Customer Reviews Hoka Arahi 2

Also appears to be made of cheaper materials than past pairs

Bought these from Marathon Sports in Boston. They specialize in running shoes and are a big part of the Boston Marathon. They also played a role in the Marathon bombings in 2013 as one of the bombs was left out in the front of their store. Anyways, I bought these shoes back in May and they have been great. They were recommended to me since I have really bad plantar fasciitis and these offer a lot of support. BUT....the mesh of the left shoe on the side has ripped and it's unrepairable according to a local cobbler. The tear is on the outside near the end of the laces right above where the mesh meets the black rubber. About an inch long and expanding. Really cheap material. I ONLY use these sneakers at an indoor gym, fours times a week and I run once a week on the treadmill. This has never happened to any sneakers I've bought before. I know about wearing them down as well as I was in the Army. Even then, I never had a pair rip so easily. I highly recommend to monitor the mesh on these. The shoes are great, but it's cheaply put together with cheap materials.

After 6 miles in this shoe, I experienced severe outer knee pain. I've never had knee pain before and this is not an injury as the next day, I ran my usual 10 mile trail run, in trail shoes, without pain. Giving the shoes a second chance on the road, exactly the same thing happened after 6 miles and could barely walk. Again, two days later, my fast 10 mile trail run was completed without pain. So after 12 miles can not use these shoes. Also caused unusual blisters on the tops of my feet behind the toes. I would not recommend these shoes unless you know you need substantial inner support. Also, the soles feel very hard .....not what you'd expect from Hoka

I have put more than 600km on my pair of Arahi 2. When I bought them, I was looking more a pair of cushion stability shoes. If they are light weight and good looking, it's even better. Arahi 2 serve very well with tese requriements and deserve a 5 star. I like the pair of shoes a lot. But ... The toe box is just a bit too narrow and causing irratation and blisters on the two sides of the ball of my feet and the small toes. Actually, I only need something like 2mm more.

I love my Arahi 1s. As a runner with flat feet that needs more stability, the Arahi 1 was the best running shoe I've had among the dozens of different models I've tried. Not only did the Arahi 1 provide the stability I needed, but the fit and type of cushioning used provided a high level of responsiveness which I had not found any previous stability shoes. Unfortunately, the Arahi 2 made changes that ruin the responsiveness and the stability the shoe provides. The main culprit is the wider toe box. The wider toe box makes it easier for your foot to get out of alignment, causing the shoe to support the wrong areas of your foot, which can cause foot pain after just a short period of running in them. Additionally, the wider toe box makes the shoe feel clunky, depriving runners of the responsive ride the Arahi 1 provided. I would skip the Arahi 2 and wait for the 3 to come out or buy any pairs of the 1s that you can still find.

This shoe should be discontinued. The upper of this shoe is restrictive and causes serious problems. Cannot be broken in. Got them from HOKA direct by the looks of other reviews either these people no pain receptors in their feet or I was shipped a defective pair. Upon further inspection, who ever designed the uppers needs a new career. This is the absolute worse running shoe I have ever purchased.

This shoe has a curved bottom which messed me up. Now when I wear a normal dress shoe it feels weird to walk. Do not buy! I have returned to the brooks gts 18.

I really liked the color of the shoe, that's the primary reason I ordered them. I ordered my usual size 10 M, but when the arrived they were so tight that they were really uncomfortable. Since a wide size was not available, I had no choice but to return the shoes for a refund.

the arch is way to high and causes a lot of discomfort and pain. I just ran Grandma's Half (Duluth MN) in these things last weekend and my feet still hurt. Hoka was a sponsor of that event LOL

I asked for a response to this question 2X from the HOKA Service Team. To date NO RESPONSE! The Arabi is supposed to be a high end running shoe! I recently purchased a pair & love running in the shoes. The issue is that after only 20 miles (10 of which were on a treadmill) the black outer soul is almost gone! At this rate I'll be lucky to get 100 miles out of the shoes. Is this a known defect or a quality issue? I never had this issue with Asics Kayona.

Hoka, you keep stepping backwards in cushion. What's happening to you?? Go back to where your originals propelled you to today. Don't be the norm like every other shoe. Cushion, Cushion, Cushion. How do we sink that in??

This new Arahi 2 is stiff, like super stiff...no flex at all, and unfortunately just a whole lot less cushioned in feel then the Arahi 1. Disappointed as the new shoe just slaps along during any run I take it on, truly miss the original feel of the Arahi 1.