Hoka Clifton vs Mach Compared

The Hoka Clifton, a favorite neutral daily trainer, features a rocker midsole enhancing efficiency and transitions over long distances. The Mach, on the other hand, is a light, adaptable Hoka trainer, featuring Super Critical Foam, delivering a dynamic, responsive ride with a soft landing and quick toe-off.

My wife and I are always looking at the shoes, if this is Hoka then we are definitely buying it. So, when these two models came out, we decided to buy them and do a review quickly. Honestly, these shoes are very perfect for us and we’ve tried everything to find out the cons.

Hoka Clifton Vs Mach: A Factual Comparison Between Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5 

Here, we’ll clarify the characteristic of these shoes from the user’s point of view. So, don’t miss a part of it.

	Clifton 9	Mach 5
Sole unit	CMEVA Midsole	Profly+ setup
Upper unit	Engineered mesh	Engineered mesh
Size	True to size	True to size
Height	24 mm	29 mm
Weight	248g	192g
Price	$145	$180
Recommended for	Daily Training	Heavy Training

Sole Unit: Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5

The Clifton 9 comes with a single-density CMEVA midsole. Wearing it for long periods of time won’t cause you to sink into the foam because of the thick stack height. With plenty of cushioning, this shoe can cover plenty of marathon distances and beyond. 

Meanwhile, the Mach 5 comes with two foams, EVA on the bottom and soft foam on top, which makes for a dual foam PROFLY+ setup. The midsole has plenty of cushioning, which is enough to bear your weight at a comfort level. However, it has a less thick sole than the Clifton 9. 

Mach 5 shoes are the best for a short distance running as their thinnest sole allows you to run fast. For long rides with a slow pace, Clifton 9 is the appropriate choice. Because it has a rocker-shaped midsole that provides fluent transition and improves running efficiency day by day. 

Regarding the outsole, Clifton 9 comes with a firm blown rubber. This material is durable, along with the raised midsole sidewalls. The formation keeps your feet in the right place, preventing further sandal corrosion. 

The Hoka Mach 5 has no rubber on its outsole though it has EVA foam that allows transitioning much faster. The ground feel is much better with this shoe because of the absence of outsole rubber. 

Winner: Both 

Upper Unit: Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5

Clifton 9 comes with an engineered mesh upper unit. Several padded elements are present on the shoe, including the tongue, collar, and heel tab. As the tongue is gusseted, it won’t slide, and your feet will remain latched superbly. More importantly, Clifton 9 comes in true-to-size, which reduces your confusion about fitting the feet. 

The Clifton 9 also has a layer of reinforced eyelets will be seen. This layer is made of dense materials lined up on both sides along with the laces. This formation looks durable and has proved to be durable so far. 

The Mach 5 also has engineered mesh with a more breathable upper part. Its upper unit is thin, has a flat tongue, and is good at keeping your foot lockdown superbly. This shoe also comes in true to size, yet there are additional options available. 

Along with the mesh upper, the Hoka Mach 5 shoe has a supersonic tongue that is thin and asymmetrical. This tongue is gusseted, which prevents tongue movement under any condition. Mach can be a wise choice for a durable and breathable upper unit. 

Winner: Mach 5 

Durability: Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5

Both these shoes are durable, depending on how you use them. 

Usually, Clifton 9 is made for daily training or casual walking for long distances. Even if you can wear it and go to work if you tend to spend longer time outside. However, it doesn’t mean the durability of this shoe will decrease if you take it to your daily training. In fact, the cushioning of the sole and the upper unit is made to tolerate the day-to-day running of the user. 

Regarding Mach 5, this shoe can withstand road running and allow you to perform sprints on a regular basis. Well, you can run speedily with Clifton 9, but Mach 5 is much more appropriate for this as this shoe is lightweight. This shoe is light because it doesn’t have an outer sole. And that makes it less durable than the Clifton 9. 

Winner: Clifton 9 

Size & Fit: Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5 

With a tight toe box, Clifton 9 comes in true to size, as we’ve mentioned above. Once you order this shoe, you’ll have no worries about getting the actual size. Because this shoe usually fits most feet. But if you have relatively big feet, you can move on to Mach 5. 

Mach 5 also has a true-to-size appearance that allows it to catch multiple consumers around the globe. Yet the exception is that if you have bigger or smaller feet, you can order according to it, as Mach 5 is available in many sizes. 

Winner: Mach 5 

Heel-To-Toe Drop: Hoka Clifton 9 and Mach 5

With a 5-millimeter heel-to-toe drop, Clifton 9 has the most accurate drop size. This allows both normal and injured feet to adjust to it. It reduces pressure from your knee and offers enough grip to your forefoot. 

Mach 5, on the other hand, has a similar drop size and is much comfier to wear. With its size and weight, the 5 mm heels are adequate for the shoe. This shoe has no outsole, so it’ll give you a pretty even feel of the surface. 

Winner: Both 

Overall Opinions 

Clifton 9 is much more durable than Mach 5, as we’ve learned from the discussion above. But important to understand that both these shoes are made for different purposes. Clifton 9 will give you company on your daily training, while Mach 5 will allow you to run at the top of your skill. If you’re a professional runner, you can use Clifton 9 for practice and take Mach 5 to the final running surface. It’ll be wise to utilize the lightweight structure of Mach 5 on the speedy running.