HOKA Cavu 2

Name: HOKA Cavu 2
Brand: HOKA

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.2 oz

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

How it ranks

The HOKA Cavu 2 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and value are its strongest sub-ratings. The rating rests on 3 runner reviews and 1 other rated shoe in the Cavu product line. Another 9 reviews would set the confidence on this shoe's own reviews.

Current estimate: Good

87/100

Overall

Good 87

Value

Exceptional 97

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Comfort

Very good 91

Appearance

Good 84

Durability

Good 83

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

35/100

Very low 35

Based on product-line history, external ratings, and 3 runner ratings.

What runners say

“The shoe wants to go forward, aids a natural stride/mid-foot strike, and feels at home doing fast work as well as on long runs.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1400 v6

“Great tight fit around the ankle.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Levitate Limited Edition

“Light, effortless, a pleasant amount of cushioning without being mushy.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1400 v6

“The right marathon distance feel of cushioning.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Levitate Limited Edition

“The outsole shows a bit of wear and tear after 70k and the midsole shows slight deformation marks already.”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1400 v6

“Light like Hoka Hupanas.”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Levitate Limited Edition

Prefer this shoe over another

50% 2/4

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

It weighs 7.2 oz in the men's version and 6.4 oz in the women's.
One of three reviewers so far finds the cushioning generous without being mushy, and uses it for fast work and long runs alike.
The Cavu before it scores 53 on six reviews.

Cons

One of three reviewers so far reports outsole wear and midsole deformation at 70km.

Cavu 2 rates 87. This shoe has very low certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Cavu

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

53 2018 87 2019

Release year

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

Cavu 2 This shoe

2019 · 3 reviews

87 Good

35 Confidence
Cavu

2018 · 6 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

69 Confidence

Reader Ratings

3 ratings

5/5 3

4/5 0

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.2 oz
Release: 2019 Q1
MSRP: $110

Runner reviews

Write a review

Light, fast, comfortable

5/5

Overall

I'm a light and small guy so prefer light shoes. These were my first Hoka as I've been skeptical of the their stack hight and enormous amount of cushioning. The Cavu 2 were on sale so given the low weight I gave them a go: incredibly positive surprise. The ride is superb. Light, effortless, a pleasant amount of cushioning without being mushy. The shoe wants to go forward, aids a natural stride/mid-foot strike, and feels home doing fast work as well as on long runs. I prefer a bit more ground feel in a race shoe. But for those quality training runs this is the perfect shoe. Slight question marks on durability as the outsole shows a bit of wear and tear after 70k and the midsole shows slight deformation marks already. For around 60 bucks that's alright. I get a few more and all is good.

Florian_Ire · Apr 2, 2020

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1400 v6

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

Faith Restored

5/5

Overall

After initially trying previous Hoka shoes I was a skeptic. I'm a clumsy (albeit fairly rapid) runner with athritic knees looking for light, slipper like race shoes with max cushioning (so im not laid up for 6 weeks post race). The Hoka Cavu 2 is a step up, light like Hoka Hupanas (my go-to interval shoe); with great tight fit around the ankle like the Brooks levitate 2 (my previous half marathon flavour of the month) and the right marathon distance feel of cushioning like the Adidas boost (my last long distance beau). What does the Hoka Cavu 2 have above these? All of the pros and none of the erm.... not buying those again... I'm (currently) happliy in love and training for Frankfurt Marathon in October; come on Cavu 2 we got this!

Anonymous runner · Jul 27, 2019

20 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Levitate Limited Edition