HOKA Arahi 2

Name: HOKA Arahi 2
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.2 (13 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 9.5 oz · 5mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Arahi 3 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Arahi 2 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 13 runner reviews and 7 other rated shoes in the Arahi product line.

Bottom-tier

51/100

Overall

Bottom-tier 51

Cushioning

Excellent 94

Value

Decent 71

Comfort

Decent 70

Durability

Below average 62

Appearance

Bottom-tier 53

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90/100

High 90

What runners say

“Close to 700 miles and still have life left”

4/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 6

“Heels ripped up after 100 miles and dig into heels”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for middle distance

“Maximum cushion in a super light shoe”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 20

“Very well cushioned but not so soft you feel like running on a sponge”

5/5 Full review 62 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Constant 2

“Super light and comfortable with modicum of stability”

4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 4

“Over 600 miles out of each pair”

5/5 Full review 55 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 7

“Run small once you get into size 14 and up”

3/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Stinson

“The opposite of a minimalist; it's maxed out”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Arahi v1

“Material on top started coming apart almost immediately”

5/5 Full review 62 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Constant 2

“Solid mix of cushioning, stability and fairly light weight protects chronic injuries”

4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 9

Prefer this shoe over another

40% 4/10

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers rate cushioning 4.8 out of 5, and four say it is cushioned without being so soft it is unusable for tempos.
Four reviewers call it light for a stability shoe, and two credit it with keeping chronic leg trouble away.
One of thirteen reviewers so far gets over 600 miles per pair.

Cons

Reviewers rate durability 3.9 out of 5, and two report the upper or heel collar coming apart, one at about 100 miles.
Three of thirteen reviewers so far record it as running small or big, and two report sliding or heel rubbing.
One of thirteen reviewers so far says the high stack makes it risky on technical trails.

Arahi 2 rates 51. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Arahi

Each dot is one version of the Arahi, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

53 2017 51 2017 68 2019 57 2019 55 2021 91 2022 71 2024 67 2025

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Arahi 8

2025 · 1 review

67 Below average

27 Confidence
Arahi 7

2024 · 1 review

71 Decent

53 Confidence
Arahi 6

2022 · 38 reviews

91 Very good

93 Confidence
Arahi 5

2021 · 3 reviews

55 Bottom-tier

74 Confidence
Arahi 4

2019 · 2 reviews

57 Bottom-tier

61 Confidence
Arahi 3

2019 · 8 reviews

68 Below average

82 Confidence
Arahi 2 This shoe

2017 · 13 reviews

51 Bottom-tier

90 Confidence
Arahi v1

2017 · 9 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

85 Confidence

Reader Ratings

13 ratings

5/5 4

4/5 7

3/5 2

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.5 oz
Release: 2017 Q4
MSRP: $130
Drop Height: 5mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Mildly supportive cushy distance trainer

5/5

Overall

Yeah, I'm getting old. the bones and joints need more cushion for high mileage weeks, and my ankles need a bit of support. The Arahi has been my go-to trainer for a couple years now. It's more resilient than my old Vanquish and some other marshmallow Hoka's, and fairly unobtrusive for it's amount of cushion. I get over 600 mi out of each pair.

Anonymous runner · Jul 19, 2019

55 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Ravenna 7

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

The most comfortable

4/5

Overall

It’s lightweight for a stability shoe and with the wide option it is so comfortable and the upper lasts longer too. I love it.

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2019

45 mpw came from the HOKA Arahi v1

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Tons of cushion. Maybe too stable?

3/5

Overall

Take this with a grain of salt, but the support post in this shoe is mighty. I let myself get talked into a support shoe due to a weird right foot and it's probably too much for me. Runners that rely on stabilization for over-pronation will love this shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

16 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13

Comfort: 3/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 4/5

So. Soft.

4/5

Overall

Arahi 2 is maximum cushion in a super light shoe. Could stand to have a bit more ventilation, though. It does feel a little funky because there isn't so much cushion in the heel, so walking around in a daze after a long or hard effort takes some getting used to.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

30 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Structure 20

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Heel rubbing

4/5

Overall

These shoes helped my shins more than anything else when I first got them. However, the heels ripped up after about 100 miles and dig into my heels. I heard that other have this problem consistently and if your not willing to keep pulling your socks up then they’re not worth it. Overall they are pretty good feeling though. Would recommend except for heels.

Smiles_0902 · Jun 7, 2019

30 mpw training for middle distance