Worst shoe ever
2/5
Overall
This shoe sucks only 90 year old gym teachers wear them that say they used to run.
Kaden · Mar 8, 2024
training for ultramarathons
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 1/5
- Appearance
- 1/5
- Value
- 1/5
HOKA Bondi 8
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 11.1 oz · 4mm drop · 43/39mm stack
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Bondi 9 replaced it
How it ranks
The HOKA Bondi 8 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 53 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Bondi product line.
Exceptional
99/100
Overall
99
Comfort
99
Cushioning
99
Durability
99
Value
78
Appearance
77
Confidence
100
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.
Confidence
100/100
What runners say
“The 8's present a neutral, ultra-cushioned ride.”
“My old knees, battered after decades of running have been given new life with Hoka Bondi.”
“I'll get 500 miles out of a pair before they're retired to walking duty.”
“I have run 2 trail ultras in them (a 50k and 50 miler) and they held up great.”
“Lots of grip in the wet on pavement, even could wear them on hardpacked trail, plenty of grip to deal with rocks and roots.”
“I was struggling with Plantar Fasciitis and nothing helped until these were recommended.”
“Great arch support, no slipping at the heel.”
“Very cushioned. Feel well supported. No injuries with these.”
“I credit them with saving my knees.”
“For how chunky they are they are surprisingly light which is nice.”
Prefer this shoe over another
60% 15/25
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.
Pros
- Deep cushioning on a 43mm heel stack, and reviewers describe a smooth ride.
- Seven reviewers with knee, hip, Achilles or foot problems say they were able to run comfortably in it.
- One reviewer ran a 50k and a 50 miler in a pair, and another gets 500 miles before retiring them to walking.
Cons
- Value is its lowest-rated dimension at 4.1 out of 5, and reviewers who like the shoe still call the $165 price high.
- At 11.1 oz it sits in the heavy weight band, and three reviewers find it heavy or clunky, one of them also hot.
- One reviewer with a narrow toe box began getting blisters as the mileage rose.
Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale
Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.
Confidence
50
60
70
80
90
100
25
50
75
100
Better Shoes Rating
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Bondi
Each dot is one version of the Bondi, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
Rating
40
60
80
100
96
2018
98
2017
79
2017
99
2018
99
2020
99
2022
97
2024
Release year
-
2024 · 3 reviews
97 Exceptional
85 Confidence
-
Bondi 8 This shoe
2022 · 53 reviews
99 Exceptional
100 Confidence
-
2020 · 25 reviews
99 Exceptional
97 Confidence
-
2018 · 36 reviews
99 Exceptional
99 Confidence
-
2017 · 19 reviews
79 Decent
90 Confidence
-
2017 · 4 reviews
98 Exceptional
90 Confidence
-
2018 · 1 review
96 Excellent
79 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 11.1 oz
- Release
- 2022 Q3
- MSRP
- $165
- Stack Height
- 43mm heel - 39mm toe
- Drop Height
- 4mm
Runner reviews
Maximal comfort
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Dec 27, 2023
40 mpw training for a marathon
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 3/5
- Value
- 4/5
Good shoe for foot problems
4/5
Overall
I have metatarsalagia. These are the only shoes I can really run in right now. I have run 2 trail ultras in them (a 50k and 50 miler) and they held up great. Only complaint is that they are a little clunky and very expensive. If I didn’t have foot problems, I would probably not run in them.
Anonymous runner · Dec 21, 2023
70 mpw training for ultramarathons came from the Saucony Kinvara 14
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 3/5
- Value
- 4/5
Reader review
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Dec 1, 2023
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 3/5
Hoka Bondi
5/5
Overall
Love it!!!
Art Georges · Nov 25, 2023
20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Saucony Omni 13
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
More from HOKA
Compared to other shoes
See how this shoe compares to others like it.
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Best durability
Newest
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Lowest price
Lightest
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Best appearance
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Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
11.1 oz M
9.3 oz M
8.5 oz M
Lightest
Stack
43/39mm
44/39mm
40/35mm
Drop
4mm
5mm
5mm
Release
2022 Q3
2024 Q4
Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$165
$175
$145
Best price
—
$139.96
Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Exceptional (99)
Best overall
Exceptional (97)
Exceptional (99)
Comfort
Exceptional (99)
Exceptional (99)
Exceptional (99)
Cushioning
Exceptional (99)
Exceptional (99)
Exceptional (99)
Durability
Exceptional (99)
Best durability
Excellent (95)
Very good (92)
Appearance
Decent (77)
Below average (69)
Very good (91)
Best appearance
Value
Decent (78)
Decent (78)
Good (88)
Best value
HOKA Bondi 8 In Context
More on the HOKA Bondi
- HOKA Bondi 3
- HOKA Bondi 9 next version
- HOKA Bondi 7 previous version
- HOKA Bondi 2
- HOKA Bondi 6
- HOKA Bondi 5
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 1 runner
- Saucony Endorphin Shift 3 1 runner
- HOKA Clifton 9 1 runner