Customer Reviews Hoka Clifton 4

I have been a Hoka customer for almost 4 years and the Clifton 4 are not the shoes if you are looking for a soft ride like previous Cliftons. I do half marathons and this shoes make my feet burn after 5 to 6 miles. I prefer to run on my worn out old Cliftons.

I owned multiple pair of the Clifton 3 shoe. Despite the negative reviews, I decided to give the Clifton 4 a chance. Unfortunately, Hoka shifted drastically away from their trademark "running on clouds" marketing -- as the Clifton 4 is anything BUT a soft running platform. In the first 100 meters I ran on pavement, my shins felt shockwaves from the hard impact. They actually made running less enjoyable and I couldn't wait to get out of them. Afterward, I put on my Challenger ATR 3s and there was an immediate and drastic difference. Hoka changed the cushioning SO much in this new model. Hoka used to stand apart from other brands, but now there seems to be no difference -- hence no reason to not try other shoes again. Why do companies desperately chase innovation and change when the actual consumers are content and happy with something that works well?

Nice product, really good for you to have that nice swing on the feet when walking or running. I'm only giving this a 2 star because in the middle of my feet the shoes didn't fit, they were too narrow and as a result they ended hurting me after some walking.

Clifton 4's are MUCH firmer than the 3's. Thought Clifton 3's were the best cushioned shoe I ever had. Not so with the Clifton 4. Also sole is very stiff. Sent shoes back and bought another pair of Clifton 3's. Hope Hoka gets their act together before Clifton 5's come out.

I own at least 10 pairs of hokas and was hoping for these to replace my Cliftons of the previous iteration. Though I love the new upper and the lighter weight, my foot feels less secure laterally. I suppose this is due to trimming a millimeter or so from the width or the stretchier upper. It has promise, but needs refinement. I'm hoping the new Napalis will fill the void since they promise to be very similar to the previous Clifton. These have been relegated to the "everyday" sneaker.

I went to Fleet Feet sports and tried out a pair of HOKA CLIFTON 4 on the Fleet Feet treadmill and the arch felt uncomfortable, I own a pair of CLIFTON 3 and put a lot of miles on and felt great but the CLIFTON 4 felt nothing like my 3 so I tried out a pair of Bondi 5 and they are a way better feeling shoe and I can't wait to tryout my new Bondi 5 on a long run

I love the Clifton 1-3, unfortunately the 4s are much harder and no longer the soft soled shoe that made it the best soft shoe around. I thought they might soften up after wearing for a couple days but they did not and I had to return them. The best feature was the soft sole and that is gone. this now falls under the category of standard running shoe, hopefully Hoka goes back to its old soft sole.

I've tried to give them a chance (over 100 miles). But the sole is way too firm. I thought it was just being new shoes as my C3s had 700 miles on them. But they have not changed and are way too firm. The point of a thick sole is to add cushion. But it's not there. The upper has been fine, but Hokas are made for max cushion. That's why I purchase them. Also, why are the color choices so bland?! 7 colors and 5 are black, white, or gray.

I was very hopeful that the Clifton 4 was going to be better than Clifton 3 with respect to the width of the toe box. Sadly, it wasn't! I will try them again with band aids on both inside toes or will try the blister protector material.

I was personally disappointed in the 4s. I'm on my 10th pair of Cliftons and was hoping for a lighter, faster shoe. Loved the 1s, hated the 2s, and was pretty happy with the 3s but wished they were a bit lighter. Ran 50 miles in the 4s and had to send them back. I am a competitive Masters level runner and set all of my PRs in Cliftons and had no need for increased firmness and inflexibility, The combination of the revised arch support and the fact that they're extremely firm caused problems for me. It's just not the ride that I cherished in the first model and grew to like in the 3s. So, I'll continue to run in the 3s and hope that the next version gets back to it's roots. Otherwise, I'll sadly move on!

I bought these based on supposed improvements over the Clifton 3's. I was told by a Hoak rep that they had redesigned the toe box and the midsole so I literally ordered them at product launch. The 3's run on the side of me big toes somewhat and I thought this might be a good upgrade. They are a little firmer, which I don't mind but the big issue is the toe room. While they do not hit the side of my toe, they hit on top of my big toe where the 3's did not so the height of the toe box is wrong. When I run over 6 miles my big toes are sore. I made a mistake as I did not return them within 30 days. Oh well, thy look cool and back to the 3's for me.

Even when re-lacing in various ways the shoe was just too tight in the midsection. The toe box is very narrow, squeezing my toes together. however, construction of the shoe seemed top notch.

Loved the Clifton 3 (while it lasted...200 miles and started falling apart). Was glad to hear this was addressed on the 4, until I ran in them. I know you can't please everyone, but this was such a drastic you can't consider it the same shoe. Very sad and very disappointed.

I am a Sub-3 marathon runner and have used 10 pairs of cliftons since an ankle operation in 2014. The v4 wide is the best fit so far, but the weight is dire....for a us12 (no insole) v1 was 247g, v2 301g, v3 278g and v4 298g. So v4 fully 50g heavier than v1. My v1s durability was fine and I could race in them. The v4 is just too heavy. Please bring back the v1, preferably with a wide version

2 out of 5 stars. Echoing what many have said already in the review. More responsive and likely more durable, but the toe-box is narrower, the shoe is heavier, and the fit (I am a true 11 in the Clifton 3's) is just off enough that the tips of my toes press on downhills in the Clifton 4's. I just placed an order for 2 additional pairs of Clifton 3's and will ride it out until hopefully a better version of Clifton's arrive with the 5th generation model.

The Clifton 1 was a magical shoe, it was light, flexible, and full of soft cushiony goodness. I'm not sure why Hoka is going in the direction that they are going in with the Clifton 4 and the Bondi 5, but the ride is much stiffer on both of them. The 4's can't hold a candle to the 1's. I realize that when a shoe is softer it looses some of it's durability, but that's part of the price you have to pay for a soft shoe. It's a price I'm willing to pay! I would suggest Hoka stop listening to the complaints about durability and start listening to the thousands that would like to see a shoe like the Clifton 1 again. If Hoka doesn't make it somebody else will and we'll buy them by the thousands. Hoka please listen to your customers and bring back the 1....it was awesome!

In the process of returning these shoes. I like the Clifton 3, and was hoping the Clifton 4 would be better, but I am disappointed to say that it is not. The shoe has yet again gained significant weight, which is very disappointing. I was really hoping the Clifton 4 would drop significant weight and get back to the original Clifton style. The upper is very soft, but in my opinion too soft. When you tighten the laces, it creates a pinch point on your foot due to the extreme softness. I did not have an issue with this on the Clifton 3.

The Clifton 4 feels like something between the Arahi and Bondi 5 rather than a new version of the Clifton 3. They have gone from a lightweight soft cushioned shoe to a heavier stiff cushioned shoe and when I first put the shoe on I noticed there is a small bit of arch support unlike the Clifton 3. The arch support took away from the comfort of the shoe for me and the toe box is slightly narrower too. They did make improvements to the look of the shoe and the upper material, but otherwise I'm disappointed.

Firmer than the 3's... I opted to order another pair of Clifton 3's before they're impossible to find. The early reviews are accurate, the Clifton 4's are former and not as plush and soft as the 3's. To each his own... I just prefer the 3's and how they fit and feel.

I can not justify the price when I can buy another pair at half the price that feel about the same.

I would give zero stars if I could mainly because each shoe was a different width AND the 2e width of the right shoe was still slightly tight. I am returning them and not sure if I will buy another pair, and if so, from this site.

Ordered the wrong color shoes by mistake, the website cancel order button did not work after checkout complete, called customer service when opened in the morning and was told the order can't be stopped but it showed processing not shipped, had to wait to receive the order so I can send it back ... sent it back on 2/22, it's 3/5 and still no exchange received! Called customer service multiple times, the website and phoone number are never working properly so that's their excuse for everything

after looking for new running shoes ... I decided to buy Clifton 4 After my first run ..... I found that these are not the shoes for my running Sole is too Rigid.....Got pain in my feet very disappointed