinforcement around the heel that again reduced to the overall comfort.
{{FastBlr|on-running/on-Cloudflash-2-1091|1091|On Cloudflash}}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}