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Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE:Best Running Shoe Reviews – Hoka Clifton}} The [http://www.zappos.com/hoka-huaka Huaka] strikes me as an odd issue for Hoka to produce, and I'm struggling to ..."
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Best Running Shoe Reviews – Hoka Clifton}}
The [http://www.zappos.com/hoka-huaka Huaka] strikes me as an odd issue for Hoka to produce, and I'm struggling to work out what their target audience is. The problem with the Huaka is the use of the RMAT foam in the midsole, which is supposed to be hard wearing, but it's also excessively firm. Why buy a shoe that's heavy and bulky, but doesn't provide the cushioning? If you want a firmer, more minimalist shoe, there are many options that are less bulky and lighter.
=Characteristics=
* '''Midsole'''. The Huaka midsole is made of the firm RMAT foam that's used in the [[Hoka Conquest]].
** '''Cushioning'''. The Huaka has relatively little cushioning, especially given its relatively heavy weight.
** '''Drop & Shape'''. Like other Hoka shoes, the Huaka Clifton has about half the drop of a traditional running shoe (6mm instead of ~10mm). The Huaka has a less abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe than the Clifton, and quite a bit less than the Bondi, but it's not as gentle as the Altra Olympus. While I like the Olympus taper most, the Huaka is close enough. The rear of the midsole is cut away, giving a bit of a rocker shape that's close to the Bondi. The midsole wraps around the lower part of the foot to create some stability to counter the stilt like instability you get with a thick soled shoe.
** '''Structure'''. This shoe is made of a single type of foam.
** '''Flexibility'''. The Huaka is more flexible than the Bondi or Olympus, a lot more flexible than the Conquest, but less flexible than the Clifton.
* '''Outsole'''. The Huaka has some exposed midsole, with some durable rubber covering some of the high friction areas. The durable rubber is not terribly well placed in my opinion (see image below), and I can see the wear patterns causing some odd stresses on the foot..
* '''Shape'''. The Huaka has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a tiny toe box. At Ultras I've seen a distinctive pattern of blisters caused by Hokas, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].
* '''Upper'''. The upper is a thin, breathable, and inflexible, with good padding around the ankle opening. The material looks identical to the Clifton.
* '''Tongue'''. The Clifton has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper, though the tongue has no padding.
* '''Lacing'''. The Huaka uses a "speed lacing" system that uses thin laces and a locking system. I prefer the traditional laces as it can be tricky to get the tension right with the "speed lacing" system. Like many shoes in the Hoka range, there are elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose. (I always cut these elastic straps off.)
* '''Heel counter'''. The Huaka has similar heel counter to the Bondi, which is a mild and has no strongly defined edges.
=Compared with Altra Torin=
The [[Altra Torin]] is probably the closest shoe to the Huaka, as if they are both quite firm and have a similar weight. In fact the Torin and is even firmer than the Huaka, but it's also less bulky.
=Gallery=
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaBondi.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the Bondi. ]]
|[[File:HuakaClifton.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the [[Hoka Clifton]].]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaMafete.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the [[Hoka Mafate]]. ]]
|[[File:HuakaOlympus.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the Olympus. ]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaSole.JPG|none|thumb|500px| The sole of the Huaka. The white areas are exposed midsole, and the green areas are the harder rubber. ]]
|[[File:HokaOrAltra.png|none|thumb|500px|Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot. ]]
|}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}
The [http://www.zappos.com/hoka-huaka Huaka] strikes me as an odd issue for Hoka to produce, and I'm struggling to work out what their target audience is. The problem with the Huaka is the use of the RMAT foam in the midsole, which is supposed to be hard wearing, but it's also excessively firm. Why buy a shoe that's heavy and bulky, but doesn't provide the cushioning? If you want a firmer, more minimalist shoe, there are many options that are less bulky and lighter.
=Characteristics=
* '''Midsole'''. The Huaka midsole is made of the firm RMAT foam that's used in the [[Hoka Conquest]].
** '''Cushioning'''. The Huaka has relatively little cushioning, especially given its relatively heavy weight.
** '''Drop & Shape'''. Like other Hoka shoes, the Huaka Clifton has about half the drop of a traditional running shoe (6mm instead of ~10mm). The Huaka has a less abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe than the Clifton, and quite a bit less than the Bondi, but it's not as gentle as the Altra Olympus. While I like the Olympus taper most, the Huaka is close enough. The rear of the midsole is cut away, giving a bit of a rocker shape that's close to the Bondi. The midsole wraps around the lower part of the foot to create some stability to counter the stilt like instability you get with a thick soled shoe.
** '''Structure'''. This shoe is made of a single type of foam.
** '''Flexibility'''. The Huaka is more flexible than the Bondi or Olympus, a lot more flexible than the Conquest, but less flexible than the Clifton.
* '''Outsole'''. The Huaka has some exposed midsole, with some durable rubber covering some of the high friction areas. The durable rubber is not terribly well placed in my opinion (see image below), and I can see the wear patterns causing some odd stresses on the foot..
* '''Shape'''. The Huaka has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a tiny toe box. At Ultras I've seen a distinctive pattern of blisters caused by Hokas, so it's critical to [[Shoe Dissection| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].
* '''Upper'''. The upper is a thin, breathable, and inflexible, with good padding around the ankle opening. The material looks identical to the Clifton.
* '''Tongue'''. The Clifton has a classic tongue rather than a tongue-less sock style of upper, though the tongue has no padding.
* '''Lacing'''. The Huaka uses a "speed lacing" system that uses thin laces and a locking system. I prefer the traditional laces as it can be tricky to get the tension right with the "speed lacing" system. Like many shoes in the Hoka range, there are elastic straps that pull the sides together even if the laces are loose. (I always cut these elastic straps off.)
* '''Heel counter'''. The Huaka has similar heel counter to the Bondi, which is a mild and has no strongly defined edges.
=Compared with Altra Torin=
The [[Altra Torin]] is probably the closest shoe to the Huaka, as if they are both quite firm and have a similar weight. In fact the Torin and is even firmer than the Huaka, but it's also less bulky.
=Gallery=
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaBondi.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the Bondi. ]]
|[[File:HuakaClifton.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the [[Hoka Clifton]].]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaMafete.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the [[Hoka Mafate]]. ]]
|[[File:HuakaOlympus.JPG|none|thumb|500px| A top view of the Huaka above the Olympus. ]]
|- valign="top"
|[[File:HuakaSole.JPG|none|thumb|500px| The sole of the Huaka. The white areas are exposed midsole, and the green areas are the harder rubber. ]]
|[[File:HokaOrAltra.png|none|thumb|500px|Hoka, like most shoe makers, does not seem to have ever seen a human foot. ]]
|}
=A Comparison with other Recommended Shoes=
{{:Shoes-include}}