Changes

Previous versions of the Mafate have been the most cushioned shoe in the [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka range]], as well as including an aggressive outsole for grip on soft trails. With the latest iteration of the Hoka range the cushioning of the Mafate, Stinson, and Bondi has become closer. The Mafate still has the most heel cushioning, but it's so close to the Bondi that it's hard to tell, even when wearing one on each foot. The forefoot cushioning of the Stinson Lite is slightly greater than the Mafate, but again it's close. Before, you might select the Mafate to get the Hoka with the most cushioning possible, but now the Mafate is best selected if you need the aggressive outsole. '''Update''': I rated the original Mafate Speed reviewed here as "The Best of the Best", but it's been replaced by the Mafate Speed 2, which lacks the RMAT outsole. I've not tested the Mafate Speed 2, and probably won't. Cutting open the toe box of a trail shoe works in many conditions, but is less than ideal, so I'm tending to run trails in [[Altra]] shoes. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

|[[File:Hoka-Mafate-Speed-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px250px|Hoka Mafate Speed top]]|[[File:Hoka-Mafate-Speed-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px250px|Hoka Mafate Speed bottom]]|- valign="top"|[[File:Hoka-Mafate-Speed-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px250px|Hoka Mafate Speed inside]]|[[File:Hoka-Mafate-Speed-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px250px|Hoka Mafate Speed outside]]

* '''Why you'd buy it'''. You're after a [[MinimaxMaximalist]] shoe with an aggressive outsole.

* '''Outsole'''. The Mafate has aggressive lugs for grip on soft surfaces, and some of these are made of hard, durable rubber. However, most of the outsole is made of the softer [[RMAT]] foam, and I'm not sure how well this will wear. In the pictures above, the hard rubber is black and the RMAT is red. You can see that Hoka were concerned about the RMAT wearing as they added the harder rubber in the highest abrasion areas. The Mafate outsole is reasonably happy on roads, though I've found and the softness of the outsole sometimes lacks RMAT lugs is sticky, so it has great grip on wet asphaltmost surfaces. * '''Shape'''. The Mafate has the typical Hoka shape, which includes a horribly constricted toe box. In fact, the Mafate seems a little worse than most Hokas. The Hoka toe box tends to cause a distinctive pattern of blisters, so it's critical to [[Shoe Modifications| cut open the toe box of any Hokas]].{{H:TryCuttingShoes}}* '''Upper'''. The upper is inflexible and has a little padding. It's not quite as breathable as I'd like, but it's not terrible. There are a few seams, but they should not cause problems. I found there is not enough padding around the ankle opening, which can dig in painfully if you start to twist your ankle (a common issue with [[Maximalist]] shoes on trails.)

{{BuyShoesFastBlr|RW=Thoka-one-one/mafate-speed-1085|RRS=T1085|AZHoka One One Mafate Speed}}=T|ZPMafate as a Trail Shoe=T}}{{ShoeGraphs}}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.

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, I think Initially 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 softness of the RMAT lugs does make them surprisingly sticky, so the life new version has great grip on a wide variety of surfaces including even wet rock. They are also soft enough that the shoe, but it's too early to be sureworks well on the road.

* The tongue is now attached to the upper, in a sock-style arrangement. This works a little better than the original. * The latest version includes an optional thinner insole that reduces the cushioning by 3-4mm, but increases the internal room. This is a nice way of tweaking the fit of the shoe, rather like a [[Replacement Insoles| Replacement Insole]].

=Compared with Altra Olympusthe Hoka Clifton=The While the Mafate has more cushioning, the [[Altra OlympusHoka Clifton]] is much thinner, lighter, and more flexible than the Mafateweight difference translates to reduced effort for running. The Altra toe box Clifton will work quite well on rocky trails, but the Mafate is shaped for a far superior trail shoe. If you're running on asphalt, then chose the human footClifton, and it's zero dropbut for trails or mixed use, which makes it better shoe. However the Olympus has nothing like the cushioning of the Mafateis better.

|[[File:Altra-OlympusHoka Clifton 2-top.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px200px|Altra Olympus Hoka Clifton 2 top]] |[[File:Altra-OlympusHoka Clifton 2-bottom.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px200px|Altra Olympus Hoka Clifton 2 bottom]] |[[File:Altra-OlympusHoka Clifton 2-inside.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px200px|Altra Olympus Hoka Clifton 2 inside]] |[[File:Altra-OlympusHoka Clifton 2-outside.jpgJPG|none|thumb|150px200px|Altra Olympus Hoka Clifton 2 outside]]

{{FastBlr|hoka-one-one/clifton-2-1062|1062|Hoka Clifton 2}}=Compared with the Hoka CliftonAltra Olympus=While the Mafate has more cushioning, the The [[Hoka CliftonAltra Olympus]] is much thinner, lighter, and more flexible than the weight difference translates to reduced effort for runningMafate. The Clifton will work quite well on rocky trails, so unless you need Altra toe box is shaped for the aggressive outsole for grip on soft terrainhuman foot, Iand it'd recommend the Clifton as a s zero drop, which makes it better shoe. However the Olympus has nothing like the cushioning of the Mafate.

|[[File:HokaAltra-OneOne-CliftonOlympus-top.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton Altra Olympus top]] |[[File:Hoka-OneOneAltra-CliftonOlympus-bottom.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton Altra Olympus bottom]]|[[File:Hoka-OneOneAltra-CliftonOlympus-inside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton Altra Olympus inside]]|[[File:Hoka-OneOneAltra-CliftonOlympus-outside.jpg|none|thumb|150px|Hoka OneOne Clifton Altra Olympus outside]]