Customer Reviews Hoka Clifton 4

In the process of evaluating the shoe over the 30 day trial period. Ran with it a few times and really want to love it...but getting some discomfort around the arch area of my foot. May be because of the steep toe drop and the high cushioning. The cushioning is great and the shoe seems really well made. Was trying to get the black ones but weren't part of the sale. Plan to try my orthotic inserts next. I've got another week of trail so we'll see..hoping they feel better.

Good shoe, feels like it will hold up for the long haul. BUT, I wish I didn't have to listen to my feet squish. I cut drainage holes, didn't seem to help

So. I'm a 15 wide, but on some brands go to a 16 as they run small. I like that they are true fit.. but it's 2019... The world has gotten bigger.. and not everyone is 6 ft tall anymore.. I'm 6'8 I don't wear size 14 and under. A few friends own these shoes and have been telling me to buy a pair, but at a retailer they don't stock size 15, as they all state they are not available and I'd be better off looking for them online., but online is either not available in my size or instructed to go to a retailer. Does this company believe that there is no size 16 foot? I'm at a total loss if there are no plans to make BIG/LARGER size shoes...

The two best things about this shoe IMO is that it fits great. It's almost as though Hoka took a mold of my foot and built this shoe. The blue/green go very well and make this a great looking shoe. My first pair of Hoka's were the Clifton 3. The most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever owned. Fast forward 1,000 plus miles of walking and even though they were still comfortable, it was time for a new pair. I order the Clifton 4. When I tried them on in the store, the plush feel of the Clifton 3 did not exist in the Clifton 4. Not even close. But the shoe fit very well and wasn't completely uncomfortable. I started my daily 3.5 ish mile walks in them and although they were very supportive, several weeks in, I missed the plush feel of the Clifton 3. My love for Hoka at this point, was not as great as it was when I purchased the Clifton 3. I did some research and found the Bondi might meet my needs better. I found them at a local store and tried them on. The store actually had the Bondi 5 and Bondi 6 so I could compare side by side. The Bondi 6 was noticeably more comfortable. I made the purchase, put 4 miles on them this morning and couldn't be happier. My Clifton 4's (with about 250 miles on them) will be retired to shoes I only wear on occasion. The Bondi 6 is now my go to and my love for Hoka has been rekindled. If you're like me and looking for the plush feeling of the Clifton 3, the Bondi 6 is a great replacement. I wish the 6 had more of a spring in the toe when going forward like the Clifton 3 had, but that's my only complaint....and it's minor.

Hoka needs to "define " what is their company wide meaning. The Clifton 4 is a narrow shoe; no doubt about it. They can share that fact on front and suggest the wide model to more customers. I don't consider to have a wide foot like too many other customers but the wide option its the right one for me since this model and to many other Hoka models are narrow. After 60 miles I can share that its a conftable shoe; good cushion; help me with my heel and hip issue. I can't compare the Clifton 4 vs the previous models because I'm a Brooks and Asics user but my biggest complaint is not how the shoe feels. My biggest issue is that this shoe worn out fast. By fast I means after 18 miles you can see the difference. Nothing that happens to me before with any other running brand. The question is , How many miles this model will allow me to put in them? That will determine if I buy this brand again.

Bought for son, after 40 days I flipped them over and the bottom is falling apart and the dark gray parts on the edge have worn away and the soft cushy part is completely exposed and shredding. Approx 150miles worth in the shoes and they shouldn't be falling apart like this. All other Hoka shoes (and we are new, so we've only had a few) have worn out over the top of the foot but the bottom has normal wear. And it would be 5months worth of daily running to look like they should just go in the trash..but never only a few days past a month. Running is on grass course most days, some track running. I returned to the store where I bought today in hopes of Hoka making it right. They sold me another pair just like it for now, to see what Hoka does with a promise to return for full refund in a couple weeks when Hoka fixes the issue (which they should). This Clifton 4 will not be on our continue to buy list.

I have had the Clifton 1, 3, and now the 4. The Clifton 1 is my all time favorite, and was a break through shoe for me and others as I've read. The shoe has gotten more "refined" though this has meant less flexible, heavier, with more stiff impact when walking running etc. Now its not as bad as that seems, it's still a great shoe, I just miss the 1. ( I wanted to give 3.5 stars for the Clifton 4, not sure how to do it) I made a suggestion to Hoka, that different people like different Clifton's, so why not offer a spectrum of Clifton's to appeal to a variety of different runners? After all, we each have different shaped feet, preferences, running styles, and body types. Someone might say, pick a different Hoka shoe, I say, Clifton is my favorite, tongue out;) Yes, I have tried others on, in stores, and online, thanks but no thanks. I want the best. Now, I want to say, the styling on the Clifton 4 is fantastic, the design team did a stellar job here. I also love the wide sizing! I can see they added a resilient rubber like bed between the famous marshmallow cushioning they are famous for, and even though it does bring increased responsiveness, it adds weight and stiffness, to me, its not worth it. Or I might say, this would only be desired in certain running conditions. What I love about the Clifton 1, is it gave the ultimate free feeling, like being a kid, and almost like running around in the yard in socks, so light and soft, incredible. I will wear these Clifton 4's until they fall off my feet, but I'll keep dreaming of the Clifton 1's, in wide please! If you wanted to add the 4's styling, fine by me! This would earn a 5 star by me. Happy running everyone-

I've run 800+ miles with a pair of Clifton 3 and like them a lot. This update was a disappointment. The shoe feels and looks too clunky. Feels heavier also. Seems like Hoka is now trying to please everybody, betraying their original appeal of a light, cushioned and simple shoe. Returning them

I like the feel of the new upper material. However, because it's stretchier, and the shoe is a tad narrower than previous models, it's lacking in the lateral support needed to give a secure feel when running a turn. Shoe also has a firmer underfoot feel than the 3.

The Clifton 4 is really stiff. It does not have the same cushioned feel of the original Clifton. The toe box is too narrow. I would really like HOKA to go back and look at the first Clifton. It featured a wide toe box, a minimalist tongue... no need for excessive padding. Finally, the shoe was plush, yet responsive. Every version since, has paled in comparison to the original.

I have owned all the Cliftons so far except the 2's. The 2' were too narrow. Clifton 1 was a wonderfully light shoe with amazing cushion. None of them have held up past about 8-10 weeks. I underpronate and the heel wears out much too quickly. The Clifton 4 has much harder foam than the previous versions. They are also heavier than the the previous versions. Not heavy just heavier than the 1 and 3. Not a bad shoe just nothing special. I run about 20-40 miles a week but the shoes don't hold up that great which is disappointing.

I am a longtime Hoka One One customer, and specifically the Clifton. I've owned all four versions of this shoe, and this Clifton 4 being my least favorite. Overall, it's a nice shoe, but man, I really tried to like it and put some miles on them for the past two weeks since they arrived. They simply are way too hard, stiff, and don't have anywhere near the amount of cushion and nice feel that the previous Clifton 3's had. I think if I had to pick my favorite feel and enjoyment of the the Clifton, it would be the Clifton 3. I am really bummed that I had to send these back and I'm hoping you at Hoka will read this and realize that not everyone who buys your shoes, and loves to run in your shoes, is a professional athlete. Not everyone is trying to set records for speed and win races. I am going to purchase the Elevons in hopes that I can find another shoe to come close to what I liked about the Clifton 3. Love your shoes, and always proud to wear them and support Hoka, but please bring back the Cushion to these shoes. It's like you took away the best part of the Clifton and made them "more responsive" aka hard and harsh. Thanks for reading!

Tried the 4's at a Hoka shoe demo, fell in love. The old cushion was back, (owned multiple 1,2,3s) and the rocker felt awesome, plus they make a 2E model!!! Width of the 2E is great...... but.....where did all the cushion from the demo shoes go? These things are planks, around 200 miles the cushion broke down and it felt like a piston ramming my arches and I have a high volume foot. Anyway, kept them and they were done by 300 miles. Looking at other brands buying my first pair of NB 1080's. Sorry Hoka, you were my main squeeze, gave you every chance.

I ordered a 13 because my last pair was 14 and they seemed a bit big but 13 is to small. The return portion is a bit sketchy I'm still waiting for the larger size to come back it's kinda slow process not sure I'd do this again

I have been a dedicated Clifton user since the Clifton 1, unfortunately the Clifton 4 left me disappointed. I have had 8 pairs of Hokas and unfortunately this may be my last. I am not sure what changes were made to the sole of the shoe but the quality has taken a big hit. I use my shoes for running exclusively and saw that I got 150 less mile out of the Clifton 4 then I did the Clifton 3. The rubber on the bottom of my Clifton 4 was completely gone before even reaching 200 miles. I was a hoka user for life and this change is quality may have changed that. I have talked to some other people and they have had a similar issue.

Improved quality you can see and feel. However the single biggest feature and benefit of this shoe - extreme cushioning - is gone. Now a fairly "stiff shoe". As a fairly fast runner - who trains at 6:30 pace - I can understand why Hoka was convinced to take some cushioning out for a "faster" more responsive shoe. OK Resulting in a shoe that is no longer the standout in a light weight cushioned running shoe - I have run in all 4 of the Clifton's- they became stiffer each time. The 4s feel a lot like my dress shoes. I still run in the 2s.

I'm a huge Hoka fan. I love my pairs of Clifton 3s. I have bought multiple pair of the Clifton 4s in hopes I got a bad pair and all the same. Not the same feel or cushion as the 3. Leaves me sore after running as short as a 5k. Not happy with the Clifton 4 at all.

First pair of Hoka and the midsole felt tight on one shoe. I thought it was the arch area being high but it was actually because I was stepping on the piece between the midsole and upper. After looking at it further, the upper materials are different on each foot. The one with issues have a flatter reflective material. Wife threw box away so I cannot return to the store. I'll try Bondi next.

The shoe overall is great quality with great cushion in the sole of the shoe. The only issue which ended up being a major issue for me was the insole of the shoe was not a right fit for my foot. Because of the narrowness of the insole the inner part of the shoe rubbed up against the inside of my foot rather aggressively. I did two runs in the shoes totaling 12 miles and the inside of both of my feet were raw. I tried moving the insole around and also putting protective KT tape on the inside of my foot but the rubbing did not stop and made it impossible to run in. I did some research online and saw a youtube video and a few reviews about people having the same issue. The good news is it was fixable. Prior to purchasing these shoes I was running in Saucony Triumphs which gave me no foot problems. I took the insole out of those shoes and compared it to the ones in the Hokas and you can see where the Hokas had a cut out on the inner part of the insole that rubbed against my foot. So I took the saucony insole with the hoka shoe and went to go find an insole that would match. I had put 425 miles on my sauconys so I wanted a new shoe all together or else I would have just switched out the insoles. I do have a flat foot so that may have contributed to the rubbing as well. Someone with a higher arch may not experience the same issue. Either way this is the reason for my three star rating. I found a pair of $50 insoles that fit and I put them in my Hokas and have ran 40 miles with them with no rubbing on my foot. My complaint is if I buy such a high quality shoe I shouldn't need to go pay extra for an insole. And I did try the shoe on and walked around the store with the hokas before I purchased but I did not feel anything wrong with them until I had ran a couple miles. Positive: I have had really bad runners knee using the sauconys but since I started using the hokas the runners knee has subsided most likely do to the added support/cushioning of the hokas.

These are okay, but I chose neutral so that I had a little more feel for the road. It wad actually opposite. I will probably get the least plush ride if I get Hokas again.

I moved to the Clifton 4s after running two pairs of 3s to the ground, which I loved. Out of the box the 4s felt narrower in the toe box than the 3s but I thought I would give them some time to stretch out. After 60+ miles no luck with the stretching and I was getting rubs and foot cramping causing me to seek an alternative shoe. So I gave the wides a try and it did solve for the narrowness but I noticed a completely different feel in the sole softness versus my other pair. The wide was much firmer than the other pair of 4s and ever firmer than my 3s which were hammered with 400+ miles on them. Again, I gave them some time to break in, but after 20 miles or so, I couldn't take it any more. Really bummed that there isn't better quality control. I'm hoping I got a dud pair and this isn't a common problem with production. I guess I'll need to purchase another wide pair online to see if this is truly a dud or not since stores in the area don't carry the wides. Sort of annoying and hopefully not a result of Hoka's increased production / distribution because they have made a great shoe that is truly different from the other brands.

Definitely a step backwards from the 3s, I'm not sure how they believe that adding so much height to the heel would result in a smother more comfortable long distance shoe. My advice is skip this addition if you are looking for a marathon shoe.