Hoka Just Released My New Favorite Running Shoes
The latest iteration of the Mach X 2, Hoka's daily trainer, is an instant top 3 for me... which is saying something.
I’d say the mark of a running good shoe is that while you’re wearing it, you forget you have it on. Shoes that become unobtrusive have an intrinsic quality: they’re comfortable. They’re well-made. They’re considered. A cheap, poorly-made running shoe with sub-par materials will always make you aware of its presence, from a too-narrow toebox to uppers that don’t breathe to a heel stack is just isn’t right to foam that doesn’t rebound…
The newest iteration of Hoka’s propulsive daily trainer suffers from none of these. In fact, from the moment I put it on, I became convinced that the Hoka Mach X 2 is my new favorite running shoe, no holds barred. Here’s why.
The Hoka Mach X 2: The Quick and Dirty
Price: $190
Weight: 8 ounces (W8) / 9.2 ounces (M10)
Stack: 42mm / 37 mm (W) / 44mm / 39mm (M)
Changes: Increased PEBA foam; cutouts underfoot to decrease weight; lighter upper; upgraded winged plate design
The Hoka Mach X 2: The Review
The Hoka Mach X 2 is lightweight and fast
A daily trainer isn’t much use if it’s not a pleasure to run in. Why would you lace it up every damn day if you don’t like it? The Mach X 2 is a joy to run in, thanks to a potent combination of decreased weight and increased speed. The shoe sports strategic cutouts underfoot, zonal rubber placement for extra weight savings, and a lighter upper that puts the entire package at eight ounces for a women’s size 8. The winged Pebax plate delivers tons of energy return, and I’ve noticed an improvement on my mile time in the week I’ve been wearing these.
The Mach X 2’s new foam is responsive and springy underfoot
The Mach X 2 features Pebax foam, which a proprietary material made from lightweight plastic polymer. It’s found in the midsole foam of this shoe, as well as in a compressed version in the Pebax plate. The combination is an ultra-springy and responsive ride that’s also supportive. In high-foam shoes, I typically will start to experience knee pain at mile two of my runs; I’ve attributed this to squishy foam that doesn’t give quite enough energy return, mixed with a stack height that doesn’t quite work for my gait.
In the Mach X 2, I haven’t experienced any knee pain, point blank. I attribute that to the Pebax foam and winged plate combo, as well as the EVA foam in the bottom of the midsole and the taller stack height. The aggressive rocker profile doesn’t hurt to powerfully propel each step forward, either.
Hoka’s new daily trainer is breathable and comfortable
The woven upper on the Mach x 2 is breathable. “Breathable” is quite possibly the most common descriptor for running shoe uppers known to man, but in the case of the Mach X 2, it’s not hype. The weave of this upper prioritizes breathability to the point that I can see which color socks I’m wearing directly through the material. Sun shines through it. It’s beautiful.
Outside of aesthetics, this upper is actually breathable. I’ve been wearing these shoes running during a Southern California heat wave, where temperatures have been hovering around 105 degrees Fahrenheit for over a week. I’ve been running before the sun comes up, when the temperature is a mere 80 degrees. I have not experienced overheating or foot discomfort at any point while wearing these shoes. I even wore them all day this week, just to see if I would overheat and take them off, but they lasted from sun-up to sun-down, and I didn’t experience any foot fatigue. In fact, relating to my point at the beginning of this review, I didn’t even remember I had them on. WOW!
Two details I didn’t love about the Mach X 2
There are some things I don’t love about the Mach X 2 that are worth mentioning here, only because nothing is perfect and you should know that just because I love these shoes, doesn’t mean I’m not critical of them as well.
One of the first details I noticed and didn’t love about the Mach X 2 is that there’s no pull tab on the heel. This may not be a big deal to some of you, but I’ve found I rely on the heel tab quite often, especially with my left foot, which is slightly larger than my right, but not enough to go a half size up. I end up squishing my left foot into shoes more often than my right foot, and I’ve come to rely on the heel tab as an instrumental part of this process. If the collar of a running shoe is stretchy or have some give, lack of a heel tab is not an issue. However, with some of the more minimal, race-inspired uppers I’ve seen on performance running shoes as of late, there’s less stretch and give in the high-tech material, and it’s really hard to get my left foot into a shoe without a heel tab.
Does this oversight mean I’ll write these shoes off? Absolutely not. They’re too responsive, too comfortable and too fun to do that — but maybe Hoka could consider adding a little heel pull on the next iteration. Just a thought!
The other minor complaint I have is the colorway selection for this shoe. I get that lots of folks like having brightly-colored running shoes, but I like white. Or taupe or bone. Maybe sometimes black. But I don’t love wearing fluorescent colors, so I often feel like I’m choosing between the lesser of two evils. Even a basic white/black combo would work here. Or maybe a super dark green. I’m open to (tonal) suggestions! But that is a personal gripe I wanted to address.
Overall, these shoes are fantastic. I have zero complaints when it comes to performance. The Mach X 2 is fast, fun and easy to run in, and I have a feeling I’ll be ordering more pairs as back-ups soon.