Customer Reviews Hoka Clifton 4

I went and tried this model before I bought them. After I jogged up and down the walkway and after a few strides, my knees were hurting.

I work in factory settings 12hr shifts and needed a good pair of shoes. After 3 months of having these shoes, the paint and decals are coming off and cracking. I even have a hole starting in the fabric. I spent way to much money on shoes that don't hold up. Not to happy.

Tried the clifton 3 and loved them. But tried the clifton 4 and they seem harder with more arch support which made my arch ache. So i had to return them but i see they are rereleasing the clifton 3 as the napali so i will try that hopefully it will be more like the 3.

The Clifton 3s were great shoes. Plenty of space inside and soft as can be. My foot landed so naturally that it felt more like I was running barefoot on foam roads rather than with shoes on. The Clifton 4 is the opposite of this. The soles are incredibly hard. The whole point of maximal shoes is that they offer large amounts of cushion. To have huge soles that are hard as a rock is just dangerous. It is like running in Frankenstein shoes. Since there is no give in the soles, they will twist your ankles, knees, hips, etc... in order to make these soles land flat on the ground. What is worse is that Hoka added random hard plastic to the shoes that pushes against the outside edge of your foot. I was convinced I had a stress fracture but after switching shoes I realized that it was the plastic pressing against my foot making it incredibly sore. This shoe is so awful that I have changed shoe brands entirely. I hit the jackpot and had an amazing year of racing and running thanks to Clifton 3s. However, a company that is so clueless and out of touch with its customers is not a company that I care to support anymore. Furthermore, it is obvious that Hoka has its sole material produced by the lowest bidder and has compromised its trademark quality soft soles. The entire point of these shoes is that they have big, soft soles! Why would you compromise there??? One last point: calling these shoes "neutral" is misleading. They are stability shoes. They have added parts that force your foot to land a certain way. This is exactly what a stability shoe is. Your foot cannot possibly land in a neutral position in this shoe. There are a lot of great shoes out there. Don't compromise with these.

I bought these to replace my last pair of Clifton 3s, which were perfect form me: very cushioned and comfortable. The Clifton 4s were much too firm and narrow in the back portion of the shoe. Very uncomfortable and they caused my sciatica to flare up. I returned them.

Have worn the Clifton 2 & 3 and love them both. First run in the the 4 lasted less than a mile due to extreme rubbing on both arches. Had same problem with Clayton. I am not sure what changed from previous models, but it is extremely disappointing to find such a great shoe then it is changed.

This shoe is terrible. Hoka has gotten rid of what made the first 3 Clifton models so great and unique. I have worn Cliftons exclusively for years and they were seriously wonderful shoes. I've probably had 8 pairs. I had over 400 miles in the Clifton 3s and they were great up until the very end. Running less than 100 miles in the Clifton 4 has caused me serious knee and hip pain and injury. The Clifton 4s are hard, uncomfortable shoes made in an attempt to go main stream. Extremely disappointed. I found Clifton 3s for sale online and have begun stocking up. Not sure what I'll do when the supply of them runs out.

I bought the Clifton 1, 2 and 3....now scared of the 4 as i watch the weight getting bigger on those shoes. Just the Chicago half marathon with the Clifton 2. What is now the equivalent of the Clifton 1 and 2 in the Hoka lineup. They should of kept the spirit of the light cushionned shoe perfect for marathon....the 3 was way too bulky and heavy.

Just not the same as the other three versions ... which I have had and loved! This one is not as supportive ... and I felt as though I was walking off a cliff when my toes hit the ground. Feels as though there is not support under my toes. Didn't like it! Strange feeling. Please bring back the old style!!!

Before I get into the review, given my overwhelmingly positive experience with Hokas over the past five years, it is possible that I got a pair of defective Clifton 4s. That said, it's the first pair of Hokas I've ever had to return. Having run in every version of the Clifton to this point, I was eagerly anticipating an even better experience with the newest one, but as soon as I took a few steps in them, something was clearly different. The midfoot felt way too high, forcing my arch up and really putting pressure on my instep. I ran five miles in them, and by the end, my left instep was trashed . . . huge blister. The occasional rub or "hot spot" in a new pair of shoes isn't that uncommon, I experienced that with the Clayton and it went away after a few runs, but this was much different. Maybe it's specific to my feet, since I've seen a lot of great reviews of the 4, but it's a no-go for me. I returned them and got a pair of Tracers.

I have to say, that I was pretty excited to get the Clifton 4's, after having a good experience with the Clifton 2's and the Clifton 3's. Well, after about 200 miles on my Clifton 4's, the cushioning is gone and I slowly started experiencing pain on my long runs. I'm currently training for a Full Marathon and thought at first it was just the usual soreness. The pain was getting worse and I could barely run a mile (with my long runs of 18 miles). So, I grabbed my Clifton 3's with over 450+ miles on them and the pain started to disappear. Needless to say, I found a site that was still selling the Clifton 3's and picked up a pair. What a waste of money on the Clifton 4's.

I recently purchased a pair of Clinton 4 and found them stiff compared to the older Clintons I've run in. Not very happy with the change as I liked the soft flexible feel of former models.

This is my 6th pair of Cliftons and they will probably be my last. The Clifton 1's were the best shoes I ever ran in. I miss them so much. Cushioned, light, fast. The 2's were ok. A little heavier and the upper was a little stiffer, but they improved as you broke them in. The 3's were an improvement over the 2's, but nowhere close to the first generation. They had a much more flexible upper, still nice and cushioned, but sadly gained some more weight. The 4's... What a mess. The trademark Clifton cushioning is gone and my legs are hurting because of it. They also fit very differently from the previous Clifton's and are giving me irritation while I run. Pain all around. And they're heavier! I'm really bummed I have to find a new shoe. I used to have the perfect shoe and anything resembling it is gone. Bring back the Clifton 1's please!

I had to return this version because it was hurting the ball of my foot after running. I only had about 40 miles on the shoe before it started hurting my feet. I have over 500 miles on my Clifton 3's and they still feel very comfortable so I'm switching back to the 3's. Unfortunately the local stores are all out of the 3's so I had to get these online at Hoka One One.

This shoe does not have the same cushioning as the Clifton 3. If I had to do it over again I would have never ordered these shoes without trying them on in the store first. The tongue stitching on the left shoe gave me a large blister after about 1/2 mile of walking to the gym. I am a diehard fan of the Clifton 3, I was really excited for the Clifton 4 it was a huge disappointment. The cushioning is much firmer, and the arch is funky. Do yourself a favor and try this shoe on locally before you commit to the Clifton 4...

This is simply a horrible, horrible update by Hoka. What are you guys thinking. The midsole is completely different than the previous versions, especially the orginal one. It is A LOT firmer and weight has been added to the shoe. Essentially, what you guys did is make a lighter version of the Bondi. Go back to the drawing board. The Clifton 4 is no longer light or spongy soft. Very unhappy.

The Clifton 4's have a much sharper look to them. My whole cross country upgraded form the 3s to the 4s and we all agreed that the new cliftons had a much more firm ride. The cliftons are known for " Running on clouds", but the Clifton 4's were much more firm. The 4's also seemed to have some odd arch support within the shoe, making it more uncomfortable. Back to the 3's and hoping the Cliftons 5's are a combination of a better look with a softer ride.

Look at your ratings, Hoka. Does a 3 1/2 star rating for the Clifton 4 ring any bells? The Clifton 1 was a solid 5-star everywhere. The Clifton 2's can still be found on sale-Is there a reason for that? The Clifton 3's were awesome when compared with the C-2, but average when compared with the C-1. Now, introducing the Clifton 4. Too heavy, hard landing, too firm, and too narrow for the D-width, forcing a normal width person to try the EE width, which happens to be too wide and sloppy. And one last thing, Hoka. Your rubber on the outside of the heel continues to wear down to the white EVA in just 100 miles on all Clifton models. Good running is striking on the outside of the heel and rolling across to the big toe push-off on the front inside of the shoe. Why can't you place a more wear-resistant carbon rubber just on the inside edge of the heel? AND PLEASE go back to the original Clifton 1...or at worst, go back to the C-3 and lighten it up.

What happened to such a great shoe. The Clifton 1,2 and 3 were awesome. Each iteration getting better then the last. The soft "running on marshmallow" marketing campaign is over. These shoes are stiff, hard and now have a slightly higher arch. The "new" foam may be more durable but at a significant compromise to the soft signature feel. My feet were in pain for a few days after a short run. Disappointment is an understatement in reviewing this shoe. The Clifton 4 is the exact opposite of why I became a hoka die hard. Hoka you owe it to your loyal fans, who stood with you when your shoes looked like sketchers shape ups. Who raved about there ride and feel to friends, family, and co workers. To get the Clifton 5 back to its roots. Hoka Clifton R.I.P July 2017

Bring back the Clifton 1 and 2s.... have moved on from Hoka

I was a big fan of the original. I'm satisfied with my Clifton 3s, but HOKA, you're getting further and further from the ideal. Bring back the lightweight upper and super soft ride. And what's with all the stripes?

If you like previous versions of Cliftons (that plush, sponge-like feel), you will not like these.