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=Mafate as a Trail Shoe=
The Mafate is one of the best shoes I've come across for multiple surfaces.
* It's quite at home when running on roads, as the lugs are soft enough that you're not really aware they are there.
* On the soft stuff, the lugs provide good grip for mud or grass. By the time things are soft enough that I start to doubt the lugs I was sinking far enough to worry more about having the mud suck the shoes off my feet (which happened once.)
* Over cobbles, the thick sole of the Mafate allow you to land on sharp points with impunity. On terrain where you'd have to pick your footing in thinner shoes you can hammer though with abandon.
* Where the Mafate really shines is on flat rock surfaces that so often prove treacherous. The [[RMAT]] outsole provides more grip than any other shoe I've tried, even on wet rocks.
I've been surprised by just how much confidence the Mafate gives you on pretty much any surface. Hoka are planning on introducing a hiking boot version of the Mafate, which I'm looking forward to in a big way if they can design one with a toe box for humans.
=Compared with the Earlier Mafate=
Hoka has made a number of changes between the original Mafate and the Mafate Speed. The update is rather mixed, with some improvements and some declines. Overall, Initially I think I prefer preferred the original version, but it's closethis update has really grown on me.* A large portion of the outsole is now made from the softer RMAT foam. I think this will reduce the life of the shoe, but it's too early to be sure. However, the The softness of the RMAT lugs does make them surprisingly sticky, so the new version has great gripon a wide variety of surfaces including even wet rock. They are also soft enough that the shoe works well on the road.
* The upper is thinner and has far fewer seams, but is less padded.
* The laces are now the Hoka "speed laces", which is probably why they added the "speed" suffix. You can use standard laces instead.
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=Compared with the Hoka Clifton=
While the Mafate has more cushioning, the [[Hoka Clifton]] is much lighter, and the weight difference translates to reduced effort for running. The Clifton will work quite well on rocky trails, so unless but the Mafate is a far superior trail shoe. If you need 're running on asphalt, then chose the aggressive outsole Clifton, but for grip on soft terraintrails or mixed use, I'd recommend the Clifton as a Mafate is better shoe.
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