Changes

The Bondi was my favorite of the [[Hoka Shoe Review| Hoka range]] for some time. Then the [[Altra Olympus]], came along, and was a 'better Bondi' because it's shaped for the human foot. After that the [[Hoka Clifton]] came along and produced [[Minimax ]] cushioning at a remarkably light weight. I've found that the Original Bondi B, the Bondi 2, 3, 4, and Bondi Speed are all remarkably similar. The Bondi has a horribly small toe box, but once its cut open the shoe works quite well. The Bondi has a reasonable balance of soft cushioning and weight, but has been surpassed by the Clifton. In fact, running with a Clifton on one foot and a Bondi on the other proved to me how close the two shoes feel, except for the weight. The Bondi is not available as a trail specific version, but I've found it works pretty well on most trails, though it lacks the lugs for slick, muddy tails. {{H:WhatToLookForInShoes}}

* '''Drop'''. Sadly the Bondi does not have a zero drop midsole, and the rear is about 5 mm thicker than the front. This is only about half the drop of a traditional running shoe and I typically don't have any issues moving between the Bondi and a zero drop shoe like the Altra. The Bondi has a rather abrupt taper at the very front of the shoe, unlike the Altra Olympus that has a gradual taper. Personally I find Hoka describe this as a 'Early-Stage Meta-Rocker', a fancy name for putting the Olympus taper preferable and swapping from under the Olympus to the Bondi rather oddtoes. It I find this can feels like the Bondi has a lump under my toes, but typically I only notice when I swap shoes late in a long ultra. However, I know of the runners that prefer the Bondi taper. The very rear of the shoe is cut away slightly, creating a little bit of a rocker shape. The midsole does wrap around the lower part of the foot to create some additional stability. This helps overcome some of the problems you get with a thick sole creating a stilt like instability.

The [[Hoka Clifton]] seems like it's an evolution of the Bondi, with the two shoes feeling remarkably similar, even when wearing one shoe on each foot. You can think of the Clifton as a Bondi that's lighter, with slightly similar cushioning. The Bondi does have more cushioningin the heel, but I don't think you'll notice unless you're a serious heel striker. I prefer the Clifton and would choose it every time.

The [[Hoka Stinson]] has become closer to the Bondi as it's evolved. The latest version of the Stinson Lite has remarkably similar levels of weight, cushioning and comfort. There is a slight difference to the midsole shape between the shoes. The Stinson has a little more drop, but a less abrupt taper under the toes. Hoka refer to this as the early or late meta-rocker, but even when I run with one shoe on each foot, the difference is slight. It's not clear to me why Hoka would produce two shoes that are this close, but the outsole on the Stinson Lite is better than the Bondi, making it a slightly better shoe.