HOKA Clifton 1

Name: HOKA Clifton 1
Brand: HOKA
Rating: 4.9 (15 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.8 oz · 6mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The HOKA Clifton 2 replaced it

How it ranks

The HOKA Clifton 1 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 16 runner reviews and 10 other rated shoes in the Clifton product line.

Exceptional

99/100

Overall

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Exceptional 99

Comfort

Exceptional 99

Value

Exceptional 97

Durability

Excellent 95

Appearance

Decent 75

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

97/100

Very high 97

What runners say

“Lightweight, very well cushioned, while feeling fast and smooth.”

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

“Enough cushioning for long runs, light enough for faster work.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

“Great cushioning, minimal weight, roomy toe box.”

5/5 Full review 10 mpw training for a half marathon

“1,100+ miles and still going, though upper needed sewing at flex points after 800 miles.”

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

“Super smooth ride with lots of cushion and bounce.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Ghost 11

“Size 12 weighs about 9.4 oz each.”

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

“Looks like a pillow, feels like it too.”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

“Versatile for long runs, tempos, and anything in between.”

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

“500+ miles and still going strong.”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 7

“Later versions got progressively heavier and that took away from the magic.”

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

Prefer this shoe over another

64% 14/22

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Light at 7.8 oz, and reviewers call the cushioning generous.
Runners use it for long runs, easy days and tempo work.
Two reviewers report over 500 and over 1,100 miles from a pair.

Cons

Appearance is its lowest-rated dimension at 4.1 out of 5, and one reviewer calls the upper and tongue unremarkable.
One reviewer at over 1,100 miles has had to sew the upper back together.

Clifton 1 rates 99. This shoe has very high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the HOKA Clifton

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

Rating

40 60 80 100

99 2014 97 2015 98 2016 64 2017 88 2018 87 2019 81 2020 95 2021 99 2023 95 2025 86 2026

Release year

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

Clifton 11

2026 · 3 reviews

86 Good

70 Confidence
Clifton 10

2025 · 11 reviews

95 Excellent

87 Confidence
Clifton 9

2023 · 130 reviews

99 Exceptional

100 Confidence
Clifton 8

2021 · 57 reviews

95 Excellent

97 Confidence
Clifton 7

2020 · 8 reviews

81 Good

83 Confidence
Clifton 6

2019 · 68 reviews

87 Good

97 Confidence
Clifton 5

2018 · 48 reviews

88 Good

97 Confidence
Clifton 4

2017 · 51 reviews

64 Below average

98 Confidence
Clifton 3

2016 · 37 reviews

98 Exceptional

98 Confidence
Clifton 2

2015 · 5 reviews

97 Exceptional

90 Confidence
Clifton 1 This shoe

2014 · 16 reviews

99 Exceptional

97 Confidence

Reader Ratings

16 ratings

5/5 14

4/5 2

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: 7.8 oz
Release: 2014
MSRP: $130
Drop Height: 6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

New Version of the Clifton 1

5/5

Overall

I had several pair of the original Clifton and really liked them. I could not wear any of the other versions. The relaunch of the Clifton 1 is not really the same but it is close enough that I bought 3 pair. The cushioning is just a bit different but I like it. It seems to feel more responsive. I am now a slow jogger due to a back issue that will never heal up and these shoes are nice to run in. They are comfortable and seem to hold up well. I also have a pair of original Clifton 1 that are new even though they are a few years old in the box. I put one of each on my feet and you can tell there is a slight difference but I would hope they would keep the new Clifton 1 in the line up. I started wearing Hoka in August of 2014 and the Hoka today are nothing like the originals like the Stinson ATR original. None of the other versions are as soft etc.

Anonymous runner · Jul 27, 2019

55 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

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

Retro

5/5

Overall

Started running in the Clifton 2's and bought the retro 1's when they were reintroduced. Love the cushioning, minimal weight and roomy toe box.

Anonymous runner · Jul 23, 2019

10 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Mejor para mí ninguno

5/5

Overall

Un paseo suave y amortiguado, buena respuesta, carrera corta y larga, el entrenador ideal, protege tus piernas del impacto, farsistis aliviada, poca molestia, Clifton 10/10. Clifton 4, 6/10, muy firme, poca respuesta, no tan amortiguado, poca reacción en carrera, ritmos lentos .

Anonymous runner · Jul 22, 2019

came from the Saucony Breakthru 2

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

Like Pillow, still a shoe

4/5

Overall

The Hoka Clifton 1 not only looks like a pillow, but feels like it too. It has enough cushioning for long training runs, while still being light enough for faster work. The Clifton 1 is the best running shoe I've worn to date, but at the end of the day is still just a shoe. There will be hotspots, blisters, etc. but for a shoe that lets you go both long and fast, you can't do much better.

Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2019

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Beacon

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

Hoka Clifton One

5/5

Overall

Excelllent light weight everyday trainer. Glad they remade.

Anonymous runner · Jul 11, 2019

55 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 5

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 1/5
Value: 4/5

Alternatives

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Analyses

HOKA Clifton 1

Exceptional